Well we made it through the first week of autumn. The Friday rush really is an awesome high to get in the mood for the weekend isn’t it!? I have had so much on recently that Fridays are even better than usual!
With the 470 Nationals and getting back into the Tasar I am really noticing the shorter days, and I miss summer already, but I am taking advantage of the darker evenings by getting into my fitness. Lots of core and arm work, and I am feeling good going into some big training blocks ahead! The passing of summer also means I have added another year to my adventures which meant for a fun month, but also a time to reflect on everything that I still want to achieve! Given that today is also International Women’s Day it is really a day to remember past adventures, how far I have come, see all that is ahead and draw energy from all the other fantastic women who have realised their dreams!
On the 470 Nationals, firstly, how gorgeous is Port Stephens!? I hadn’t been to Port Stephens since my childhood, back in Dad’s Laser glory days. I caught my first fish off the jetty right near the club, so lots of nostalgia… and fantastic scenery that acted as a great distraction when the racing wasn’t going quite as we had hoped. You can hear more about Port Stephens in Sailing Chix shows 18 and 19. Two Girls Sailing had a rough few days to start off the regatta, a breakage in heat one, and a boat that just would not go upwind. Our height again was a real issue. On chatting to Victor Kovalenko and Johnny Rogers (the Australian and Victorian coaches), we got our rake, spreaders and rig in the right spot, and finally we were able to get some leech tension. On the final day of racing (day 3 as day 4 was abandoned), we were able to hold a lane! Not surprisingly, we were around the first top mark in the top five (with the boys and girls) for three races in a row, and third in the second race. Great to experience some marked improvements even if it was late in the game. This process is all about learning, and if there is that much of an improvement with four tips from a coach, imagine what will happen with a few more! At the end of the day I am learning how to sail a 470, not how to race – so in theory the improvements should start to come more quickly as my knowledge of the boat increases! Congratulations to the other teams, it was fantastic to watch and learn from all those who were involved.
We shall see!
Fridays are always fantastic for me, the end of the working week, knowing I get to talk about sailing on air the following morning, and of course – more sailing!
Tomorrow I will be with the Sailing Chix live from Middle Harbour for the kick off of the Sydney Harbour Regatta. If you haven’t listened to the show yet our past shows are on the website, so there really are no excuses! I am really loving bringing character to our sport and a more in depth look at some fantastic adventures… and hey I get to chat to some fantastic people along the way! On that note, I am really looking forward to following the progress of of Objective Australia who have been selected to take part in the Youth America’s Cup! We should all be getting behind these guys, a fantastic achievement just to be selected in such a professional section of our sport!
On my own sailing, I was offered a few rides, from 38s to Melges 32s this weekend (which would have been awesome!)… instead I am heading out on the Tasar with Dad and I can’t wait to do a bit of training. In amongst all of the learning, it is great to go back to something you are good at, and bring a new perspective with gained knowledge! We have big goals for this year, so I will be hanging out for my weekends I get to sail the Tasar!
In the coming weeks I will have the Spiral States up at Mannering Park (let’s see if I can get into the top six!), the 50 year 470 Reunion at RSYS, and the Tasar States at Georges River over Easter! In amongst this, I will be doing some major overhauls on the 470 to get our settings up to scratch ahead of some serious boat handling practice over the winter! No rest for the… shall we say determined!
Basically, I have an awesome autumn of adventures ahead to kick off the next year for the Sailor Girl!
On a closing note can I just say I love fridays.
Enjoy your Friday, your weekend and an awesome autumn of adventures!
Sailor Girl
