National Camp over … rest time which means relax time

Saturday, back home after a great week at the national camp. The last 2 days have been rewarding even if friday wasnt my greatest day.

Friday we had a mini regatta which I proceeded to start off well in and consistantly go downhill. As my anger rose i went from 1st in one race to last in the final. Terrible … I really have to learn to curb my anger when people fuck me over and just keep on trucking.

Saturday we focused on getting good starts. The creation of a hole for yourself is absolutely crucial in large laser fleets and by compressing the boat to windward of you, you have more room to bear away to go fast off the line. Other important things to remember is who you are starting above in light airs. If you cant point as your weight is like mine at 84kg+ and someone under you is 73kg then your in trouble particualry if your lane is tight. They will quickly point you off and you will be in the doldrums at the back of the fleet.

Another point when starting is watching the “last second fuckers” who come through and try to steal your spot. You must really keep an eye out for these guys as if they get in your hole and you have no room to bear away its alll over. Close your hole by letting out your mainsheet and deviating from going low to high to reduce the visible amount of space in your hole. This will discourage the bastards from charging in.

Finally thanks to AB and Tommy and Blackers. I learnt alot of good stuff about sailing, fitness and nutrition. After a bit of a talk with AB i have decided to take it easy for a month. I will minimize on water time and take my head out of sailing for a bit so I can get some work together and relax a bit.

In more personal news, uni starts again for me on 29th Feb. Im pretty pumped to get my last subject done and graduate. Uni is always great though so ill probably be back for a masters or something a few years down the track. Need to get out and meet some people too, being single has its ace and shite points but what can you do …

Regards,

Aman

Halfway though the National Camp …

Thursday night and im halfway through the camp. 2 fitness sessions a day + on water session daily. Focus on straightline sailing (comparing speeds) and also a focus on medal racing and different scenarios. We hit the water daily at 9:3o am and sail through till 12-1230 before heading in for a debrief and discussion.

Staying at the Hotel Chant and enjoying it. Josh looks after me and we hit the beach everyday when we get home (thanks joshy, i wont roll you on purpose anymore haha). Tim Castles from WA is also staying and hes a good man and we often scramble to see who shotguns the frontseat in the car … thats right timmy its Ash 29 = Timmy 7 … Josh lives in Bilgola Plateau and its a 2 min drive to the beach and I have a nice comfortable bed and a fridge to put my stuff in … thats all a man needs …

Conditions for the camp have been light because of when we hit the water. I feel this is good for me even though not my favourite breeze to sail in, im learning techniques to keep the boat constantly tracking so the rig cuts through the air and holds 100% power.

As we are training on the sound there is a light swell which means steering and sheeting changes upwind are common. Today I practiced going up a wave pointing and dropping some sheet then a very slight bear away and sheet on for maximum power down the face of the wave. Repeat this time and time again with a good rig set up and all of a sudden i had height and decent boatspeed.

It just shows how the smallest deviation in lighter breezes in sheeting, steering and sail controls has a great effect on how fast and high your boat is moving. Its a fine art but you got to learn it.

Next focus being the medal race we focused on many different scenarios. The key to a good medal race is assessing the situation prior to the race to deter who needs to be beaten, how much by and who doesnt matter. Medal race is governed by risk management and if you go into it in the top spots you want to fleet sail conservatively unless completely sure of your decision making on tactics. However alternatively if you go into the medal race in lower ranked positions and have nothing to lose and everything to gain then you go all out taking bigger risks to make bigger gains. I mean if your 10th why not go left when the fleet is bunched up and heading right? you might make a few spots up and with double points and no drop its a good way of climbing the ladder.

Another scenario from today in the medal racing included me leading into the race 1st (20 points) and having to match race Tom Slingsby (26 points) in an attempt to hold top postion in this scenario. I found “circling” as it is called in match racing circles allowed me to gybe from port tack upwind to starboard if Tom was in a blocking position to windward and closing me off from tacking.

We continued to match race down the run and i found it best to be on starboard with clear air on the inside for as long as possible. I managed to escape Tom’s traps on a few occasions by catching a wave and gybing in front to cross and regybing on starboard to be in a position with more freedom to leeward. Tommy caught me at the finish line but I enjoyed the race and he still needed 2 boats in between to win the scenario.

Arthur Brett is doing a great job keeping the large group in order and it is absolutely awesome to have Tommy and Blackers as training partners. Eric Stibbe and “Fletch” were also coaches today and Fletch was blunt in assessing our sailing skills in light airs as inferior to Mike and Tommy’s. He said we couldnt concentrate as young sailors and needed more time out on the water … That is the new goal, more time on the water in the lighter stuff. Eric was onto me about sitting forward as always as I have a tendancy to slide backwards downwind when riding waves … too much training in wind … hahaha …

Ill put another blog up at the end of the camp, got to head off to bed now as 8am swim warm up at Balmoral Beach …

Regards,

Ash

Chilling while the others lake sail …

 After my decision to stay home this weekend I am gratefully enjoying a bit of a rest from sailing. As with all good things it must come in moderation and I am sailing in the national development squad all of next week and I want to go into it with a clear head.

The national development squad is run by Yachting Australia. The head coach of Australian laser sailing Arthur Brett will be coaching and organizing most of the camps and my training partners will include Michael Blackburn (Current World Champion), Tom Slingsby (Runner up at 2006 worlds) and my closer competitior Simon Morgan from Tasmania. I put up a few pics of these guys. There will also be a few other in the top 10 laser sailors in Australia attending and it will be a great week out of Middle Harbour.

I have a few things to work out for the camp. I am a Woollahra sailor and so I will have to either sail to and from the training or store my boat over there and report to middle harbour every morning.

I wish the boys down at the states all the best. 

Constant Training, Recent Racing report, Action Photos

Few days before the national development squad camp I am now relaxing a bit after training hard since my return from Melbourne. I am working a bit now at the Woollahra Sailing School but am currently paying off my debts to the club whom I still owe for 2006 club fees. When will i get out deffering costs i dont know, where are you potential sponsors???

I have decided I will not go to the NSW states because I need a break and more importantly, I dont have enough money currently to even do them and I dont want to borrow anymore.

Last Saturday I competed in a regatta at Vaucluse Yacht Club for their 75th Anniversary. Some of my competition at this local event included Kev Lim (MAS), Maxi Soh (SIN), Seng Leong (SIN), Henrik Boquist (SWE), Victor Vasternas (SWE) and Oscar Danstromm (FIN). Thus it was very international and along with these guys raced another 30 local club sailors from Vaucluse and Double Bay SC.

In a medium ENE breeze that was quite shifty we had four races. The first which I managed to break out in front after a good first downwind was apparently abandoned post-race after i lead the fleet to the incorrect mark that was in the right place but was the wrong colour?

The second race again I was battling it out consistantly with Henrik, Kev and Victor and almost gunned down Victor on the last run to the finish ending 4th. The third race I got off the start on the boat end and tacked onto a port lift followed by a hard knock which i tacked and footed across the fleet on to gain a modest lead to the top mark and to later win the race. The final race was intense battle between Kevin and Henrik in the top 2 but then I caught up and joined in the match. On the final run again I had good speed and made some ground on those boys to end up inside parralel closing on the pin bias finish line. I was looking like a hero but then henrik and Kev got a final gust which took Henrik over the line to win the race, me 2nd and Kev 3rd. Due to the 1st race being abandoned in the regatta, Henrik took home the painting, well done Henrik.

Sundays racing was much lighter with Victor showing us his lake sailing prowess and winning most races. Sunday made me think alot about my light weather skills which is good because I feel as if I have improved after beating some of the really good light guys a few times. My results with the same crowd were 4th, 5th, 4th.

Now for the exiciting bit, im attaching photos from our windiest training day Saturday the 27th. Victor already posted an excellent photo of me on his site sailevent.wordpress.com but I have a feeling these photos suit the reality a touch better. Wouldnt you agree Victor?

Regards,

Ash

The writer, editor and publisher …

Home and training

Back in Sydney since the 21st January, boats unpacked and ready to train.

Trained with Maximus from Singapore until the Scandinavians return. The boys from Norway, Stian and Kristian took out some club boats and joined in the training. Henrik had his own boat but Victor (SWE) also borrowed a club boat and we all matched it up offshore.

After some good medium weather training in the week Saturday arrived and it was a howling southerly. Everyone went out in gusts of upto 44 knots and we had a great time. A few breakages and Henrik was on rescue duty in the club coach boat. After performing an excellent job of saving a Malaysian and another Swede he managed to take some action photos which will be posted in due course.

This was an important day as it heralded the arrival of Kev Lim back on the program. Kman was at the asian games in december and had taken a long break and is now furnished with a new boat. However Kevs new boat took a beating on the first downwind of the day when his rudder broke clean in half under pressure prompting questions about the quality of Australian foils once again. Hopefully they will get it right soon !!!

After watching everyone (including myself) upside down many times after 2 hours on the water I was absolutely wrecked physically as managing the boat upwind meant working very hard to keep it moving through waves in Rose Bay you might find outside the heads on a medium day.

Training from 29th Jan up till today has gone smoothly as earlier in the week all the Scandinavians including Oscar from Finland got their boats out of the container. Everyone is on the pace and we are occasionally joined by Christoph Bottoni from Switzerland when he sails down from Manly. This Sunday our good friends the Norwegians or the affectionatly named ‘Norgie Worgies’ are heading home to Oslo for a well deserved rest before they start their European seasons. Stian is currently hospitalized with a infected knee so hopefully it all comes good and you guys get on the flight ok. Well done norgies on a great campaign downunder and i know we will see you guys again next year.

Finally the NSW\ACT state titles are being held in Canberra on the 10th\11th of february and all of our training group in Woollahra will be attending. This regatta will be light winds and flat water and so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. Will it be the lake sailors or Sweden and Switzerland, the light weight sailors from Singapore or one of the Vaunted Woollahra Sailing Club team ??? We can only wait and see.

  

Downunder Series

Hey everybody,

I got back from the Downunder Series of regattas last Sunday. The tour involved a regatta in Sydney, Hobart and Melbourne.

Sail Sydney was a 4 day event and it had varied conditions. The first 2 days were rather light but then the second 2 heralded wind from the NE and a strong southerly. My training partner and friend from Sweden, Henrik Boquist, managed to get appendicitus on day 2 of the event and we visited him in hospital. I made gold fleet but it was very competitive and I found it hard to break consistantly into the top 10. On the final day i was 10th overall but then after a rules incident with a chilean i finished the race with a rather large hole in my boat, a temper and a protest. I won the protest and he was disqualified but then the jury DISQUALIFIED ME for not avoiding a collision that I didnt cause … wwwhhhhaaattttt the hell … so i ended the regatta 12th …

As sail sydney came to an end we packed up the boats and I took a short break and prepared for the long drive to Hobart (which also involved a long ferry trip). I drove down with my training partner Brett Beyer who also shared a cabin across the Bass Strait. The ferry trip was horrible. We had a random guy who was a vietnam vet who snored like a trooper and had violent dreams the whole nightttttt. I avoided him as long as possible by going downstairs and hanging at the bar. I took a few lemonades on the way out of port phillip bay and everyone else was hard on the piss. Needless to say we got out into the strait and the swell picked up to 20ft+ and soon i watched a cavalcade of throwing up as the whole ferry rocked and shuddered. It was everywhere and everything stank … next time ill be flying …

Once I reached Hobart it was Christmas day and there was ABSOLUTELY nothing open. It was horrible … Then when i got out of the car it was 9 degrees and windy and cold. Lovely …

After 2 days of training in nice wind we waited for the racing to begin. Measured in no problems and thanks to Henrik for the sail he lent me because my European sail is pretty ratty these days. The practice race was 20 knots from the south and was very nice. I was in accomodation with Brett and Mike Leigh from Canada and our highlight was playing constant pinball and watching the deadliest catch and family guy.

The regatta began and it was very light winds. I had my worst day leaving me 29th overall and i was rather despondant. I knew I had to reply on day 2 with very high results and managed to get a 2 and a 2. I was back in the game and for day 3, i performed well again getting a 2 and a OK result of a 12. My highlight was the windiest race where I managed to break out in front and hold blackburn off to win!!. I finished the regatta 8th overall in international standing and most importantly of all 4th Australian and qualification for the worlds (top 5 aussies).

After the regatta i flew home to Sydney to spend some time at home and get my head out of sailing. My inital thoughts were to not do Sail Melbourne for various reasons but mainly due to a lack of funding. However, some of my training partners promised me some good cheap accomodation and good conditions and so i flew down because my boat was already there with brett. However the accomodation ended up as being some pillows on the ground and a rug as a bed …. crappppppppppp …

Irony strikes again and I was told for 2 weeks before the event there was great conditions (seabreezes and sun). I arrived and it was cold and rainy and very little wind. The racing was good training for me in lighter winds but I was acheing for a windy day. When i got one I got a 4 and a 2 which was great but it made it increasingly clear that my lighter weather sailing needs extensive work.

Flew home after finishing the regatta in 8th overall international and am now resting in Cherrybrook. I got a call a few days ago from Yachting Australia and the good news is that I along with a few others have been invited onto the Australian Development Squad for the Laser Mens.

All good but I need to develop new sources of funding as if I am to represent Australia in Europe this year i will need to find $10,000 by June 2007. Tough ask but will be trying my best.

Best Regards,

Ash