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wTuesday, May 13, 2008 | |
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Waiting... European Championships Sorry about the lack of communication about the last few days of the European Championships in Brest, France. The last five days of the championship were very very long - mostly because we were postponed on shore for the majority of the days. Day 3 had us waiting onshore until 7:15 pm when the first and only race of the day was raced. The scheduled start was to be at 11 am, which means that I get there at around 9 am - so it made for a very long day.. Day 4 was a rest day where I went exploring along to coast to a really beautiful surf spot called Pointe de la Torche, about 45 minutes south from Brest. We were very lucky to have a beautiful, sunny and warm day (25 degrees). Unfortunately for our next racing day, day 5 - the weather changed dramatically, it was miserable - 8 degrees and non-stop rain and no wind. Once again we were supposed to start at 11am but were postponed on shore until about 5 pm when they finally blew the day off. Day 6 of the regatta wasn't much better weather wise, but luckily the wind collaborated a bit more and we were able to sail 2 races. I can't say that I was very happy with the racing... it was horribly cold on the water and when hands are numb holding on to the boom become an issue. I had some very strong points in both my races but wasn't able to turn them into a result on the scoreboard. On the 7th and final day of the regatta we were supposed to have one final race and the medal races for the top 10 were to be held. Once again... no wind and lots of waiting around. 3pm was the latest they could start us, but there was still no wind so the regatta ended very uneventfully. I have never been postponed during a regatta as much as this one, the waiting around all day is almost more tiring than the racing itself as it's so hard to be on constant "stand-by" mode for hours on end. A bit odd for a place that is known for it's very windy and stormy conditions. I finished 33rd in the regatta - a result that I'm not really thrilled about, but lots of good came out of the regatta. I had my coach, Jason Rhodes with me for the regatta and a few days prior to it. We were working on very specific technique changes and the goal of the regatta was to get solid starts, work on my strategy, especially for the first leg, while sailing with my improved technique. I can honestly say that I sailed quite well, but when trying to work on changing technique or working on something particular, the short term focus is lost a bit and the immediate results suffer a bit. Not to worry though... I am very confident that I am heading the right direction. I write this from Medemblik, Holland - the site of the next regatta, the Delta Llyod Holland Regatta (May 21-25). I arrived here bright and early this morning (5am) after a 20 hour mission to get from Brest to here, towing a coach boat with a van that would need to be in 2nd gear up hills. Oh well - nothing a bit of sleep can't fix... luckily no dramas or break downs! Greetings from a much warmer Holland! Nikola Girke posted by editors at 5/13/2008 05:04:00 PM |
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