From standing to sitting

After the worlds in Argentina, I had a tough decision of where to go next with my sailing.  Unfortunately, the battle with crew injuries continued.

I had a fantastic time in Argentina with Steph, who did an amazing job considering I threw her in at the deep end but our results were improving as the week went on and we ended on a high.  Short term Steph and I had only planned to do the worlds in Argentina as she was still in a partnership as well as being at university.  We both felt that there wasn’t enough time between the end of November and Miami OCR leading into the next World Championships in Clearwater.

So, 2016 started off with some sailing in Rio, but this time in a 2.4m.  I was there to train against Gold medallist, Helena Lucas and her coach Ian Barker.  So to start with, I had never been in a 2.4m, so my focus was learning how to control the boat as well as trying to get really good and not swallowing the gross Rio water.  I was hoping for a nice 10 knots to ease myself into it, (probably the easiest wind strength in most boats) but no, I was greeted to 15-18knots and relatively big waves, especially in a little boat!  After a few hours of not being able to see from the salt water and constantly using mouthwash to avoid any illness, I had made it through day 1.

The difference between the FX and the 2.4, well, where do I start….. firstly, I am sat down the whole time, which is great don’t get me wrong until you cant actually see over the side because you are vertically challenged… Next, I am all by myself! who am I meant to gossip with on the way out and back in from the race course? The steering can be very confusing, well it was for me anyway, do I use the tiller or peddles? so many options.  You don’t get your feet wet to launch but it doesn’t matter because you get soaked sailing anyway.

Despite it being the wettest boat I have EVER sailed I had a great week with Billy and Helena and learnt loads about the boat and the venue, as well as it being a pretty cool city!

I have got a few weeks of fitness and a lot of admin, before going onto the next challenge!

Kate x