Busan Women’s Match « GBR Match Race Girls - Women's Match Racing Olympic Campaign

Happy New Year!

Sunday 2nd January, 2011

It is hard to believe it is 2011 already; it only seems like last month that we were preparing for the Miami Olympic Classes regatta in January 2010. It has been a busy year for us all with many ups and downs but with a fantastic result to finish on.

The season started with a silver medal in the first world cup series event in Miami, this was a great way to start the season however also showed we needed to make the most of the forthcoming training. After Miami we based ourselves in Palma, Mallorca for training where we brought in different coaches and training partners, a huge leap forward before the main season commenced. The next two World cup events were in Palma and Hyeres, where, unfortunately we ended up with a 5^th and 4^thbut were still showing a lot of potential.

In June the RYA chose to mix and match teams, with the match race squad reducing in numbers and some crews changing. One of those changes was Ally leaving our team and Kate, Lucy’s younger sister, joining the team. Although this was a difficult change at the time, it did happen very smoothly and we are delighted to say, after following her Engineering degree, Ally has settled into a fantastic new job with a lot of potential. While having to juggle both university and sailing, Kate is working extremely hard but fitting in really well and the three of us are really enjoying working together.

The summer was busy with events, including the European championships where we achieved a Silver medal and a Bronze medal at the Stena Match Cup, Sweden. One of the bigger events of the year was the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta in the Olympic venue, Weymouth. Although we were a new team at the time we were feeling good in the running up to the event and were hoping to medal. The first 2 rounds went well for us until we reached the quarter finals where we were up against the American team, we managed to fight back after being 2-0 down to 2-2, then unfortunately lost the deciding race meaning we did not make it through to the semi finals. In the following round we were back on form and ended up 5^th overall but were definitely disappointed with our week.

Most classes would have had time off after their busy summer however we were straight back into it with the World Championships just around the corner!

For the worlds the Sonar was used instead of our Elliott 6ms, meaning we had a lot to learn about the boats in the 2 weeks training we did. We had two great weeks training in Sheboygan, USA and Cowes, giving us a good feeling going into the regatta which was at the end of September in Newport, Rhode Island. The conditions for the week were tricky but it was great for racing. We sailed through the opening rounds very smoothly and made it to the semi finals against two times World Champion Claire Leroy from France. The semi finals was extremely close we were 2-1 ahead in the series but behind in the race with a penalty going round the final windward mark. Getting rid of a penalty on the final leg is never easy especially against a team like the French. We managed to get back into the lead making sure that the French were ‘hooked’ to windward of us, this meant we were able to sail them up the course allowing us to get our penalty in, set the spinnaker and finish ahead giving us our place in the finals. The finals were against another two times World Champion, Sally Barkow from the USA. Once again the racing was very close. Each match finished with the boats no more that 2 boat lengths apart, in the final race we managed to give Sally and her team a Penalty pre start allowing us to have our best start of the week 2 lengths ahead of her allowing us to extend and finish the event as World Champions!

We have recently returned back from a cross country skiing camp in Font Romeu in the Pyrenees, along with our physiologist, physiotherapist and 10 other sailors. Whilst the UK had lots of snow, we unfortunately didn’t have enough to go cross country skiing so did 3 days of 5 hour hikes as well as a lot of indoor games and swimming. It was a fantastic week for our fitness as well as being good fun despite the blisters. After our various delays in Barcelona airport due to the snow in the UK we all went to Birmingham for the Sports Personality of the Year Awards. Being around so many talented athletes was an amazing experience and very inspirational. It was also a great party to finish the year with!

Now we have a couple of weeks off over Christmas before beginning 2011 with a visit to the boat show where Annie and Lucy will be doing talks on the 8^th and 9^th. Then we will be back out to Miami to start the 2011 World Cup Series and into some training before the main events begin. Our aim for 2011 is to gain qualification for the Olympics. We’re on track so far and we’ll do everything we can to stay there!

Thank you for all your support this year, it means a great deal to us. We hope your had a Merry Christmas and have a very Happy and Successful New Year!

From

The GBR Match Race Girls.

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Tags: 2011, Busan Women's Match, Elliott 6M, ISAF Sailing World Cup, Miami, Rolex Miami OCR, Skandia Sail for Gold, Training, Weymouth, World Championships

Kate makes it a double

Monday 1st November, 2010

While Annie and I were in Korea last week at the Busan Women’s Match Race, Kate was representing Solent University and England at the Student World Yachting Championships. I am pleased to report that the team won in La Rochelle, earning Kate her second World Championship title of the year. Awesome work team Solent University but now Annie and I want Kate back please!
Lucy x

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Tags: 2010, Busan Women's Match, Solent University, World Championships

4th at Busan Women’s Match Race

Sunday 31st October, 2010

After a long wait due to the lack of breeze then the lack of consistent breeze, we left the dock just after 12 for our petite finals against Hazard’s team (NZL). In the first to two point series we had a slightly frustrating time of it, winninin the lead of the first race until the final run where in a gybing dual we ended up getting a penalty and being too close to the finish to do anything about it. In the second race we then looking good in to the start, looking to win the right hand end of the line but once we tacked off to the committee boat we found a hole in the wind and were slightly late on start time. Up the first beat we were starting to look good but the shift went their way and they were able to cross from the left on the long tack to the windward mark. With the cleanest breeze we have had all week they were then easily able to control the race to the finish and take third place.
In the finals Leroy beat Spithill 3-1 in what was at time a veery close contest.
Thanks to Jody, Josie and Ally for joining Annie and I this week, it’s been tough conditions both physically and mentally so they have worked extreamly hard this week, couldn’t have done it without them.
After a day of sightseeing tomorrow we are back home to the gym and a few meetings before our next trip which is some training in Barcelona.

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Tags: 2010, Busan, Busan Women's Match, K30

Day 4: Not our day!

Saturday 30th October, 2010

A long day for 5 races today due to horrendously shifty and gusty conditions this morning which meant our semi finals didn’t start until about 1 this afternoon. As highest ranked skipper going into the semis, Leroy chose Hazard to race against and so we were matched with Spithill’s (AUS) team in which ended up quite an eventful and close contest.

At 1-0 behind after the first race, the second looked like it could be over for us at the start when we tried to squeeze in between Spithill and the race committee boat at start time thinking there was enough room. Evidently not however as a collision with both the committee boat on one side and Spithill’s boat on the other side earned us a double penalty! Although that would often be a race loser, the team worked really well and by the top mark we were ahead and nearly but not quite able to take our second penalty. The downwind was close but a gust which wiped both boats out gave us an opportunity to gain and that we did earning enough space to do our other penalty on the second upwind and take the series to 1-1.

The third start was almost a carbon copy of the first where we did all the hard work keeping control early on but then slipping up at the last minute giving them a winning start which they were able to close out the race. At 2-1 to them, the fourth race was quite tense and the conditions getting harder and harder to manage due to the size of shifts and difference between the lulls and gusts. It was close all the way round but in the end a poor leeward mark rounding by Spithill’s team gave us enough of a lead to take a little breather on the second lap and take it to an all deciding final race.

The all important final race had it’s excitment too as an even start but left shift enabled Spithill to lead round the first windward mark but with us breathing down their necks. By the final gybe into the leeward mark we were positioned to windward and we though with room to pass round the mark ahead however the umpires did not agree and a luff from Spithill led to us broaching out…unfortunately game over for us!

So not really our day today, but with fairly crazy conditions the team put a great effort in and we are confident going into tomorrow’s petite final against Hazard’s team (NZL). We are still learning as a team and learning about the boats so need to make sure we use all of that in tomorrow’s racing, despite further wild conditions expected!

We will start with a fleet race tomorrow and then will be into the petite finals in the afternoon.
Lucy