Last weekend I competed in the IRC Nationals with my British Keelboat Academy team. Having been selected for the Commodore's Cup, we were hoping to get a lot of work done on upwind trimming skills and starting. I headed over to Hamble the day before to prep the boat; we had been hoping to get out on the water, but with only three of the crew around, we spent the rest of the afternoon with Jeremy from North Sails, discussing upwind trim technique.
Friday bought with it winds of 20 knots plus; with a call from the Race organisers for everyone to wear lifejackets we were expecting some excitement on the water; with our sail inventory not including an A3, we put up the A4 (our smallest downwind sail). Unfortunately we got a little tear in it, which turned into a huge, gaping hole when a gust of 35 knots came down the course! The boat had just hit 11 knots, quicker than we usually go in a J/109! Without any suitably sized spinnaker that put us out of racing for the rest of the day.
The forecast for Saturday was howling, so we made the call not to sail and instead worked on the boat, mainly servicing winches, doing a rig-check, and lubricating the sail track. I had two trips up the mast that day; good for the nerves when the boat is swaying side to side! We also managed to get a good coaching session in, about tidal strategy and some more trim theory.
By Sunday the wind had eased off, but we had another kite blow up on us; this time it was the essential A2, leaving us very short of spinnakers! So although we only completed 2 races of the Nationals, there were still many learning points to be taken. With only 5 weeks to go until the Commodore's Cup, it is all go to ensure the crew are on top form, have shed a few pounds (to make the weight limit), and that the boat is in top notch condition.
I am also busy with the Artemis Academy, having just qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist. After four years of hard work I am looking forward to taking a bit of a break, working as part of the Shore team alongside my sailing and training commitments. I have been training this week in the Figaro, with the Myth of Malham race (230 nm to Eddystone Lighthouse and back) to look forward to. There are 9 double-handed entries, and 2 other Figaros to race against, so it is going to be exciting! I have been practising how to use Adrena (race & navigation software) and the NKE systems which the boats are equipped with. The weekend will also be a good learning experience in terms of sleep management, as with only two of us on the boat, with lots of wind forecast, it is important that both of us stay alert to keep the boat moving safely in the right direction....