Wow what a week, Im shattered so I can only imagine how Nikki is feeling. For a week where we had a steady 8 knot forecast everyday, it was surprisingly windy and and unstable. With out a full blow by blow account of the week here are a few stand out moments for us.
On day one it was windy, really windy. Apparently there was 41kts recorded by one coach. It was a day for the catamaran thoroughbred's. Nikki and I were on fire, coming into the finish line of the second race Im pretty sure we were one of the only boats still twin wiring and it was fast!
Still twinning!
One of the focuses for us this week was starting. Its fair to say we made a good steps forward in that department, we had some blinders! We moved up and down the start over the regatta in order to test ourselves in the optimum spot, and by the end we were pretty comfortable anywhere on the the line.
Nailing a committee boat start
In a fleet with so many great sailor it really does feel good to be rafting around at the front with them. We still have a long way to go, but for Nikki and I as a new team everything through until our worlds is training. Off the back of this trip to Palma, there is no doubt that we have a lot of potential, so it make sense to take our time and do things well and properly.
As much as we tell our selves its a training regatta, inevitably it hard to not pay any attention to the results. But Nikki and I can leave Palma with our heads held high. We solidly qualified for the gold fleet and worked our socks off to finish in the top 20. A great start for a team that is sure to improve as the year goes on.
Nikki and I now drive from here to the next venue, Hyeres in the south of France, and then fly home for a little time in the UK. The next regatta is in a couple of weeks and we are already looking forward to getting back out there.
Cheers for now
TP