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I am now back in a particularly grey and rainy cornwall, and it has never looked so good! As with anything in life, going away is great but it does make you appreciate home!
I think a fair way of describing Hyeres regatta is by saying that we are steadily improving. At the start of the week our goal was to naturally do as well as possible but to our perform ourselves in Palma. Given the fact that Hyeres is generally pretty windy and there were now more boats than ever we knew that it would be a fight. The good news is we delivered.
Over the week, I think there was 1 race where we weren't flat out twin wiring. Due to the fact that the stronger winds have been our trickiest conditions to date, we were really pleased to becoming increasingly competitive over the week. It is still obvious that there is some way to go in those conditions, but we are moving in the right direction. Another personal satisfaction was getting right back in there on the start line. By the end of the week I feel as though i was back to my feisty self on the line and we had some great starts. In the final race of the regatta, we undoubtably has the best start of the fleet, perfectly off the pin up to speed and flying
As i said we are now back in cornwall. This week the boat is in for some TLC after a a bit of bump and grind in Hyeres, so we are concentrating on some admin, fitness and some down time. Next week we have another team coming to cornwall for some intensive training. The aim to to really work on our upwind boat speed in the breeze. So if any of you guys are in and around falmouth harbour, look out for to 2 Nacra 17s absolutely flying around!
stay tuned for some pictures and updates during the training!
TP
Yesterday following getting through measurement and registration yesterday we took the opportunity to get away from the boat park and spent a very nice afternoon relaxing on a near by beach, While Zennor braved to cold and got in the sea i was much more land based.
After a nice relaxing day yesterday, Today was were back into race mode. It was the final day before racing starts and was taken up by a combination of some final boat prep/polishing, and getting out on the water for a last training session and the official practice race.
We woke to the sound of rain, which was a new experience. And after waiting for the showers to go through and intermittently watching the Chinese GP (nice work Lewis) we left for the boat park. With the boat up on chocks we were able to get in underneath her and shine up the hulls, a few other little tidy ups and she was set for racing. The official practice race wasn't scheduled to start until 1500 but we left the beach right after lunch to get some sailing in before. The practice race went really well, back into the lighter end of the breeze spectrum we knew we would be strong. After a great start, and spotting the breeze early we sailed a blinder of a first beat and lead to the top mark, some superior down wind boat speed saw us extend our lead, and on the second lap it was just a matter of covering our position. In traditional fashion it is unlucky to finish the practice race so we bailed out half way down the final run, but it was nice to know we lead the race the entire time we were in it!
Tomorrow is the real thing, and the winds looks like it should be a little stronger which will make things a little more fun. Check back during the regatta to see how things are going!
Cheers
TP
Zennor and I have been here in Hyeres now for nearly a week, and we have spend some good time on the water. In true Hyeres fashion the wind has either been 2 or 20+ Knots with nothing in between.
The strong wind training has been very welcome, after Palma regatta we knew this was the area we could make the biggest gains in. While we know we still have a way to go, after putting in some good hours in the breeze we seem to be getting there. We are learning more and more about the boat and how to set it up, but we are also learning how she likes to be sailed.
Today (Saturday) is the first day of measurement,and after a busy week on the water our plan is to get through registration and measurement this morning, and then use the rest of our day to see a little of the surrounding area. Tomorrow is the final day before racing so we will be down putting some final race touches to the boat before competing in the the practice race.
Check back for more updates soon and follow me on Twitter
Cheers
TP
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A little bit bigger https://t.co/EWCuBjpT83
After a very nice 'mini break' for me in Cornwall, and for Zennor in Palma, we are now back to business. After reconvening in Palma on saturday we spent 24hrs travelling, and eventually arrived in Hyeres, France.
Following the relocation, we used all of yesterday to put the boat together and do a few small jobs to her. Also my father had agreed to come out and work with us for a few days so he arrived towards the end of the day. After a long day of traveling, boat building and sunshine we were definitely ready for bed.
So now to today, Firstly i really want to thank John and Andy Dinsdale from JDS Sports, they are supporting our training at Hyeres by providing us with a new design VSR Rib. The coach has given it a bit thumbs up! Once again thanks John and Andy. We arrived at the beach relatively early this morning, and in true early bird style, scored our selves the best spot in the new boat park. After a morning of tinkering while the wind filled in, we hit the water in a building breeze. Working with one of the other British teams and the coach we had a really productive session on the water. Starting a little on the back foot, we found our legs by the end and were flying!
fingers crossed for more sun and breeze tomorrow!
TP
I think it is fair to say that both Zennor and I were pretty disappointed with the end result in Palma OCR, As much as we knew it was going to be tricky, and was more of a learning experience than an outcome based one, there is always something within you which says what if we do smash it! But now looking back at it we really couldn't have asked for more. We know a lot more now, some good and some bad.
Lets start with the good, when the wind is light, are quick, really quick. This showed through in the practice regatta, which was primarily fairly light winds. Our great pace saw us racing straight at the front of the fleet. scoring a couple of top 3s. And we felt comfortable there, quite often when you find yourself at the front, you feel as though you’re clinging on by your finger tips, but that definitely wasn't the case. Despite being in the top 3 we were always looking forward.
Now the tricky part, Palma was definitely a game of 2 halves. the first being generally light, but the later half most definitely being windy. That was when we struggled, mainly due to a lack of time in those conditions along side other boats. While our downwind performance remained good in the breezy stuff, the upwind side of things was hard. The combination of a lack of experience sailing in that stuff, combined with a minimal knowledge of set up, made our lives pretty hard. Though over the week, we watch and learned from other teams and became increasingly competitive, we both know that there is a long way to go. But now we know what the areas are that we need to work on, and we are extremely focused on making it happen.
Now following the regatta, we are having a short 5 day break, Zennor is remaining in sunny Palma, while I am heading home for a few days of seeing friends and family. We are reconvening next weekend back in Palma to make the trip to Hyeres in France for the next of the OCRs. While initially a bit down after the racing had finished, having reflected we are now rallied more than ever to make this happen. We know where we need to improve and we will do everything we can to make it happen.
Thanks for the continued support
TP
After the excitement of the training regatta, It suddenly became rather quiet in the boat park. With most teams choosing to take advantage of their last chance to get home before the main regatta, we and a select committed few stuck around.
Over the last week we have taken to opportunity to match up against some other teams, to work on speed and set up. This was something we were unfortunately unable to do while back in the Cornwall due to the lack of Nacra 17s down that way.
On monday we were asked by a swedish team if we would match up against them. I was great to finally get some real speed work in, and the good news is we were fast, really fast. Despite the Swedish guys trying everything, they were struggling.
We have spent the remainder of the week working with some friends of mine, an Australian team and a very experience Aruban team. Generally we have been going really well, across the conditions we have experienced Zennor and I are flying.
We are really pleased with this, because up until we got here to Palma, all of our settings and speed work has been done completely based on feel, as we have had no other boats to reference against! So taking that into account and our good performance, it suggests we have a good feel for the boat, which is good to know!
Today (friday) was a really light wind day, so Zennor and I took the opportunity to make sure our new Kite is primed and ready. It is always nice to have a new kite on the front, gives you so much more direct power downwind. We joined in with the Italian squad at the end of the day for some racing, and in the race that we did, we used our great speed to lead from start to finish. Another good step along the road.
We have 1 more week now before the big regatta. More and more teams are arriving by the day, 72 entries now, its going to be awesome! Looks like a bit more breeze forecast over the next few days, we will try and get a bit of footage.
Cheers All
T
Over the last few days Zennor and I have been competing in our first big(isn) regatta together. As part of the build up to the Palma Olympic Class Regatta, a training event was hosted. With 35 boats entered, it was a pretty big step up from what we have been used to! And i think it was fair to say that the majority of the big players were competing, so it was going to be a great test
Day 1
If I’m honest, Day 1 was a crash reminder course (not literally) in racing for me. It has been 1.5 years since I last helmed a big race in anger, so there were definitely some quick lessons relearned! But with champagne conditions, and some fierce competition, we came away from day 1 having scored a 14th and a 10th. But knowing that we had a lot left in the tank we returned to the beach happy.
Day 2
The winds were a little lighter on day 2, but the sun was shining. We had great speed in the more marginal conditions, and having better starts in the first 2 races we were mixing it right at the front of the fleet, with the likes of Franc Cammas and Iker Martinez. In the first 2 races of the day we scored a very impressive 3rd and 2nd. Unfortunately the final race was a bit of a disaster, one of those races where if it could go wrong it did! we eventually finished up in an unfortunate 18th. But very happy with our great pace and starting to get my head back into racing again.
Day 3
Similar conditions to the previous day we knew we would had good pace. After being a little eager in the first race we ended up scoring OCS,10,5. But we were flying always moving forward up the fleet, and one point we sailed straight through Cammas’s lee and then up in front of him. We ended up in 7th overall, which on a world stage and in our first regatta together is a pretty flipping respectable result. For a team that is sure to improve, to be mixing it at the front already bodes pretty well!
We go back into a training program between now and when the OCR starts on the 29th, so stay tuned for more updates, pictures and video.
Cheers for the support.
T
We have been here in Palma for a couple of days now. After arriving on the 7am ferry wednesday morning, we spent much of the morning putting the boat together, as we built her we check and replaced many of the control lines and sheets. Following a morning of rigging and feeling especially tired after of monumental drive down over the preceding days, we left the dinghy park to find our accommodation. We are stay with a lovely friend of Zennor’s called Claire, she is involved with the super yacht scene here and has a great apartment in Palma city. For the rest of the day we spent our time settling in and having a well deserved rest.
Day 2 and we were in the boat park early putting a few finishing touches to the raft, and then before we knew it we were out yachting in Palma bay, the sun was shining and the wind was blowing. It was actually really quite windy at times. After an initial systems check we quickly found a Spanish team to train up against, and i am pleased to say it was a very promising match. While given our light weight we need to work hard upwind, our speed was overall really good. But it was the down winds where we were really making our money, we were flying, faster and lower. If I’m honest I was surprised at the difference. We came back to the beach really stoked and buzzing after our first session on Mediterranean waters. After our sail we gave the boat a good wash down, and then organised the registration for the training regatta for the proceeding days.
So now it is friday and Day 3, today is the first day of the training regatta. There are at least 32 entries, which is a pretty big step up for us! It will be a great opportunity to find our feet on the race course, and get a better measure of speed against the worlds best. So today is a big day for us, stay tuned to the twitter feed for more running updates, and wait for another blog update as the regatta gets underway.
Cheers
T
5 Months ago when Zennor arrived home to Cornwall, it felt like we had so much time to train and get everything together ready for Palma. But now we are about to leave, and it feel like Zennor got home only yesterday.
That said it is fair to say that we are a ready as we will ever be, and really have made the best of a tricky winter in cornwall. It has already been said a few times but, Living so close to each other really was our saving grace. It meant we able to get out on the water in the short windows between storms, so overall we haven't lost too many hours on the water.
During the winter we have been overwhelmed by the interest and support from the local cornish community and businesses. Notably Savills Estate Agents in Truro and Healeys Cider Farm have contributed to the costs and made our first regatta possible. So a huge heartfelt thanks to them. I would also like to mention Typhoon International for supplying us with some great kit, Cusgarne Organic Farms for keeping the team well nourished, and also Windsport International for supplying ‘Blink’ the boat. Picnic Cornwall and BBC Radio Cornwall have been great at helping us to get our message out. For us cornish sailors, it is important to connect with the local people and build the support surround the team.
Back to some of the on water activities, Over the weekend Zennor and I made the trip up to weymouth for another of the national ranking series. Like last time it wasn't a huge fleet, but a great chance for some racing none the less. Over the weekend we had a real range of conditions, from 4kts to 14kts, waves and flat water. And the good news is it seems out winter training has really paid off. Our boat speed and handling in those conditions was really good, and out of the 7 races over the weekend we came away with 7 1st places. Not quite a gold medal in rio, but a great start!
Today (monday) we are training with a couple of other boats here in weymouth before driving up to dover for our evening ferry to calais, then the long drive down to Barcelona before hopping on the final ferry over to Palma. So stay tuned for updates!
Lastly on the subject of support, Zennor and I are now only one step there, we need to raise continued support for the rest of the year, so that we can attend the other Olympic regattas. If you have any ideas for us on how to raise a bit more support please get in touch.
Thanks again everyone,
T and Z
I know its a little late but welcome to 2014. Already it has been an action packed year for me.
While the weather at the start of the year was a little wild, Zennor and I still found time to get on the water fairly frequently. Thats the beauty of both living so close, I am able to wake up draw the curtains, and if its sailable, call Zennor and be on the water within a hour.
That said here are some awesome pictures of the early january storms
Alongside some amazing sailing sessions on the water Zennor and I have been back to the challenge of raising support for the campaign, and we have some good news to be revealed soon, but as ever we are still in need of continued support so please if you feel like you can help in any way get in touch.
As you can see for the image above, the storms, the sailing and the promoting really took it out of us, but thankfully Mylor Cafe was there to provide a very comfortable sofa and lovely coffee, to keep us going. Following all the rush at the start of the year, I was fortunate enough to be able to get away for a week on the slopes, It was a great week full of friends and laughs, but don't worry, the thought of Olympic sailing was never far from my mind, making sure i didn't launch my self of any outrageously large cliffs!
Im am back now, and all in one piece much to Zennor's approval. The thought did cross my mind to wind her up a little, but i decided that really would be too cruel. Yesterday was our first day back on the water, it was a slow start breeze-wise, but by the time we had rigged and changed, falmouth provided some more champagne conditions. It was perfect for Zennor and I to get back into it, and the good news is we clicked straight back. It was like we had sailed the day before. All the routines and manoeuvres seem to pretty built into us now!
After yesterdays first sail, we are once again on hold waiting for the morning calm to disappear, The forecast looks really nice again for the the afternoon. So stay tuned for some new pictures!
Cheers TP
Great Article in Cornwall Today Magazine, Thanks Sue!
Since the end of October Zennor and I have been flat out, we have been on the water as much as possible, and when we are not sailing, putting together all the admin associated with an Olympic campaign!
After Zennor initially arrived back in Cornwall, we spent a good few weeks putting together a solid foundation of skills for us to build from. What I haven't anticipated, was how quickly Z picked everything up, and before I knew it we were already looking at the subtle refinements to the boat handling, in order to really extract everything we could from all the manoeuvres.
Based on our quick progression, and our thirst for racing, we thought it would be a great opportunity to attend one of the national ranking events at Weymouth, the 2012 Olympic sailing venue. Unfortunately the regatta we decided to attend a lot of the other teams didn't, so there were only a few other boats to race against, however that changed nothing for us and we put everything in to the race weekend. We walked away with a clean sweep, 4 first from 4 races and a the event win! Not bad for our maiden regatta!
On returning to Cornwall and having done some sailing in the more pressurised racing environment, we knew the areas to focus on. Another couple of weeks battling the Cornish elements, and we found our selves back in Weymouth for a Nacra class training weekend, it was great to sail against some other boats and the good news is that we are definitely on the pace! Over the weekend we worked with the coach Rob Wilson, who was very impressed with our performance given the short amount of time Z and I had been in to boat. With some final words from Rob, we again returned to Cornwall.
That takes us up to now, over the last 2 weeks since Weymouth training we have had just perfect sailing weather here in Mylor, Zennor and I have been on the water nearly every day, and things are really starting to click. For 2 days earlier this week, a good sailor and a great friend of mine Richard Glover came down to help us on the water. It was a really fun few days lots of wind and waves which made for great training. Unfortunately it did end with a hole in my head after falling off the back of the boat downwind. Still all fixed now and ready for more sailing.
Here is a little video of some training up until now. Merry Christmas and Enjoy!
Cheers TP
Over the weekend Zennor and I competed in our first regatta, If i am honest, i would have preferred to do a little more training before we went into competitive race mode. But because of the way the calendar works this was our last chance to do some racing before Christmas.
We were competing in the last of the national ranking events hosted by the RYA at WPNAS on Portland. Unfortunately and previously unknown to me, most of the Nacras have all ready moved to sunnier climbs for training so, we were left with the 3 'hardcore' boats battling the elements in the UK.
Day 1 (Saturday)
Saturday was always forcasted to be light, but when we arrived at the academy first thing it did seem like there was breeze across the harbour, so sailing was on. After a quick bite to eat and coffee, we prepared the boat for light conditions. The sun was beaming but it was definitely a bit chilly, so we wrapped up warm for our day on the water.
On launching the breeze was actually quite nice and we flew a hull most of the way down to the starting area, but it seems that was our lot. As soon as we reached the committee boat, the wind began to moderate and become increasingly shifty. The committee tried hard to get some races away but made the right decision to can them as the wind was just too all over the place. We hung out on the water for a good few hours but eventually the wind dropped to nothing and we were towed back to the beach.
It was great for us to get on the water in a competitive environment. While we didnt race, it was a good opportunity for Zennor to get a better idea of whats involved.
Day 2
This was the day, after a no race day previously, they were sure going to squeeze as much in as they could on day 2. A 10.30 start meant being a little organised. But we knew what needed to do and the boat was rigged and set up for the day. The wind was looking better, a constant 10kts seemed to be across the harbour, After launching and before the race we were able to line up with the other Nacras, to check our speed and set up. It all felt really good, So then it was time for racing
In race one, we were able to capitalise on our speed and height off the line, and by starting to leeward of the bunch we eventually forced the boats above to tack. After waiting another 10 seconds to lock into the next patch of breeze we tacked to cover, and in a little more breeze creamed across the middle of the course. After rounding the windward mark first, it was just a matter of controlling the other boats. The good news for us is that both our speed and maneuvers seemed to provide gains all around the course, and thus our lead grew on what was a very short race. So race 1 down, still undefeated!
Race 2 and 3 the course was made even shorter but the number of laps was increased. This was good as it put more of a focus on the boat handling side of things, which is what we have been working hard on over the last few weeks. Everything worked really smoothly, hoists, drops, tack and gybes all went as planned. And that combined with 2 good starts, gave us 2 more race wins. 3 our of 3!
In race 4 again we had a perfect start and managed to find our way to the line of breeze first, but while leading the race by a good margin, Our spinnaker cloth pulled out of the tape along the foot, we were able to limp around the last few laps to secure the win, but at that stag with only one race remaining, we thought it was better to save the spinnaker and have it easily repaired rather than have a full blow out trying to race with i again. So unfortunately race 5 for us was a retirement.
Despite the breakage and retirement in race 5, Zennor and I were still at the top of the results and were so happy to come away from our first event with the win and a new whiskey glass! It really was nice to know that all the time we have been putting in over the last few weeks has been worth it. We are now even more pumped up for some international competition, to test our selves against the worlds best! but that will have to wait a little while until Palma regatta in march next year.
Roll on winter training here in Cornwall, I have the ice-pick ready to clear the boat before sailing. Check back soon for more updates, pictures and info.
Cheers
TP
Today was EPIC!
Normally I wouldn't do a full update based on a single training session, but this one deserves it!
After a blown out day yesterday Zennor and I were itching to get on the water. This morning was stunning sailing, perfect breeze in Weymouth harbour, we really consolidated all the work we have putting in recently. But it was the afternoon session which was really special.
Over lunch the breeze built, we were looking at a constant 20kts by the time we were ready to sail again. I did think it might be a bit on the edge, but decided not to mention that to Zennor as, I'm sure we would have talked ourselves out of it if we had the chance. instead we just carried on as usual.
As we launched I think it's fair to say the breeze built again, and we sailed up wind absolutely flying! But when we turned to sail downwind the boat really came alive, what was great was the fact that both Zennor and I stuck to our routines and all the boat handling actually happened really smoothly! Hoists, drops tacks and gybes all went really well. We were stoked! I had a huge grin all the way downwind!!
Racing starts tomorrow, forecast looks light, but it's all good practice so check back to see how it goes.
Cheers
TP
So here we are, up in Weymouth.
This is our first team trip away. Last weekend, between myself and Zennor we made the trip up here to host training for the Spitfire class, it was a great opportunity for me to get to know some of the new teams entering the catamaran program, and for Zennor to see a bit more cat sailing and pick up a thing or two.
After a crazy Saturday session, where all of the spitfire guys put in a great effort and sailed in some pretty fruity conditions, we had a really good Sunday on the water, where I hope all the teams took some things away. As we waved goodbye to all of the spitfire sailors on Sunday evening, it was time to start focusing on our own plans again.
Monday was change over day. We woke up early and headed to the boat park, where we unloaded the boat and prepared to take our aluminium mast up to Southampton and exchange it for a nice new carbon one. Most of the rest of the day was spent driving from Weymouth to Southampton and back again. But we did find time to have a quick catch up with some of Zennor's friends who happened to drive past us on the road, and we also used what was left of the day light to rig the new stick as much as we could.
Tuesday was a perfect day, after finishing up some of the rigging first thing. Zennor and I got out on Weymouth waters for the first time. The breeze was up and down but it was a great opportunity to sail the new rig in a range of conditions, and most importantly nice and sunny! We did a long session on the water, we were enjoying ourselves so much we even forgot lunch and just kept yachting around the bay. By the time we were back on the beach the sun was already starting to set, so we quickly packed up and retreated back to our accommodation. A great day, the rig felt good and the sun shone.
And back to now Wednesday. As I write this I am looking out the window at Portland harbour, which could be confused for a giant mirror right now, there is not a breath so we have used the time to do a few jobs on the boat and get a bit of fitness in. Hoping the breeze picks up later this afternoon, and tomorrow looks like it could be a bit exciting!
We are training here in Weymouth through until Friday where we will then complete in our first regatta together over the weekend. It is a national ranking regatta and an opportunity for Zennor and I to get a feel for racing together.
Check back to see how the training develops and of course to see how our first race goes!
Cheers
TP
