Five months ago now Sven and I received the message that we had qualified to compete in the ISAF Youth Worlds in Croatia. Straight away I knew the hours of tough training that would ensue having competed last year already. We spent the next few months training hard with our coaches, Josh Nixon and Antonio Cozzolino, as well as travelling to England to compete in the British Youth Nationals that I won. I also competed in Hyeres (a world cup regatta) before returning to New Zealand to perfect our skills before Croatia. The training in the immediate build up was extremely hard but worth it as I felt I was ready getting on the plane for thirty-six hours of travelling.
Croatia felt like a world away when we arrived there, with a relatively barren and harsh landscape around the airport. On a bus with the British it was great to meet up with our old friends heading towards the hotel. Sadly, unlike last year, the hotel wasn’t extremely close to the yacht club, nor was it shut off to the public so we had to deal with other European tourists, many of which were smokers. In a room with the 420 girls, I was on the top floor looking out just North of our race areas (which helped predict which weather forecast was right in the mornings). We spent the next two days doing a lot of swimming outside the hotel; walking along the coastline and we also went for a run. I decided to buy a volleyball as the resort around the beach had a court, so we ended up playing most evenings. It was good keeping active before and during the competition and I think really helped our performance.
On the first day of getting our equipment, Sven and I were one of the first teams there with the Aussies and the Brits. We got good gear and on the water early; this allowed us to tune up and check the race area before testing of speed against the others. The practice race the next day went well too in a dying 14 knots as I came 4th around the top mark in the top pack, but the fleet quickly dispersed and we headed in. The opening ceremony that evening most definitely out-did any other that I had ever been to – with fireworks, dancers, singers and boats – it was one to remember! The main downside though was that it went late and we had racing the next morning so a few sailors did not attend.
The first day of racing boded pretty well for most of the team with the winds starting at about 15 knots – dying to 12 for our race in which I placed 5th. Sadly when the wind steadied at 7 knots, the race committee thought it was too light and that we would get more wind the next day. They were wrong as we had two races in relatively light airs. At the end of the day I was sitting in 6th with an 8th and 7th placings, still close on points. The third day I remained much the same with only one race I got 7th before they abandoned racing for the day – forcing us to be the only fleet to race on the lay-day (the rest day). Being the most physical class there it made the regatta so much harder and the competitors so much more determined and it came down to raw fitness on the final days.
The lay-day’s racing was meant to be windier and I was very excited for it but got extremely thrown off my game. Because the launch ramp was just a bunch of unstable rocks and pebbles I lost my footing and fell over carrying my gear into the water severely damaging my fin but not to the point of being able to replace it. I scored 11th in that race and 8th in the following race. That evening I think I was the most physically exhausted I have ever been, but eating out that evening with the team really helped me get back on track (especially since the hotel food was horrible).
The next day we had all the other boats back on the water again so the RS:Xs were racing after the 29ers giving us a break in the morning. Sven and I hit the water for another killer light wind day in which we both did averagely well, 5th and 8th, whilst Sven moved up, I sat at 7th overall. It was the second to last race day where I was pushed and sailed my best and worst both in each of the races. The first two of the day were not too good but with a few hi-lights however I landed a 9th and a 12th (my discard). The last race all my start training with Ian and Josh really came out to show as I decided to start completely at the pin end on port tack whilst the rest of the fleet were all with 10 board-lengths of the committee boat end. I crossed everyone by 30 board-lengths and due to my upwind tactics I enlarged that gap to most of the fleet apart from one or two other top sailors whom were still the same distance. Rounding the top mark I found myself in lull but I knew I still had to push harder than everyone else. My reaching technique was not up to scratch and combined with the fact that the group who rounded behind me getting a gust allowed them to catch right up. I remained in the top four in the downwind and then I gained positions back to 2nd. My next downwind I thought I could plane but it failed as I didn’t have the technique to plane in light winds, nor was I fit enough to keep up the same level of pumping as the other competitors. I was rolled by one last person on the reach to the finish and ended up 7th.
The last race on the last day was finally a windy one. I was in very close proximity to three competitors around me. I began to feel that my fin was significantly worse than it was on the first day but I could only ignore it and put more effort in to compensate. After many general recalls we finally started; I rounded the top mark in 5th but behind the two people I had to beat to secure my overall position. I crashed on a gybe in the first downwind but managed to crawl back a few positions to finished 10th overall. The French and British girls finished 3rd and 4th respectively and the Argentine girl finished 16th but it wasn’t enough for me to pass her, so I finished 9th overall. It was hard to deal with knowing I was a better sailor but it was still good to support my friends whom had won medals. Following the medal ceremony we went to a fantastic after-party that was run a lot better than last years, it was a good chance to relax after a tough regatta.
Another Youth Worlds done and dusted, as my youth career draws to an end. Having spent two years competing internationally on the youth RS:X circuit this ISAF Youth Worlds was to be the last as I aim to begin racing in the senior fleets this coming summer, starting at Sail Melbourne 2011 followed by the ISAF Sailing Worlds in Perth.
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