Ed Wright's Blog
Sail for Gold 08
Despite the Sail for Gold Regatta taking place straight after the Olympic Games in Beijing, there was a good number of international competitors, ranging from young Olympic hopefuls to high class Olympic class sailors. Personally I was just happy to be back on the water and competing again.
I felt a bit rusty on the first day of the event and to add to this I had a pain in my leg where I had caught an infection in China just a few weeks earlier. The Finn class this year was drastically down on numbers due to the scandalous cost of entry which was a real shame, however the racing was extremely well organised. I don’t know if it was the pain that was affecting me but, despite feeling focused, I struggled to move in the correct way which lead to some bad decision making and poor performances. I only won one race on day one when I would have expected to have won more. The wind was light to moderate but I came in feeling exhausted, all my muscles aching like I had the flu. I later realised that this was due to the infection I had caught in China.
I laboured through the next few days but that was it. I woke up in the middle of the night in too much pain to sleep so I decided the hospital was the best option. The good thing about going to A&E at 4 am is that everyone else is sleeping and you get seen to straight away. I was given medication and told if it gets any worse to come back. I was back 2 days later and had the full operation to remove the last of the infection in my leg. The good news is that it will not be back once I have recovered. The bad news is I did not manage to finish the event. A shame but I am glad things like this happen at this time of year rather than in season.
They have given me a 3-6 weeks recovery period but I always recover quite quickly so I think 2 -3 weeks is more realistic. With this forced rest period I will use the time to organize and plan everything for the next year. I have been working non-stop over the summer so I think it may be time for some rest anyway! I will be meeting with Sparky next week, the Olympic manager, to discuss many ideas for the next quadrennial. He is always very excited and enthusiastic so I am sure it will go well.
Mid Sept 2008
I was in London last week at the G4S photographic exhibition. The Gallery was full of memories from the 2008 Beijing Games. It was an excellent display of sport and also very inspiring when you can bring it all together in a single gallery.
Sail for Gold 08 will begin next week and is the first event of the 2012 quadrennial. The next four years will be a really exciting time for sport in Great Britain, especially within Sailing. There still seems to be a buzz in the air from the success of the Olympics this summer. I really want to keep my winning streak on the Weymouth water and try and win again. The timing of the event will be similar to the summer games in 2012, so the weather and conditions shouldn’t be too different. I feel that the more time I can spend on the water in Weymouth, the more comfortable and prepared I will feel for the 2012 games.
There has also been some development with my new boat, as it’s now ready for testing. I will be going down to Lake Garda for the Finn Garda Cup, via Switzerland so I can pick up the boat. I am hoping we can develop the boat to a high standard so we can get a jump on the fleet next year.
End Aug 08
“With a much-needed break and time off from sailing, I have been able to relax and have a little holiday away from sailing. It was good to be away from all the pressure of training and competing for a change but I am starting to miss it, even after two weeks.
However, it has not been a complete break as I have been trying to get my hands on a new hull that is being developed by one of the mast companies, the Prototype hull. They build Finn masts along with many other precisely engineered products. They can build a carbon mast tailored to your design and stiffness to 1 mm tolerances, which is incredibly accurate. They are developing a new boat, which if they produce it to the same tolerances and quality the masts are produced to, should give me the edge in my next races.
Hopefully I will be able to test the hull in time for ‘Sail for gold 08’ and if not by then there is an event in Garda, called the Finn Cup, so I will test it there. ‘Sail for gold’ is the next big event for me. It takes place in two weeks down in Weymouth again. For me I want to maintain my winning streak on the Weymouth waters. I have won the event for the last 2 years and I would really like to be unbeaten on that piece of water all the way until the Olympics in 2012.”
End of July 08
As I write this I’m on a flight back to the UK after training with Ben Ainslie in China. I was there helping him with his preparations for the Olympics which starts in a few days. It’s was frustrating being out there training as i was winning a lot of races and if I didn’t win I would be in the top 3. I feel like i’m sailing extremely well at the moment, i only wish i had the chance to compete.
I’ve had to leave Ben as after the 27th July no partners are allowed. During training we had some great weather for sailing with very strong winds, if you can believe it after everyone predicted no wind for the Olympics and this is just a couple of weeks before the games start. We will have to see what the heavens bring when it starts. I wish Ben the best of luck.
I felt that for the last games I was on the back foot the whole way. It was not until G4S started to sponsor me that I was able to completely devote my efforts to the primary goal. This was enough to beat pretty much anyone else but to beat Ben I needed this thrust and intensity from the start 3 years ago. Most people were surprised how quickly I raised to the top back then but it was not early enough in retrospect. I just have to bite my lip and focus hard on the games in 2012.
Mid Jul 08
I’m writing to you from China, where I’ve been for 2 weeks training with Ben Ainslie. We are here to work on his last preparations for the Olympics. Whilst training with Ben I’m hoping to learn some things myself. I have many goals to prepare myself for 2012 and I’m hoping to achieve some of these here. I want to work on my racing strategy and hopefully I can see how he approaches his racing and learn from it.
The training has been good so far with many gym sessions and days out on the water. The main goal is not to overdo it and try to stay healthy. The worst thing would be to over train this close to the competition.
Ben has one more week here and then he’s off to the British holding camp. I’m off to the US where I will be coaching some young sailors from a local yacht club and then going onto the British Laser Nationals to coach the British youth team. It feels really good to be putting something back into the sport.
Kiel Week July 2008
Coming into the event I really wanted GOLD as it was the last major competition before the games. Everyone wanted to win to show their form going into the games I felt. All the testing seems to be over and all the competitors were using the equipment they would at the games so they were all on top speed. The fleet had a good depth with about half the top guys there. The world number 1 Jonas Hans Christianson from Denmark, silver medallist Raffa from Spain, Gasper the Slovenian were the biggest threats and the usual suspects were all focused to win.
We had wind, rain, sun and anything the elements could throw at us. In fact I think we had all the seasons in one day. The good thing was that we had wind for a change not a great deal but it meant we did not have to wait around at all. In typical German style the race was scheduled for 11 o clock and that meant we started at 11 o clock on the dot. Actually it was very refreshing to have a good race committee for a change.
I started the week with my worst result after a big wind shift that put me back from the top 3. Then race 2 I managed a second and that I felt was the start to my form. I finished every race after that in the top 3. It became clear that it was going to be a three boat battle after race 6 between myself, Raffa ESP and Jonas DEN with all of us swapping places and race wins until the final day and the medal race.
I was equal first going into the medal race with Raffa, 4 points ahead of Jonas so with the double points scoring in the medal race it was very close and the pressure was on.
With the points so tight there was little pre start antics of match racing. The gun went and Jonas and I managed to get the better start. We came off the line with speed with Raffa trailing. I managed to work out a couple of good shifts up the first leg and rounded the top mark in a good lead. I was thinking “great…. Just keep focus and it should be plain sailing” but it’s pretty tricky wind in Kiel and I sat in a hole where there was no wind at all and watched 5 boat pass me. Luckily I managed to compose myself and just kept plugging away. It was a three lap race and the places changed constantly. I have never seen anything like it. The medals were different with every rounding, until the final leg where Jonas rounded 1st with myself in 4th and Raffa in 6th.
At this point I needed to pass 1 boat to win. It was a tactical leg and nail biting until the finish where I just managed to squeeze through Jonas on the line to take victory of the race and the Regatta and Raffa came in 3rd. This meant Gold: Ed GBR Silver: Raffa ESP Bronze: Jonas DEN.
For me this was a significant win to finish my season on a high. Very Happy.
Over and out. Ed
July 2008
As I write this I’m on my way home from ‘Kiel Week’, the last grade 1 event of the season. I won the Gold, which I’m extremely happy with as I‘ve been so close in the last two grade 1 events this year.I was Silver by a point in Hyeres, France and capsized in Medemblik, Holland when I was winning to finish in Bronze.
The event was difficult as the breeze was always shifting and the all the boats being very close throughout the week. Even by the last medal race, the top three boats at the event were fighting for the top position in the medal race.
For me I’m now gearing up to spend July in China helping Ben Ainslie prepare for the Olympic Games. Everything is prepared and ready we just need to work on racing techniques and fine tuning the processes.
Mid June
Kiel week starts in less than a week and I’m already started my preparation for the event. Kiel is a town in north Germany where the sailing for the Olympics were held in 1936. I will be hoping to reach a gold medal at this event. In the last 2 grade 1 events I have been in a winning position going into the medal race. In France I managed to get Silver only one place from gold and then again in Holland I had the gold but finished in Bronze through stupidity. In Kiel I hope to secure Gold and my main aim is to be in with a chance of gold going into the medal race. I feel this is realistic and achievable as long as I keep my head together during the week.
Again most of the top guys will be there so the competition will be top notch and will make for some great racing. I really enjoy competing at the highest level and I’m sure we will have some fun during the racing despite the fact that in Kiel it doesn’t stop raining.
The season process goals will be similar, so I want to work on being conservative in my approach to risk management. As long as I can stay with the fleet and use my speed to finish in the top 5 each race I will be extremely happy. Because the wind in Kiel is very tricky it’s very easy to have bad races.
May Update
In the last month I’ve taken part in three major competitions the Hyeres Grade 1 Regatta in France, Garda Olympic Class Regatta in Italy and the Holland regatta which took place in the last week of May in Medemblik, Holland
Holland Regatta
The Holland regatta took place in the last week of May in Medemblik, Holland. The regatta is just north of Amsterdam on the massive lake. This event is usually the biggest grade one of the year and again this year most of the top ranked sailors were here competing. I had been silver and bronze here before in the Finn and silver in the laser a few years before so I felt it was time for the gold. As usual the week before there had been good winds and great sailing and everything looked set for some good racing, also as the time gets closer to the games everyone is trying to better their performances and everyone is working harder to achieve success so nothing is getting easier.
The first day started off in light winds and with my goals of being conservative and safe I wanted to start somewhere in the middle of the line so any big wind shifts I would be able to manage the fleet and round the first mark in good shape. The aim is not to risk everything and get round first but be in the top ten and then try and pick them off one by one throughout the race. I was actually very happy with the first day as I put in a strong performance and achieved my goals. Both races were pretty similar. Started conservatively, stayed in the middle of the course, sailed fast and took no risks. This resulted in me rounding the first mark in the top 10 and finished the day with 2 second place finishes.
I did have an incident with the Slovenian boat on the finishing line and protested him. He would not admit he was wrong so we had to sit in front of the jury in the evening. He broke rule 18.2. A boat has to turn to sail to the finish line. Fundamental really but we spent the whole evening until 10pm when the jury dismissed the protest. I was not happy, but I have to deal with decisions like this and get on with racing the next day - all part of the job!
The rest of the week went on in the same fashion. When it came to the medal race the points were very close between 3 boats; SLO, GBR (Me), and ESP in that order all 2 points apart so whoever won the last race would win the event. I had an average to poor start but it was kind of planned. I knew I was fast in the 25 knots of strong northerly wind that was blowing so all I needed to do was not to be disqualified. With my speed we rounded the top mark in 5
th, 6
th and 7
th position respectively. It was all even down the next leg and when we rounded the leeward mark I just put the hammer down and pulled into 3
rd leaving SLO and ESP in 5
th and 6
th position so the race was looking pretty sewn up at this point until the NZL boat, who was a long way behind in the standings, took me out on the downwind by calling starboard on me which put me back again. In conjunction with that, and a mistake made by me on the last upwind when I got my life jacket caught on my boom, the SLO and ESP past me. It was not all over though.
On the run I am usually very fast and even faster on this run, and by halfway down to the finish I had past them and was in the Gold Medal position and looking like an easy sail and victory over the line. But disaster struck, only 200 yards to the finish I slipped in my boat and capsized loosing the Gold and having to settle for Bronze. For me it was a very disappointing end to a great race and good week.
Garda Olympic Class Regatta
The Expert Olympic Class Regatta is taking place on North Lake Garda, Italy. It’s an ISAF ranked event as well as an Eurolymp event which has 43 countries taking part in it.
The regatta started well for me and I came home from the first day of racing in the number 1 slot despite the fact that I was penalized for pumping. In sailing there is a rule that above 12 knots of wind (15 miles per hour) you are allowed to move and change the boats position as you wish and work towards making the boat go as fast as you can. Under 12 knots (15 miles per hour) of wind there is a jury that judges whether you are doing too much movement. There is a flag that turns this rule on and off. I saw the flag before the start and the two 470 fleets (another type of boat racing) also had the pumping flag up so when I went around the first mark in first I was penalized and proceeded to exonerate myself with a 720 degree turn. So unfortunately I lost 6 places and ended up 6
th in the race after catching another on the last leg.
After my disappointment of the first race I focused to get the best start and I did. Once I was clear I led to the finish, crossed the line and hurried to the shore to warm up as it was getting cold. Once arriving I checked the leader board and I was happy to see that I was still in 1
st overall with the Danish and Spaniard in 2
nd and 3
rd respectively.
For the next couple of days there was not a breath of wind and we sat around waiting for the racing to start. It rained like I’ve never seen before and I’m from England! So we didn’t get any racing in for two days, a record for me, never in my life has this happened.
Finally day 4 came along with a 15 knots wind (20 miles per hour). On the way out to the starting line my vang lever snapped, I couldn’t believe it all I wanted to do was race. I set about repairing it on the water. I half fixed it to a state where it was good enough to sail but not really to race. It was like a 4 cylinder car just firing on 3. I had an okay day but it put me back a lot, into 4
th overall as we did 3 races to make up for lost time from the previous days.
I still had a chance to win the title if I won the medal race so I set about doing everything I could to do so. I was winning the race and the regatta on the first lap but a young rocky from Italy risked a lot on the last leg and it paid off, enough for him to pass me and thus the regatta title was gone. The points of the top 3 were all within 1 point of each other and unfortunately I was the worst off. I finished overall in Bronze. All things considered I am pretty happy but the next regatta I will have to make sure that I get the Gold.
Hyeres Olympic Classess Regatta Grade 1My next competition took me to Hyeres where I had the Olympic Classes Regatta Grade 1. This year it was the 40
th Hyeres week to take place so it was a little more special and more was resting on the gold. I had won gold 2 years before so I was quietly confident about the event but as we all know with sailing the writing is never on the wall and anything can happen.
he first day arrived and there was a good 20 knots, a strong wind blowing. I relish these conditions as I’m fast and this is when I enjoy sailing the most. Even with the Finn you can get it to go fast downwind and you almost have to hang on due to the massive sail area it provides. Sadly the race officer was new to the Olympic classes and wasn’t familiar on how to manage a race fleet. Anyway needless to say I had 2 poor starts and rounded in the forties. Not a good start to the regatta.
Then you have a bad day I feel it’s important to focus on the next day of racing and not dwell on the past, so I remained positive and didn’t even look at the results. My goal was to slowly chip the points off the leaders as the regatta week went on.
The next few days gave us a range of different conditions. I just put my head down and before I knew it I was lying in the Bronze position going into the medal race. I could win or get silver, I knew it would be pretty hard to get past from behind but I had nothing to lose.
I went into the medal race with only one goal - win the race. There was little wind so we were postponed and I could see the others getting nervous and stressed. I tried to remain calm by talking to my coach and keeping focused on the job at hand.
The race started and the Australian was over the line and disqualified so down to 9 boats. I was winning the event….Gold…Great. The wind was getting even more unstable and I dropped to 4
th so my focus now went to consolidating silver and all I had to do was beat the Slovenian. He was behind me so it was a simple task to cover him. Not so simple in these tricky dying wind conditions. All it would take is a 10 second gust for him and he would be past me. With a last leg that took forever in the dying wind I eventually crossed the line in Silver only 3 points behind.
I was very happy as I would have won by a mile if it hadn’t been for the first day which actually was my bread and butter conditions. With no time to dwell on what could have been it was time to focus on my next challenge which is the Europeans in Italy.
March Update
Fresh back from a break I stepped straight on a plane for a few days in Palma and a G4S film shoot. The weather was great, sunny and warm, just a lack of wind. Actually it was pretty much the usual condition for that time of year. We still managed to get some great footage in a short space of time. I‘ve not been in a boat since the Worlds so jumping in was great for me as I’ve really missed it and it showed. I had lots of energy and I’m now looking forward to starting training in the boat again next week.
The time off has been good for me and I feel extremely motivated and focused on winning the European title again this summer for the second time.
The plan now is to make sure the container and shipping logistics are taken care of so I can collect my boat on the way to Garda where I start training again. Garda is great for cycling and during this period I will be focusing on fitness. For me what’s great about ‘The Expert Olympic Garda’ is that it’s got a lower level of competition just like Palma, so there will be space and room for me to practice. No doubt I will be a little rusty after the break so I can focus on getting back in the boat again. Then I go to Hyeres where the competition will be at a higher level.
Early February Report
Since returning from Australia I have been busy with paperwork and meetings planning the next four year campaign getting to London 2012. It’s been a hard time mentally knowing that if I was allowed to compete in Beijing 2008 I would almost certainly medal with my present form, so it’s hard to get my mind around it. I have moved from 3rd in the World Ranking up to the Number 2 spot which is great but just a little disappointing that I don’t have the opportunity to compete and prove my worth at this year’s Olympic Games. I enjoyed the journey for 2008 but it has taken its toll on other areas, so at least I can have a social life again.
It’s good to be back in England and resting as my body has been through a lot of punishment over the last few months. Also the planning is starting the hunger and focus that is needed. I am now focused on winning the Europeans in Italy during June and I will be hoping to also win the ITL, FRA, and NED competitions which are all part of the world tour.
This week was the first week back in the gym and it was good to catch up with my personal trainer to plan what we want to get out of this year in terms of physical performance and what demands the season will bring. Do I need to be light 93kg or heavy and powerful at 100kg? Now I have a program to put some size on so I can really push the power thresholds of the boat.
Finn Gold Cup '08 - 7th Overall
The Finn Gold Cup 2008 was a very difficult competition for me. All the training prior to and the Asian pacific regatta were all good indicators on how I would perform. My speed was easily in the top 3 in the world and I was starting well and I thought I knew the race track well. I was very confident after just finishing the Asian pacific regatta in silver with all the same players competing and only Ben challenging me during the regatta. I would say I am the most all rounded sailor in the fleet as my speed is good in all wind strengths on the beat (against the wind), and on the run (with the wind). Also something I have not been happy with in the past was my starting but I worked hard over the winter and was very happy with the progress and improvements I made. It felt like when I was one the way out to the first race my nerves were low as I knew it would be good for me, but it was not to be.
The wind was shy all week and there was a different first mark leader in every race and not the usual people. Leading some were IND, GER, ITI, CYP, TUR, VEN and many countries out foxing the top guys all week. Sailors who were not usually in contention were making the top guys work hard. A lot of sailors who made bad starts had to tack out and were rewarded by a right wind shift on the first beat to help them around the first make in good position, not the typical case as if you usually tack out, you are gone. The wind stayed tricky all week and eventually the results evened out and in the end I went into the medal race in 8
th but a long way off the lead. I just wanted to end the week on a high as I had been under achieving all week.
The wind eventually arrived for the medal race with 15 knots and great waves, it was almost back to what we were expecting from Melbourne. I started with such speed in this race that the others were left behind off the start and I lead from start to finish with Ben second and Johan the SWE third. Unfortunately I only moved up one place overall to finish 7
th. As always I will analyse and work out how not to make these mistakes again.
.....
Late January Report
After 3 months in Australia I’m sat at the airport waiting for my flight back to the Motherland, England. It has been a long trip and I have sailed and trained hard. I also feel that my sailing has moved forward and that I’ve made significant improvements during the time. This may not reflect in the Worlds result of 7
th as we had a strange week and not typical conditions for the venue. This was shown in the massive score lines of every sailor. I think a fair amount of luck was involved. It was so different to the usual Melbourne that I think to win the worlds it would have been better to just turn up last minute and just race with not pre conceptions of the race track. It’s a hard time for me as I did not qualify for the games and now my focus is in 4 years as well as the worlds and Europeans each year to focus on. I really wanted this title as world champion, but it was not meant to be. I have the European title now I need the World and Olympic ones. They will come I am sure. I just need to keep the intensity and get to the top of the world and stay there until the next Olympics in London.
For me over the next period I will spend some time to re-group and try to have some time to relax. But at the same time I need to increase my fitness ready for the start of the European season. I will also spend time planning and preparing for the next cycle.
Sail Melbourne Asian Pacific Championships 2008
I have just finished competing in the Sail Melbourne Championships 2008 in Australia. This was a warm up regatta for me as the Finn Gold Cup, World Championships are next week. In fact there are only 3 days between the events so I will have to maximize on my rest in order to be fit and ready for the worlds. I have trained hard and my fitness levels are high, this will help me recover faster than the others so I should have an advantage when we start on Wednesday.
For me this event was a lot of fun as well as a serious event. The sailing conditions could only be described as champagne Yachting which is what us sailors live for. We had 25 degrees, big waves, and medium-strong onshore winds most of the week, it was magical. I started the week in 1st position slotting in all top 5 results winning some races on the way and stayed there all up until the last 2 days when I posted a 14 and 6 when I had to do a penalty turn during the first race of the day.
This in respect was not a terrible day but Ben Ainslie who was lying in second all week had a commanding day with 2 bullets that put him 10 points ahead. This also allowed Raffa the Spaniard and current World Champion to catch up to within 1 point of me. So it was all on for the medal race which was in light winds of 5 knots. After some minor match racing with the Spaniard I came out on top after the start and rounded the top mark 2nd and Raffa in 8th. It was pretty much plane sailing to the line after that. Still nerves were tense as anything can happen in that unstable light air sailing.
I finished the event in Silver overall. A great result knowing that all the world players are here. Just a shame I lost the Number 1 spot and even worst it was to Ben. Having said that it gives me confidence for next week when the gold cup begins. It would really mean a huge amount to me if I could win next week.
Mid January 2008
We have been training in Melbourne for 2 weeks and will start the Sail Melbourne World Cup next weekend.This is a grade 1 event with all of the top sailors competing, so the level will be as good as it gets. The difference is that the Finn Gold Cup will be taking place next week so the sailors will be using this event to warm up and so will I. It will be a great experience to see how everyone has worked over the winter and how productive they’ve been. The key will be to stay fresh for the worlds as there is only a 3 day gap between events.
I intend to focus entirely on the worlds and work on my goals at Sail Melbourne. My main aim is to try and stay with the fleet and use my speed to win the races. Also we have been used to small fleet sailing for the last period of time so this starting practice in a 80 boat fleet will be exceptionally useful for confidence and nerves when the worlds come around. The result is not the biggest focus at sail Melbourne but more the goals I want to achieve. At the Worlds it will be all performance based and I will be aiming to get a medal and better still win.
Late December 2007
I have finished the year with a week of fitness training trying to keep my weight down for the trials and working towards more fitness and stamina. Now I have to look forward to the training I will be doing down in Melbourne prior to the worlds and trials. My focus during the training there will be first and foremost to get to know the area and familiarize myself the best I can with the race track so I can remain one step ahead of my competitors. Also I will be working on my down wind speed looking at the technique and effort levels. In addition I feel start practice will help me enormously, so many line ups and starts will be the focus to work on position and timing to make sure by Race 1 of the World Championships I will be able to start like pulling the trigger of a gun.
It is very important now to make the most use of all the time I have left before the event. I will have to try and train as much as possible on the water and in the gym but make sure I don’t over train. My experience will help me to keep healthy and start my taper at the correct phase.
Sydney International Regatta December 2007
As you are probably aware the Sydney international regatta was my first Olympic selection trials. For me it was a disappointing start. Sydney is a very difficult place to sail combined with the fact that every race a ferry or so would plough through the fleet. Sailing on Sydney harbor is a different type of sailing from any place I have sailed in the world. Champagne Yachting is usually described when there are great waves and consistent wind. Sydney harbor can’t be described as this. I was hoping that the weeks training I had done out in Sydney preparing would help me but Sydney harbor could take years to master.
The event started off slow with two 9
th places on the first day. Not good but I was able to discard one later in the week. The second day bought a better day winning the only race we had. The wind was too unstable to hold anymore and also the 1
st attempt was destroyed when a 240 000 ton cargo ship decided to sit on the race course.
Day 3 brought a good 25 knot southerly wind which turned out to be the best day in sailing quality terms of the event and most enjoyable. There was 3 races scheduled but the race committee could only fit 2 in as there were other classes scheduled to race in the afternoon. I managed to notch up two second places. It was an exhausting day but it was enough to put me into 3
rd overall and a shot at the event title the next and final day.
The final day arrived and it was all on with 3 races scheduled in the most random conditions of the event. After rounding the top mark well a camera boat managed to capsize me causing that race to be over and the title slipped away. In the next race with one lap to go I was in 3
rd and catching the leaders and after getting becalmed on the right hand side of the race track, 8 boats passed me. The final race was a little more consistent and finished with a 2
nd place. Overall I was placed 5
th which in its own right at a grade 1 event was a good result but not good enough for me and my selection to the Olympics. This was a hard start to the selection but with many things learned and to focus on before the next competition. I feel a stronger sailor after this experience.
30 November 2007
I’ve returned back to Sydney from Melbourne where we spent the last week on a training camp preparing for the world Gold cup next year in January. The conditions are amazing down there with good wind and big waves in contrast to Sydney where the wind is very fickle and waves are messed up from all the traffic on the harbour. I will be looking forward to returning there in January for the 2008 Finn World Championship Gold Cup.
Now back in Sydney I have been putting together all the final regatta preparations, getting ready for my trials in a couple of weeks. It’s not long now until I face my biggest battle in three years. I am very excited about it and I’m really looking forward to the start of the event and even more to them being over -hopefully with a good result behind me. I am confident and feel well prepared for it all to begin. I have to stay healthy on the run up to the event as time is of the essence and getting sick is something I don’t want to contemplate. It is amazing how quickly the months have passed over the year but now the time has come to put all that I’ve been working for over the last two years into action.
19 November 2007
I have arrived in Sydney where my Olympic trials will take place. I’ve already managed to put some good hours of training in on the water. I’ve been looking specifically at how the wind works in the harbor and what influence the tidal flow has on the race area. I’ve set myself a list of daily goals to help improve my technique and speed issues which I felt needed work. I am searching for that extra edge and to find this I need to put in as much training as possible. Luckily a few simple things like rig setup have come already, so I’m very happy with this.
Looking forward I have just under a month until the start of my trials.I head down to the Australian Nationals at the end of the week in Melbourne. This is good for me as I will be able to work on my racing skills and it’s also where the worlds 08 (Gold Cup) will be, so all knowledge gained there will help in January when it takes place. I will also be spending a lot of time in the gym as I will need to loose some weight but maintain or increase my strength and power.
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29 October 2007
Now the preparations for the training in Australia are set. I will be starting my training and venue familiarization in November in Sydney harbour as my first trials are there in December followed by the World Championships in Melbourne in January. It is very important that I spend a lot of time in Sydney on the water working out all the land and current influences as this is very specific to that venue. It is a difficult place to sail and actually a degree of luck can influence the results so I need to leave no stone un-turned and test the whole harbour by speed testing wind shift tracking.
I have ordered 2 new masts to test. They are specifically designed to give me more power in these conditions and will hopefully give me the edge in terms of speed. Unfortunately the rest of the British team will not be arriving until December as they have been unable to get their boats out there in time, so I will have to train with the Australians. They are actually very friendly and have helped a great deal with logistics. I am really excited about getting on with my training plan now and really intend to hit this period with as much energy as I can find.
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12 October 2007
The OSG (Olympic Sailing Group) made the decision last week on what our Olympic trials will be. They have extended the trials process to include Sydney international regatta, Gold Cup, Palma and Hyeres. This is an exciting time for me now as the process is confirmed and now I can put into process a plan to succeed in my campaign for firstly Olympic selection and then Olympic Gold. I have come a long way and I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel widening.
To start the final run up to the trials I will be in Weymouth in October training at the squad camps and competing in the national ranking events. The problem is that I have one set of kit coming back from China and the other is on its way out to Melbourne AUS, so I will have to make do with what I can beg and borrow for this short time waiting for the container to arrive. My goals at the training camps will be more focused on boat handling and fitness. I will also be able to touch base with all the support staff from career advice to physiology.
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23rd September - Sail for Gold 2007
On September 19th the ‘Sail for gold Regatta’ began down in sunny Weymouth at the Portland Sailing academy. There was a good entry and a great forecast so everything looked set for an impressive competition where the best sailors would come out on top.
The first race brought me confusion. After consuming a lot of energy I was on the way to the first bullet heading toward the last mark in 1st place but with some sailing instruction discrepancies I decided to head to the wrong mark and before I had realized 2 boats, the Swedish and Spanish had slipped inside and crossed the line just in front. The next race I finished 2nd after another hard slog which put me into Silver over night.
On the second day there was much waiting while the race officers decided whether it would be safe enough for the fleets to race. At 2pm the decision was made, there was too much wind on the course with average wind speeds in excess of 25 knots.
 | I was about to return to my digs and start preparing for the next days racing but I then realized that G4S were having their Corporate day out of the office to come and see us race. With it being cancelled I thought they would be getting pretty bored so managed to convince another team member to go out for a play. It was actually pretty windy and the race officers were not rushing away to watch the Rugby. It may have looked easy for the spectators on the power cruiser but we were close to capsizing constantly. Luckily the rig did not fall down and I think they were pretty happy with the show. |
My results proceeded to improve and after the opening series I was 1 point off the lead going into the medal race which actually means equal points as the medal race counts double. So out of myself and Daniel Birgmark (SWE) who ever beat the other wins the regatta with the others to far behind to cause any real problems.
The race began and after a tricky first lap I was in the lead and at only one point Daniel threatened me. I crossed the line in first and thus winning the Sail for Gold Regatta 2007 the second time in a row. Victory for Wright. Thanks for the help from G4S.
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31 August 2007
Now the hard training begins again. After the planning and resting time over the last couple of weeks I will start my water based training. All my time will be directed at getting quality sessions on the water to work on my sailing goals. The initial period will be working on boat handling because even with the little time away you lose the feel for the boat and how it reacts to you. Then I will be able to start moving on with other things such as rig development later.
This training will take place over in the states where the wind and conditions will be similar to China so I will be able to hone my skills towards next year. It will be good to get back into the training environment where all I see is the boat park and gym for 2 weeks. The key now is to stay healthy so I can get the best out of my training, so that’s the last I will see of public places for a while. The highest chance of respiratory infections is around people carrying colds and bugs so I will try and keep away.
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22nd August 2007
After returning from China this week I have been catching up with all the things I have been neglecting while being on the road. Catching up on all the paperwork and planning a strategy to win my trials next year in Melbourne. There is little time to waste as it is only 6 months away. Also a lot of thought has been put into the time after I qualify for the Olympic Games and what developments I can do to optimize my boat and rig to excel in the specific condition and environment I will face at the venue there. Having said that the main short term focus is on qualifying myself - to represent Britain at the Olympics in 2008.
The plan over the next couple of weeks is to move house. Just relocating down the road, nothing too major. After that I will be heading out to the USA to train for a couple of weeks, working on various goals I have set for myself. On my return I will be cutting it a little tight for the Sail for Gold event down in Weymouth as it starts as soon as I return but I am looking forward to it.
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7th August 2007 - Qingdao, China
I am now in China for a week of training prior to the Pre Olympics. The weather is hot and there is very little wind so it is good to be here to acclimatize and train in these specific conditions that Qingdao offers. With the light air it means that I don’t need to be as powerful and heavy although we have had some windy days so you cannot afford to lose all the weight. The conditions can be very choppy at times which makes the sailing very difficult.
I have been doing a lot of sail testing during this period and have managed to try different theories in sail design with some good developments which I very happy with. Also it’s good to know how other sail designs have not worked. Back to the drawing board with those ones!
China is very different and hard to get used to but with the support of the team it has made life very easy. For instance we have imported our own cook from the UK which has meant the food isn’t too daunting! You don’t have to think twice about eating any dodgy food that could have severe consequences later. I have heard from the other teams that they have been pretty ill after eating some of the local food.
It’s nice sometimes to try and get back some of the western world by going into town to have a quick coffee at Starbucks while catching up on the news back home and from all over the world. Sometimes it is hard to keep in touch with reality when you are away for so long.
It is a very different place to be, but with the help of G4S out here including the translators on hand, life here is pretty straight forward and I can focus on the sailing.
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July 2007 - Cascais, France
After an eventful journey with a flat tyre and then a suspension failure I arrived in Cascais preparing for the ISAF World Sailing Championships. This is a special World Championships as all the Classes are competing at the same time in the same venue rather than having separate events throughout the calendar. I have been out here familiarising myself with the race course we will sail on during the event. This should help to work out the wind and current during the event.
I am pretty happy with the training I have been conducting on the lead up to the event and now I’m in a taper phase which means lowering the work load so I am on top physical condition for the first race. Not long to go as my first race starts on the 5th July with boat measurement and opening ceremony on the 2nd. I will keep you updated on the result in a couple of weeks when it’s all over and we can start to prepare for the pre Olympics which will start in Aug 07.
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