MAY 2025
GRAND SALM FRANCE & WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
APR – GRAND SLAM FRANCE, UK TRAINING CAMP
MAY - WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
HYERES, FRANCE. LYMINGTON, UK. QINGDAO, CHINA
Hyeres Grand Slam was a little different this year since it was so close to the Worlds, making it the perfect venue to specifically target an area of my racing to really work on improving instead of focusing exclusively on the result. For me this was my starting and combined with some super windy racing it went really well, even sneaking in another top 20 overall finish! I’m climbing!
A super quick pack up and then a flight back home to set up a two-day tidal training camp in Lymington was next on the cards, to help get back in the swing of sailing with currents having spent so long in the Mediterranean. Luckily, it was perfect conditions, light winds and strong tides to really emphasise just how tricky the tide makes long course racing.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, CHINA
Time for the big one and this time in China! World Championships are always special and have a certain buzz around them, they represent a testament to the effort you’ve put in to reach them. Qingdao made it even more special, as it was the host venue for the Beijing 2008 Olympics and being outside of our usual venues within Europe the tension levels were heightened. From arrival, Chinese hospitality couldn’t have been any better, amazing facilities and expert assistance and oh boy did we need it. The complete contrast in culture made for a few funny moments and it was bizarre to have so many cameras and phones pointed at us at all times… maybe that’s what the other big sport stars feel like.
Unbeknownst to us, we arrived during a labour day holiday period which actually had some pretty interesting outcomes. For six days before the event we had amazing training conditions, big onshore wind with rolling waves and although it was a little chilly, the breeze masked all the problems we would later face. As the regatta started, a perfect storm rolled in. The factories restarted at full capacity, spring tides meant current rates were the highest possible and the temperature picked up. All these factors effectively resulted in the wind getting ‘stuck’ above the city and the pollution trapping it down to create absolutely no wind on the racecourse and dense fog rolling in. As an almost final straw, swarms of flies descended upon us whilst we were effectively sitting ducks bobbing around on the water. For the first four days of the regatta, we did not finish a single race. That is unheard of, to not be able to get an hour window opportunity in four days to finish a race… bonkers.
Every single day I walked down to the club I was prepared to race. Every day the conditions seemed to be worse, but the mindset had to be of the intention to race because every day we launched, went into start sequence and then we were abandoned. This basically happened continuously for five hours each until the tide was so strong we couldn’t even attempt to start. On day five after an initial three-hour postponement to racing we finally got racing in some pretty funky conditions, but as always you just have to get on with it. Three races by day five was still unheard of and looking at the results sheet it was clear that the conditions had been chaotic. An average first day for me had been rather up and down each race and so being 40th overnight was far from ideal but I was positive, keen to push upwards on day six.
Day six, and the final day of racing, was absolutely insane. The wind had come roaring in over the city at our maximal range but given the desperation of the organisation to ensure at least one race to constitute a world championship, we buckled down and headed out to race in some seriously windy, seriously unstable conditions. Race 4 was off to a flying start and halfway through the race I was happy racing at the front in 5th before unfortunately, I had a serious gear failure and had to retire from that race. Luckily, I was able to fix it on the water and continue racing the next two races. I do all I can to mitigate kit failure and to be in that position was so demoralising, but sometimes in those conditions, things just snap. The following races I struggled a little more for various reasons and couldn’t quite get myself back to the front of the fleet and ended up finishing the World Championships in 51st. Not what I wanted, not what I’m capable of and it’s given me a fire to keep pushing forward. The week finished with only half the races completed and in borderline conditions but the best sailors find a way. The end of the World was somewhat a relief, having felt like the longest regatta in the world, and I can’t say I’m desperate to return to Qingdao to race in the future.
NOW
For now, I’m back in the UK for about a month, knuckling down and getting some good training under my belt after a long period of back-to-back travel and racing. Then I head to Kiel, Germany for the third Grand Slam Regatta of the year and then into the final regatta of the year, the European Championships in Marstrand, Sweden.
Thank you to Cripps for their support in heading to China for the World Champs, such support is a huge part of how I’m able to continue racing at this level!