4th 4 Me!

There were 35 boats competing from various different classes. The size of the dinghies varied from Pico’s and Topper’s to Bahias and Laser 2000’s.

I was in a Laser Radial for the whole series. The scoring was adjusted using the Portsmouth Yardstick method which added to the excitement because your final place as you cross the finish line isn’t necessarily where you came in the race.

My scores were pretty consistent – 4, 7, 5, 5 and 6. One disregarded race was allowed over the series so I dropped the race where I came 7th and ended up with a final score of 20 points.

The lower your score the better and, as such, I came a very respectable 4th out of 35.

In a podium situation such as the Olympics or Paralympics, 4th place can be as frustrating as 44th because you have just missed the medals by one place but for the first race series of the season, and given the field and experience of some of the sailors, I was please with my final position.

The next race series commences on the 2nd June and runs through until the 7th July.

There is then the Olympic Test Event and the final series runs from the 18th August until the 29th September.

It is now half term which gives me some serious time at the academy. Over the bank holiday weekend, I will be volunteering at the J109 event and during the week, I shall be at SailLaser assisting with their courses. This coupled with my own windsurfing, assistant instructing, sailing and racing is going to make for a very busy week!

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