Weymouth 2012 Here We Come

Having been to Weymouth in 2006, when WAIS sailors Belinda Kerl and Chelsea Hall won the Youth Worlds, it was a fun place to return to. It was interesting to see how much development had happened in the lead up to the Olympics in 2012.

I was there working with the Australian Sailing Team and in particular, AST sailors and WAIS sailors, Elise Rechichiand Tessa Parkinson in the Women’s 470 class.

It was the first time sailing in Weymouth for Elise and Tessa, and they made significant gains in their understanding of the venue. Unfortunately, Elise suffered an injury, so the girls could not race the remainder of the regatta but they have a good feel for the place, a good idea of what to expect and of how they will need to adjust their training for the next three years.

It is a great place to sail and there will be conditions of all types and that makes for some fun challenges in preparing sailors. The winners will mostly likely be teams that have the best all round performance in a wide range of conditions. There are days with currents, days with sun, days with rain, lots of wind, no wind, flat water, swell, chop and waves. All in all, a great place to showcase our sport!

We had one day of too much wind, and the last medal race day was too light for some races, and barely enough wind for others.

With the girls off the water, I spent time on the course area watching the racing and the trends with the wind and waves, to get a better feel for the place. The Australians sailed well with the Laser and 49er class having convincing wins.

The Australian Sailing Team organised things well with good team interaction and sharing of experiences adding once again to my coaching development.

Now that I am back in Perth, I will be heading down to Rockingham on Saturday for the week to work with the WA coaches and sailors for the camp which is held over six days. It is a really important week for me, with Talent ID, coach development and valuable time spent with the WAIS athletes that will either be coaching or sailing.

– Belinda Stowell