Issue date
The Laser European Championships, my final event for the first overseas trip of 2014 has just wrapped up here in Croatia. After a week of very tough weather conditions to get many races completed, the regatta was finished with only six out of the scheduled twelve races being sailed. I can’t remember the last major event I did where we had so few races, but it really makes you realize that anything can happen in sailing and you have to be on top of your game from race one in the Championships.
Night racing in the GP Mornar "warm-up" regatta for the 2014 Laser Europeans; Split, Croatia. I finished 6th overall.
With 150 competitors, we began the event with three split fleets for qualifying. Over these first three days we completed five out of six races, and I qualified within reach of the top group after sailing a consistent enough series. Unfortunately I didn’t nail the one and only Gold fleet race finished over the final three days of racing, and finished up 22nd overall. Although the result is nowhere near what I am looking for, or where I strive to be in the fleet, there were some great improvements made in key areas over the final month on tour that I can continue working on.
Racing on Day 5 of the 2014 Laser Europeans - the one and only Gold Fleet race completed
Although the weather was not perfect for racing, it was still extremely hot during all three weeks I spent in Split and the activities have also been fun off the water. Some great exploring through the cobblestoned streets of the old town, adrenaline pumping cliff jumping and daily swims at the near-by pebble beaches have been great ways to pass the time when sailing has been abandoned. Having never been to Croatia before I was excited to see what it was like after hearing top reviews about the country from friends and other sailors. Split definitely did not disappoint and the weather, scenery, friendly people and very cool town have definitely made an impression on me and it is somewhere I will hopefully travel back to in the years to come!
Racing on Day 5 of the 2014 Laser Europeans - the one and only Gold Fleet race completed
I’m halfway home (not quite but almost!), sitting here in Dubai airport waiting for the long haul back to Auckland via Melbourne. I will go home form this trip very happy with a lot of improvements on my biggest weakness, and great points that I can take away from the past three months of competition here in Europe. After a couple of weeks off the water to refresh mentally and get back to full fitness, I will be raring to go again! Five weeks of training in NZ before I am off to Rio for the ‘2014 test event’, and then on to Santander for the big one; the 2014 ISAF World Championships. I’m looking forward to all of the hard work between now and then, bring on the next challenge!
Racing on day one of the 2014 Laser Europeans in Split, Croatia
Thanks for all of the continued support; everyone has been very encouraging over the past few months!
Cheers,
Andy
