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Veerle ten Have admits it felt strange lining up alongside more than 40 other female windfoilers in practice racing earlier this week.
The 21-year-old, along with the rest of New Zealand's top windfoilers, have been operating in isolation for more than two years due to Covid-19 but that period is coming to an end.
More than 1000 sailors from 62 countries are competing in next week's Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma, including 19 from New Zealand across seven of the 10 Olympic classes.
The regatta traditionally signals the start of the European season but it also doubles as the first major international event that has attracted a full field of Olympic class sailors in two years. It's also been added to the Hempel World Cup Series so signifies the start of the new Olympic cycle.
For New Zealand's five-strong windfoil squad it represents an opportunity to check in, to see how they have progressed during training in this country and what they need to address to get to the front of the fleet. That's why ten Have was anxious ahead of this week's first session of practice racing.
"The first day lining up with everyone was nerve racking," she admitted. "I’m not used to having 40 other boards the same speed as me around me, but it’s super-exciting.
"I'm confident in my speed, I just have to get back into racing mode. They’ve been racing in Europe the whole time while we’ve been training in New Zealand. It’s about getting close to other boards again and learning to deal with the stress of people coming at you from all directions."
Many of those people are familiar from ten Have's time in the RS:X, the non-foiling windsurfing equipment used since the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This has been replaced by the iQFoil, which is capable of reaching speeds of 30 knots in only five knots of breeze, and it's a change that excites ten Have.
"I know the iQFoil is way better suited to me," said ten Have, who claimed silver at the 2018 youth sailing world championships. "Now I can focus more on getting better on the water rather than off the water. It definitely makes me happier and more motivated to train, and having a squad to train with is another big one."
Ten Have, who previously trained mostly on her own, is part of the New Zealand windfoiling squad overseen by former world championships bronze medallist JP Tobin. Also competing in Palma this week will be Brianna Orams, Josh Armit, Thomas Crook and Eli Liefting.
The quintet will also compete in Hyeres later this month before rounding out their European block with the windfoil European championships at Lake Garda in Italy in mid-May. The world championships are in Brest, France, in October and by that time ten Have should be feeling a lot more comfortable.
- Photo: Adam Mustill Photography
