J80 Worlds is GO!

So finally I can confirm we have managed to raise enough support to attend the J80 worlds in Denmark early next month. It has been a bit of a long drawn out affair, but thanks to support from the RYA, P&O Ferries and J-Boats UK we are now all set! The team will feature much of the same faces as out last epic J80 campaign. I will be helming with the rest of the team being Richard Glover, Kelvin Matthews and Mark Yeabsley. Unfortunately due to other commitments we are down one of our usual team mates, but as a 4 we will endeavor to perform as well as we can. The event starts on the 3rd of july. The team are meeting this weekend for some final training before we make the trip out to Denmark for the regatta next Thursday. The will be alot of activity over the next few weeks so please keep checking to find out how it is all going!

Cheers

TP

Little Americas Cup 2013

I can now confirm i will be working with the British Challenge for the Little Americas Cup (LAC) Team Invictus. Over the the weekend the team were down in falmouth to announce that the LAC in 2013 will be held out of restonguet, my home club and that I will be sailing the boat. During the weekend there was a press conference where all the news was broken and I was even able to get out ont the boat for my first sail. When sailing on the friday evening a it really was amazing to see the boat flying a hull in probably less than 5 kts. On the saturday the wind was a lot stronger but we still went out to see what the boat was capable of. It was an amazing sail and i didnt really want to go in but due to a dagger board failure we were forced to call it a day. From now on i hope to sail the boat more and more, and try to help the team update and modify the design so that we have a real chance in 2013. 

Yachting Nationals Day 4

Sorry is a few days late, things were a little hectic in the days after the event but here it goes. As you know it was all to play for, there was very little wind and the race committee needed to get 2 races in. With the tide pushing the fleet over the line it wasn't long before we were starting under a black flag. We did a great job of tacking in under the bunch with about 30 seconds to go and made a great start. Unfortunately due to our lack of experience in the light winds our boat speed wasnt as good as in previous day. we were force to tack and over to the wrong side of the course. Because of the lack of winds the committee were force to shorten the course to just 1 lap. This meant we didnt have time to make back up as many places as we wanted. we finished 11th but in front of the two boats near us in the overall results. So we were still there or thereabouts. Unfortunately the final race of our series was an absolute shocker. After starting with the good guys we were squeezed out off the line and struggled to find a lane upwind. Another 1 lap race didnt leave enough time. The bad result sealed the regatta. Eventually we ended up in 6th overall not a bad result but i think we were all a bit disanointed. Still, i have next year which will be my last year so i will be back to try and take Plymouth to the top step of the podium again!

Cheers

TP

Yachting Nationals Day 3

We are back in the hunt! Today was the long inshore race. A 5hr trip around the solent. This meant that navigation and tactics were more important than ever. The team did a great job in staying focused for the whole race. After a solid first beat rounding the first mark 10ish, we all worked hard and managed to work our way into 5th by the next upwind leg. After then taking a position on the long down wind, and another boat being unlucky and having to return to a mark, we eventually crossed the line 3rd. This result bumps us back to the standing to 3rd overall. But the points are closer than ever so it really is all on on tomorrow! Check back to find out how the event finishes up!

TP

Yachting Nationals Day 2

Tricky day today! it was one of those days that just wasnt meant to be. As a team we sail 3 perfect races apart from the first beat in each one! So we had to play catch up in all day. In the first race we managed to catch back up to 5th and in the the second and third races after some shocking windward mark roundings we finished in 9th. This obviously has moved us down the results table a bit, we are now in 6th overall. The points are very close however, so we will be doing our best to make it back up tomorrow. The next race is a 5hr long distance and is non discarable so its make or break! check back soon to find out the latest!

TP

Yachting Nationals Day 1

Today was the first day of the student yacht racing nationals. After arriving last night the team woke up early for the trip out to the race course. During an initial practice race we worked hard on getting the boat set up correctly and finding our pace. Since this was the first time we had been sailing in the boats it took us while to get fully up to speed, but by the start of the first real race we were ready. The first beat went completely to plan, and we had great boat speed. After leading around the windward mark, it was just a matter of covering the fleet for the rest of the race and we sail our selves into a well deserved 1st place! The second race was a much closer affair and the was much more changing of places. After some good and some not so good decisions we end up in 3rd across the line. So overall a great start to the regatta! Currently we are leading overall but very closely followed by a lot of boats! Check back soon to find out how it goes tomorrow!

Student Yachting Nationals

The team is now confirmed for this years student yacht racing nationals. This year I will be helming again with my close friend richard glover doing mainsheet and working with me at the back of the boat. The rest of the team is made up some great sailor here at plymouth an we have a real chance of doing well at this years event. The last 2 years we have finished 2nd and 3rd, so we will be pushing hard to complete the set this year. We now have a training schedule in place so should be on form by the event. The racing starts on 11th of april, so keep checking for updates during the build up!

cheers

TP

2011 North Sails J80 Campaign

I have recently had confirmation that i will be involved with a new J80 Sportsboat Campain in 2011. I have once again teamed up with Kelvin Mathews, Richard Glover and Mark Yeabsley to put this new venture into place. We now have had confirmation from North Sails they they will be running a development program with us. Providing the very latest in J80 sail design. We have also been told that we will have the use of a competetive boat. So all of the ground work is there. We intend to train and race as much as possible this season focusing on the J80 worlds as our outcome regatta for the year. In short we have all of the equipment and support in place for the campaign and are currenly looking for a small fiinancial boost to take the campaign all the way through to the world championships. Keep checking for campaign updates.

TP

Things are Happening

Good news, while nothing is completely confirmed, there is alot going on in my world at the minute. Untill i know some more of the finer details i cant really explain any further. But I am sure that somthing will come of it all. Hopfully have some updates soon!

University Racing

This coming weekend is the selections for the university racing teams. It determines who will represent the university at both the European and National Championships. I attended both events last year, and hoping to do the same again, but i know i will have to earn my place. The Europeans which happens at the end of May is a great event held in France. In my first year we managed to win the event, finished a respectable 3rd last year and so i am hoping to get back to the top this time round. Similarly the highly contested nationals is another event we will strive to be at the top at. Over the last 2 years me and my team have picked up a 2nd and 3rd so this year we are hoping to complete the set with a 1st. Check soon to find out how the selections go.

Cheers

TP

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2011, hopefully a very eventful year for me. This year I intend to get my sailing campaign back on track. Currently i am investigating a few options, news to come soon! Anyway i mentioned the last post the big show down, well unfortunately my father managed to get the jump on me again. It seems experience can count for quite alot. It is a pretty messy race with all the classes of boat starting together, we were pinned off the line by higher pointing mono-hulls. We were catching him the whole way round, but the race just wasn't long enough! I guess we will have to wait another year to try again.

Keep checking for updates.

Cheers
TP 

The Annual Show Down!

Like every year, my local sailing club Restonguet is hosting its Christmas Pudding race. Myself and my dad always go out as a bit of a grudge match! In past years it has often been the case that we have collided at some stage rendering one of us unable to finish the race! Last year unfortunately my dad got the better of me, but it was very light and flukey conditions! this year i need to redeem myself! the race is this Sunday so check back soon to see what went on!

merry xmas

TP

Match Racing

This weekend myself and 4 friends competed together in our university match racing finals. The format was a round robin followed by playoffs to decide the winner. We managed to get through the round robin series undefeated, this meant we were through to the 1st/2nd play-offs. The team we were racing were more experienced in match racing. But we played to our strengths and used our boat speed. We managed to win the first 2 races which meant there was no need to do a 3rd. So we had done it! and currently somehow were still undefeated! lets hope it stays like that.

Weekends Sailing

Saturday was made up of the university's match racing trials. these races are to determine who will represent the University at the national championships later in the season. Our heat was made up of 4 teams where we all competed in a round robin to see who would go through to the finals. We had some awesome racing but the team really worked well together and we managed to get 3 out of 3 wins! this mean we go through to the finals next weekend where the winning team will be decided. so stay tuned to hear about that!

On the Sunday i was asked to helm a friend of mine's yacht. We were racing in the royal southern's winter series, and it was important for them to get some good results. After a cracking start in the first race, we sailed a tidy race to finish 2nd on handicap. The 2nd race was a bit more interesting, an incident on the start meant we had some work to do, but some great calls on the first beat moved us rite up the fleet and again we scored another 2nd. But most importantly beating all of the boats nearest rivals. so another good day on the water!

Keep checking find out how next weekends match racing finals go!

BIG Update

Firstly Im Sorry!

It has been so long. So since i last updated here is what has been happening.

• Dart 18 World Champion - During the summer i team up with my good friend Richard Glover to compete in the Dart 18 World Championships in Weymouth. With a fleet of 130+ Boats, it was a very hard regatta. But between us we sailed a fantastic regatta and finish as World Champs! 
• British Keelboat Academy - I have be invited back into the academy this year, and now i am part of the more experienced national squad. We have recently had to make a decision on which direction we want to take our sailing in this year. I have decided to be involved with the M34 Tour de Voile Campaign. This is one of the biggest races on the keelboat circut, and the M34 is one of the hottest new exciting boats out there. I am extremely excited about this, and we are currently looking for financial support to make the campaign viable.
• Coaching in Oman - A few weeks ago I along with 4 other young British catamaran sailors went to Oman to help coach their Hobie 16 race teams. The week was made up of 5 days of training and culminating with a 2 day regatta (Asian Beach Games Test Event). The weeks training went really well and all the teams progressed. During the regatta i was teamed up with one of the Omani Sailors. Between us over the 2 day event we sailed ourselves into a convincing first place!
• University Sailing is starting to amp up, this weekend i am competing in our Match Racing Trials, with the aim to being selected to represent Plymouth at the Student national championships later in the Year

I Hope that brings you up to speed on everything and I promise i will be more on the ball in the coming months!

Cheers

TP

2010 J80 Campaign

Its now in full flow, I will, subject to sponsorship be sailing a 2010 J80 campaign. For my 2010 campaign I will be running it with the British Keelboat Academy. Compared to last year I have two new crew members, Kirsty Matthews and Matt Haslam. I will again be heading the team as helm with Kelvin Matthews and Mark Yeabsley from last year continuing to work together. We have 2 key events that we will be attending the J80 Nationals in Cardiff and J80 Europeans in Lake Garda, Italy. To find out the latest on this campaign please visit http://gbrj80.squarespace.com/

This campaign will not be possible without support, so i you feel that you can help in anyway please get in touch on tom.phipps@windsport.co.uk

Thanks
Tom

Hectic 10 Days

Phew, that was an intense 10 days. firstly sorry i haven't been providing daily update, unfortunately the locations i have been in haven't provided very good internet access but i will do my best sum up what has been going on. The last 10 days has been made up of 3 keel boat events that i have raced in. The Sunsail final series, the student yachting nationals and RORC's Easter regatta.

My focus regatta for Easter was the student yachting nationals, and after finishing 2nd last year i was desperate to go one better. Very generously this year Plymouth University provided the team with some funding to attend sunsail's final race weekend as a training regatta for the main event. The regatta was held on the weekend of the 27th/28th with the nationals starting on the 29th. The team arrived the Friday evening before to collect the boat and get it ready for racing. because we were one crew short, Kelvin Matthews who i sail alot with last year stepped in to offer his advice and knowledge. We had a great weekends racing against 25 other sunsail boats, made up of alot of the universities we would be racing during the nationals. A fantastic effort from the team meant we won the training regatta which put us in good spirits of the main event.

The student yachting nationals is the most contested event on the student racing circut, 35 teams were doing the 4 day series. This year was no exception, the racing was harder than ever and there was alot of teams who could potentially win the event. Between myself and the team we did a great job, and sailed a very consistent regatta. We never featured outside the top 3 overall and finished the event in 3rd. A result which i was initially disanointed with but looking back on can be very proud of. I have 2 years left on my course so next year might be my year!

Following the student nationals, i was straight over to the isle of wight for RORC's Easter challenge regatta. This is a shake down regatta for all the keel boats based around the solent. I was racing on a J80 and representing the British Keel boat Academy. Other boats on the water included the BKA's very own TP52 and the newly built Origin TP52 helmed by Ben Anslie. This was an IRC raced event, so everything was done on a handicap system. On the Friday the wind was up and the J80's rating works well. we have a great time doing some non stop planning down winds. check out the picture below. on the second and third days the wind was much lighter and our rating didn't stack up quite so much and we struggled to get good results against the better rated boats. Overall we finished 5th, which is a good result for an asymmetric J80. Im looking forward to having a go on the TP52's though, they were very impressive to watch.

So a pretty busy 10 days, a little rest now and then my J80 Euros campaign starts to wind up!

Last Day All Over

We arrived on the boats in a decreasing wind so the committee were keen to get us away. The first race was one of those races where what ever you do it just doesn’t work. We tried everything but struggled to battle our way back through the pack. Eventually finishing in a disappointing 11th.  In the second race we had a better start and were in the leading bunch at the windward mark. Unfortunately we were involved in an incident where I believe we were in the right but it wasn’t worth the risk so we took a penalty, this meant we were back in the pack again. We managed to pull some places back and finish 7th.  This unfortunately meant that the European championship was not possible which was disappointing for everyone on board. Together we refocused on the final race and made a great start at the committee boat. We lead round the first mark but at the wind filled from behind the fleet reeled us in. The second beat was very light and tactical. Trying to cover all the fleet meant we lost 2 places, which is where we finish. So our final day wasn’t what we wanted but overall we had a good regatta eventually finishing 3rd. This has now motivated me to come back next year and regain the title.

Next up I have the highly contested student national championships so keep checking to find out what going on


Last Day!

So we are into the final day, we have just had the morning breefing where the boat selection was made. We have boats 13 and 14 both of which we are very happy with. So the rest is up to us. We do have a small hill to climb as we are 6pts behind the leading southampton team. We are racing after the silver fleet today so yet again we are sitting in the yacht club waiting for racing. The forcast today is for the wind to drop so we are all hoping that we can get out on the water as soon as possible. keep checking to find out the latest, results at http://www.passion-e-vent.com/tip/  

Day 3 Over

On the water today was a bit tricky due to a collision yesterday the boat we were scheduled to sail was out of action so we were forced to sail the reserve boat. This was unfortunately not the newest J80 in the world, but we put that behind us and focused on racing.  The first race started and off the line we had to tack because of pinching boats to leeward. Unfortunately this sent us the wrong way up the first leg. We battled hard and overtook 3 boats on the last leg to finish a respectable 3^rd. We realised this was definitely the hardest 2 flights together.  So the second race a great start meant that we were in the leading pack upwind. Unfortunately we tacked just shy of the lay line and had to double tack. We rounded the first mark in 4^th, some great sailing from the team saw us move back up to 3^rd where we finished. This will definitely have qualified us for gold fleet, so tomorrow is the show down of the best boats racing together.