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Yesterday saw the first day of what is intended to a very successful Olympic campaign. Since moving back into a helming role, I have been search of the right person to team up with. After careful consideration it was a fairly easy choice, I am now sailing with Zennor Poscoe. Zennor is another Cornish local, which is great as it make for easy assessable training based here in Falmouth. She is also one of the most focused people I have ever met, I wouldn't want to be the one to get in the way of what she wants!
Yesterday was Zennors first day in the boat "properly", we did do a taster weekend a month or so ago, but yesterday was our first day training in anger! Considering the small amount of cat sailing Zennor has done up until now, she is getting around the boat amazingly. We spent the day working on the core boat handling elements, and even over the few hours we were on the water there was a marked improvement from both of us.
From now on we aim to be really putting the hours in before it gets really cold. Zennor and I are also trying to raise awearness and support for the new team, so please get in touch if you feel like you can help in any way.
Check back for more updates on training, Video coming soon!
TP
Over the weekend I have been working with Team Cobalt Catamaran boys, They are developing a new foiling catamaran to challenge the 'round the island' record. As a warm up event the team are looking to be part of speed week in Weymouth and demonstrate the boats potential.
Over the last few weeks, I have been in contact with Jack Gifford the designer of the project, he asked if I would be able to get involved and help out. What young catamaran sailor wouldn't want to be involved with a foiling raft!!!!
On Saturday I woke up at 5.30am and drove to jacks work shop with a trailer in tow to load the weapon and take it to Weymouth. On arrival we got inside the hanger, and before we even started putting the boat together some familiar faces showed up. It seems Paul and Helena from sail rocket are just drawn to crazy catamaran projects! It was great to see them, It was also great to see Richard Glover for the first time in a while and I must thank them for getting involved and helping over the day! After a long day of boat work and tinkering, we were eventually kicked out at midnight.
Sunday started with another early morning to watch the Japanese GP, gutted for Hamilton in turn 1! Once we had seen Vettel all but secure title it was back to business, the boat still needed a lot of work, so we cracked on. Another full day of work and finally the boat is ready to go.
Unfortunately we didn't manage to get the boat on the water while I was there, but the boys aim to have it sailing during the week so let see how it gets on!
I am back in Cornwall now, preparing for the re-ignition of the 2016 Olympic campaign, so stay tuned for updates very soon!
Cheers
TP
So now its all over,
On one hand I feel a little relived that we can now have a bit of a rest, but on the other I am desperate to get the next campaign up and running.
The end of the regatta, was a mixture of good and bad. Some snippets of brilliance balanced out by some school boy errors.
Day 4,
Finally after the rebuild of the front beam, we were back on the water. And finally we could get a better idea on how the boat stacked up against the rest of the fleet. In race 1 we quickly learned that the boat was performing well upwind, but try as we may, we could not get the boat going down wind. That combined with some tricky shifts, saw us drop from 2nd at the first windward mark to 7th by the end of the race.
In Race 2 we had chatted with the coaches and were ready to try a different downwind technique, It seemed to work, we weren't the fasted boat but were doing a lot better than the previous race. That and our good upwind speed, saw us racing around at the front of the fleet, we ended up finishing in 3rd. A great result for the team
Day 5
The breeze was up and the weather was in. And unfortunately that was the way it stayed and racing was cancelled.
Day 6 (Final Day)
The breeze was still up, and based on the fact the the match racing between the 2 top boats would take priority, it was unlikely that the fleet racers would make it to the track. And that is unfortunately what happened. The fleet racers did go out but it was really windy and before race 1 was even over, Hydros team capsized and broke all the ribs in the wing flap, and that was that. Event over.
We had a great prize giving that evening, where it really did become apparent how much of a privilege it is to be involved with the C Class Catamarans. Over the week I honestly have learned more than I can remember, Huge thanks from me must go to all of tean Invictus, and Paul Larson and Helena Darvelid from sail rocket. Their efforts got the boat there in the first place and kept it running once it was there.
I am excited now for the next ICCCC, and to progress towards foiling!
Keep checking to see how this and the Olympic campaign progresses.
Cheers
TP
Well we have had a very eventful few days for the start of the ICCCC,
Day 1
After some frantic last minute jobs to the wing, we managed to get on the water. As we sailed out of Falmouth harbour and into the bay, this started to get weird. The wind dropped right off, and the fog rolled in. Before we knew it we were completely lost. Finally the support boat found us using the gps tracing and escorted us down to the start area.
The wind came and went but the fog remained persistent. During a brief gap in the fog we managed to get a start away, and sail most of the first beat. We were doing really well and in 3rd position until the fog rolled back in and we were once again lost. The race was quickly abandoned and after some hanging around in the thick fog, we were eventually sent back to the beach.
Day 2 and a bit of 3
This was not a good day, and in hindsight we should have seen it coming. After a terrible nights sleep where I kept my self up shouting into the big white telephone, I decided that it was not the day for me to be on the water. A stand in team went out to compete instead but before they had reached the race course, they unfortunately capsized the boat. After righting it and coming to assess the damage, we realised that the front beam had failed, fortunately the wing was all ok. A new beam was brought down from Bristol last night, and the team are working to get it fitted out for racing. Not sure we will make race 1 today, but hopefully we will be on the water!
Check back for more updates soon!
TP
The team have been here 4 days now, and today we put the boat in the water for the first time. This has really been a battle against the odds. 2 weeks ago it was looking like there would be no team Invictus at all. but between the team we are all but racing. The team supported by Paul Larson and Helena Darvelid from Sailrocket have been working flat out for the last 2 weeks are some unfortunate set backs in the technical program, I only got involved with the build project once the boat and wing arrived here in cornwall, so here is what i have experienced.
On arrival in Mylor it was clear that we had a mountain to climb, while that large parts of the wing we assembled, all of the intricate and detailed areas hadn't even been started. Ares one organisation we set up shop in one of the barns behind my house, and began work. since then we have been in the barn all day everyday, and for some of the team most of the night as well. I have been involved with many areas of the project, and it has been great to feel this involved in a campaign. It really was special for me and everyone when the boat hit the water today.
There were times during the few days when it did seem to much, but i have to say the continued enthusiasm of Paul and Helena really has been inspirational and kept both me and the rest of the team going. Today was the reward for all the work.
We now have a fully rigged boat, there are a few small adjustments we need to make from today, but tomorrow will be our first "Proper" sail. I am sailing with an old friend and good catamaran sailor Cedric Bader, we are both very excited to finally get out and sail her. Invictus is coming!
Over the weekend i managed to get Kynsa on the water a few times, There wasnt alot of wind but enough to double trapeze at points. She felt great, the boat worked well and although we weren't sailing against anyone, it definitely felt fast!
There was just one problem... My crew was a little to much of the male gender! My great friend and past sailing partner Richard Glover had come down for the weekend. It was great to get out on the water with him, The old team hadn't forgotten much!
Managed to get some great pictures and Rich was blown away by the foiling side of the boat, Wheelie'ing turned into a bit of an intentional trick by the end of the day!
More information coming soon, have some good things in the pipe line!
So she has now been for her first dip in the sea, After a few days of tinkering and getting things as I like them, Kynsa eventually made it to the water.
Yes the new boat is called Kynsa, it is a Cornish name that translates to meaning "First", hopfully she will live up to her name!
The breeze was pretty strong and i sailed with a friend from here in Cornwall, he is a little bit too much from the male gender to be a crew contender but is was great to get out on the water. We were absolutely flying around Falmouth water, 15-18 kts of wind and flat water, i think me must have touched 25kts of boat speed at times!
More sailing tomorrow and i will try to get some pictures.
On top of Kynsa making it to the water, I have also started what i'm sure will be an incredibly successful modelling career,
Typhoon Drysuits have agreed to help me in my quest for gold and built into the partnership is using myself to model the new suits for advertisements in some of the well known sailing magazines. Have a look below,
Check back soon for more updates on training, and some pictures of the new raft in action.
Cheers
TP
Well now you all know the story, the updates will resume. Over the last few days, I have been on a small road trip from Cornwall to Southampton, up to Dover and on the ferry to Calais, then up through France and Belgium to Holland to collect the new raft. Now I am currently sitting in the passenger seat somewhere in Belgium on my way home.
The plan is to work on the boat over the next few days and have her ready for the maiden voyage at the weekend. Fortunately I have learned lots from the last boat, so some of the jobs can be fast tracked.
One very important job is to name the newest girl in my life. Because I'm a sentimental softy I want to go down the Cornish theme. Currently she is temporarily named Lowenna, but I am open to offers!
Stay tuned for pictures from the build and the "pimp my boat" process!
TP
Right so I should probably explain this long silence. Well firstly don't worry I'm not dead, but things have been pretty up in the air over the last few weeks. After returning from the world championships I had a lot on my mind, and following some discussions with close friends, family and the RYA I have decided that I feel my best route to Olympic Gold is take up a helming position again.
In the past I have always helmed catamarans and I honestly feel that I am gifted in that role. I have had great success in a range of catamaran classes but possibly the most revealing in this case was winning the F16 Europeans last year against was is the majority of the Nacra class. When I initially teamed up with Lucy, I took on the crewing role because at that time I simply believed that girls would really struggle at the front. That myth has now been dispelled and as it happened the entire podium at the would championships was made up of female crews and male helms.
So a move to the back of the boat has brought about a lot of change, there is only room for one helm on each boat so unfortunately Lucy and I have decided to go our separate ways. Lucy has continued to sail with a new partner and is currently doing a good job out at the Europeans.
I realised that when I made this decision I was going to take a hit program wise. It was likely that I would lose the current funding level Lucy and I had achieved, I would be boatless and crewless until I had that side of thing sorted, but I knew that this was something I needed to do.
Since making the call I have been working on things 100%, and I am starting to get things sorted for what is really a fresh start. As I write this I am sat at Dover ferry port awaiting the ferry to Calais, where I am making the trip up to Nacra in Holland to Collect my new boat. Next week I have a great potential crew option coming down to Cornwall for some training time as a trial for establishing the new team. After some conversations with the RYA it seems likely that I will remain on funding, all be it at a lower level, but with a new drive to move back up the ladder rapidly.
All in all, I am overwhelming exciting about this new step in my sailing career, it's not going to be easy and short term I have made life harder for myself, but the long term I believe things will be a whole lot better!. What I can say is that I am now more focused and up for it than ever, and I truly believe that between myself and my new sailing partner we will do everything we can to secure Gold in Rio.
So first day of the Nacra 17 worlds was a bit anticlimactic if I'm honest. We arrived to beach to find not a breath of wind, and we were soon under postponement. As the day went on the breeze bit built a little and we launched at 2pm, but spent the whole time we were on the water sailing directly into the tide in order to just stay in one place! And after a few hours of that we were sent back to the beach. Eventually after another few hours hanging around the committee canned it for the day.
Pit wasn't a total loss though, between myself and some of the other lads in the squad we did manage to construct a solid dam across the the river running through the beach, see below
hoping for more breeze tomorrow, but its not looking that good.
check back for updates soon
TP
Yesterday was the practice race day, today is the real thing.
We arrived at the boat early yesterday so that we do a few of the final bits after getting through measurement. But on assessment of the sea state we decided that sailing wasn't worth it. We watch a few teams try to sail out through the surf and break various bits, and based on that we though our time would be better spent doing the final preparations to the boat. As you can see from the photo is wasn't a quiet day on the beach either, it seems the whole of Holland come to Scheveningen when the sun is out. We escaped a early as possible in the afternoon and retuned to the accommodation to get out of the sun.
Today is day 1 very light winds forecasted, we start at 11. So check back later to find out how it all goes!
Cheers
TP
I am now back out in holland for the final preparations before our world championships. We have spent the last few days out on the water doing some speed work and yesterday we managed to get the boat through measurement, so we are now all set.
The training has been going really well, we feel especially fast in the lighter winds, which look to be forecasted for the event. But we have also made some good steps in the breezy stuff too. While I don't we we will ever feel fully prepared for this, Lucy and I have really been putting in the hours recently, normally first on the water and last off!
A few days ago, we got stuck in the beach break just in front of the club, and slapped our pole in the surf. But that is all fixed now and we are desperate to start racing.
The practice race is tomorrow, I think we have 67 boats which will be the biggest fleet yet by some way. And real racing starts on Monday. Full results and Live tracing can be found on http://www.nacra17class.com/worldhome/ but I will be writing daily update on here as well.
Check back tomorrow to see how the practice race goes.
Cheers
TP
I am now back in the UK after our first training camp at our worlds venue out in Holland. It was a great week with a real range of conditions, initially fairly fresh and lumpy but concluding with some scorching days and some lighter breeze.
We spent the week mostly looking at speed work, and the good news is that Lucy and I felt really quick in the lighter conditions. We have some work to do in the heavier conditions but that will come once we refine the rig a bit from what we have learned.
We are home for a week now, where there a a number of jobs to do before we leave again next week for a final training block and the World Championships.
Check back for more updates in our worlds build up.
TP
It has been an eventful couple of days, and ultimately has taken me since Sunday lunch time to get to here, Sceveningen in Holland. Everything was going so smoothly, I had driven from home to Exeter in the car, met my father there where I transferred into the windsport van, swapped trailers and continued on to Weymouth, where I dropped the first trailer, met and gave Paul the windsport van, and then jumped in the Rya van, hooked up the big trailer with 3 Nacras in it and continued again up to Johns house in Southampton.
after a 5 o'clock alarm myself, John and Pip left Southampton in order to catch our morning ferry from Dover. It was then when I realised, Passport! I knew exactly where it was and it was in the wrong place! At home. A quick plan was needed, and we hatch a plan, Lucy who was an hour behind would meet us at the fleet motorway services, she would carry on in the van, and John would take her car and rib. I mean while would spend most of the morning chilling at the services and await collection from my sister who lives in Guildford.
After a slightly tense phone call home I organised to get the passport mail to me at my sisters house, to arrive the following day. So I had a bit of time to kill, fortunately the tennis provided some great entertainment, and it was also a good opportunity to catch up with my sis who I don't see a lot.
On my second day in Guildford, the passport arrived mid morning but just in case it wasn't on time I had booked a later flight. Katy went off to work and caught up on some admin stuff, then after a quick walk, train and coach ride I made it to Heathrow. I checked in only to find my flight was the delayed, Life really didn't want me to get to holland. Later than planned I boarded my flight to Rotterdam and finally felt I was heading in the right direction.
Lucy kindly came and collected me from the airport and took me back to our Holland accommodation, I think that was a good move because given my form recently any more public transport would end in disaster!
Tomorrow we are out training in Scheveningen, which is our worlds venue at the end of the month. We have a weeks training now then a short rest at home and then back out for another weeks training followed by the world championships.
Stay tuned for updates on the training. Things can only get better surely!
Cheers
TP
I am now back in Weymouth for a few days training, after a short rest post sail for gold it time to get back on the water. This is the final push before we attend our world championships at the end of July. It is important for us to perform at the worlds so that we can secure funding and support for the coming year.
Looks like today should be a nice day out in Weymouth bay, check later to see how it all went.
TP
Sorry this has been a little while in coming. Sail for gold regatta concluded rather anticlimactically, after a penultimate day with some unfortunate moments and some brilliant ones we left our selves a 5 point gap to 1st. However the final race was double points so everything was still on. Unfortunately though we were never given the chance to push for gold. The weather didn't allow us to get on the water, so Lucy and I had to settle for silver. Still overall it was a great regatta, I think we moved forward as a team, and improved the communication on board.
We are now in the build up to the world championships out in Holland, we have another training camp in Weymouth, followed by 2 in Holland before raining starts on 22nd of July.
Check back for updates on worlds preparation
TP
A change of pace today, the breeze was up and the sun was gone!
We all launched expecting a fresh and exciting day out in the bay, as it happened by the time we arrived on the race course for our 14.00 start, the wind had moderated and the sun was starting to break through.
This caught us off guard a little and we weren't quite set up right for the first race, we quickly rectified that and our speed was back for the final 2 races of the day. We felt especially good downwind today which is great as that was an area we wanted to improve on. Over the day we scored 5,1,2. so a fairly good day all in all, still in 2nd overall with 3 point up to 1st.
Game on for tomorrow in some big breeze! and then medal racing on Thursday!
Check back for updates!
TP
Similar conditions greeted us for the second day of the Sail for Gold Regatta. Based on our performance on the previous day we were very happy with the rig set up and boat speed.
Because we were alternating with the 49ers, it was our turn for an early start. At 11am the gun for race 1 went. The wind was again very trick and there were some huge gains and losses over the course. It was impossible to be on the right side of all of it, but generally we did a pretty good job over the day.
In all 3 races the brits dominated the front, and there was some great racing between us, very nip and tuck all the way to the finish line. we eventually ended up with a score line of 2,3,2 a solid day in some testing conditions.
We are now second overall but on joint point with first so to say its close wouldn't do it justice! More breeze for tomorrow which is good, i fancy a bit of trapezeing!
TP
Today was the first day of racing at the Sail for Gold regatta in Weymouth, We were scheduled for a late start after the 49ers, and unfortunately by the time it was our go on the race course, the wind was very light.
All 3 races were sailing in some very tricky conditions, no trapezing, just needing to keep our heads out of the boat and sail with what you had at the time. The good news was that we felt pretty fast, and that combined with some good decisions saw us come away with 2 firsts and a fourth. Overnight leaders but we have it all to do again tomorrow in what looks like similar conditions.
Check back tomorrow for hopefully more good news!
TP