Sailing to Success

Last weekend I competed at the WASZP UK End of Seasons, the final event of the UK Season. The first day was tricky, with gusty conditions and big lulls (areas of little wind), meaning the racing was like Snakes and Ladders. I managed to keep it consistent over the day and come into the overnight in sixth position.

As well as the racing on the first day, everyone sailed in fancy dress - there was everything from lobsters to Mario and Luigi - and I was dressed as the red Teletubby! In the evening, there were fun Halloween games followed by the Rugby World Cup final, making it a very entertaining evening.

The start of Sunday was promising with perfect conditions and I had a good first race, finishing at a solid fifth place. Then the wind started to die off so there was a lot of opportunity to either gain or lose places. I did struggle a little and came in at 11th and 13th place.

Going into the last race left me in 10th, with the opportunity to jump up to sixth if I did well. I nailed the start, lead around the first mark, and while being very nervous, gapped the fleet and won the race by a minute or so. I was very pleased with this since it was my first race win in a fleet of this size (36 boats). I clutched sixth place overall and first junior by a few points!

This has been a very good season for me and as I winter the boat, I am already looking ahead to next season. Also reflecting on this, my highlights this season have been top junior at Start of Seasons, National Championships, End of Seasons, and of course, placing second overall at the Scottish National Championships. With these results, I’ve been accepted into the Athena u25 (under 25) WASZP Pathway, which will help me progress my sailing building into the WASZP Games (World Championships) in Norway and then the WASZP Nationals at the end of August in Weymouth. 

Bring on 2024!