Training didn’t stop after Sail Sydney was done, it just changed. Since Mark Spearmen and I didn’t have much to do we went into lifting mode and spent almost every day in the gym then capped it off with a tough rowing set on Christmas morning 🙂 Boxing day was spent watching the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race from North Head before we drove up to Belmont to get ready for the Australian Laser Nationals.
Lake Macquarie proved to be a very tricky venue with flat water and light winds for the majority of the regatta. I was happy to find I got better as the regatta progressed as I kept myself process driven, really paying attention to my downwinds, my biggest weakness in light air. I started to feel really good by the end, similar to how I felt coming off the back of my European trip earlier in the year, and that more than anything gave me some confidence. I finished up 3rd overall, topping off a consistent summer of sailing. No time to relax though, the very next day I was on Botany Bay coaching the WA Optimist Team at their National Championships. With 21 sailors split between Alex, Chris and myself, we had the massive task of trying to look after everyone, all while we faced some of the wettest conditions Sydney had ever seen in January. Luckily the sun came out towards the end of the week and everyone could walk away feeling happy with the event.
Time to relax you say? Nope. Straight onto the the Australian Youth Nationals for me, coaching the WA 4.7 Team. It was an action packed regatta with plenty of spills and thrills for my team but the group did really well in the end and I’m really happy with how everyone conducted themselves throughout the regatta. Time to go home now you say? Yep, let’s jump in a car and drive 48 hours straight. Chris and I teamed up to smash out the country wide drive and went through two nights to arrive in Perth, my first time since the beginning of October. Now I’m finally back home in Esperance for a brief stint before I head back to Sydney.
/Swifto