I’ve always found that in every class before the championship there is a benchmark event where all the contenders turn up and suddenly it’s time to put all that practice into a performance that reflects your training. The chance to show your competitors that you are one of the ones to watch for the forthcoming main event.
In the Merlin class this event has often been Shoreham, 2 weeks before the nationals, on the open sea it generally gives a gauge of the teams who are looking strong. Things are different in the Merlin this year, the front end of the fleet seems hungry and notably a lot of the top teams have been putting in the hours and it comes down to this weekend at Hayling Island where as far as I can figure out there won’t be anyone missing.
If nothing else the racing is going to be as competitive as the Nationals, 6 races over the 2 days in open water will be a clear sign of where everyone is at. For Roz and me it will be our first event together this year which perhaps changes our expectations slightly. I plan to use this weekend to gauge where we are currently at and to then make a plan of action which will give us our best chance at the nationals within the time constraints we have.
This is always a productive exercise, even if you win an event with bullets there is always room for improvement, not least of all because you just painted a big target on yourself which everyone is now aiming for. This is perhaps the greatest element of our sport, no matter the performance nobody ever believes they were perfect, that they couldn’t have found more speed or made a better decision. There are simply too many aspects to sailing to ever believe there is no room for improvement.
This is why it is always great to race against your competitors as early as you can in a season, identify the weaknesses and then focus on them. Starting, fitness, speed, tactics, boat work, mental strength, communication, boat handling, equipment choices, it all counts!
I’ve made various changes on Dory through the winter, a new Paragon rig and P&B high aspect rudder all with a view of reducing drag. We’ve trialled the radial cut mainsail to great effect and made a number of changes to the systems all with a view of making our lives easier. The usual winter checks of foil and hull finishes and a new slot gasket all go a long way to leaving no stone unturned. Most recently we’ve switched to rubber backed toe straps, lighter than padded straps they are great in the merlin as they stay up higher on the elastic where they are lighter and the grip surface on the underside gives a much more locked in feeling so you can hike with confidence, it all helps you be more relaxed in the boat. I first used these in the B14 and I’ve been putting them on everything I can ever since.
P&B offer a wide range of products and services to help you achieve the best possible performance from your boat, our staff continually work to innovate with new ideas giving our customers the best possible finished products. For more information on our products and services visit us in store in Fareham or Northampton or go to our website (www.pinbax.com)
P&B RACE TEAM NEWS!
Chris Catt and Roz McGrane took a convincing win at the RS200 circuit event last weekend in Eastbourne counting all 1
st positions. This was a great result for a new team with this being their first sea event together, they will be off to Carnac next weekend for the 2015 Eurocup and look good for a top result!
Over the winter Chris and Roz’s 200 has been serviced by our workshop in Fareham, with hull and foils having minor repairs completed along with a new slot gasket to keep ‘Lily’ performing at the best possible level.
P&B are the UK’s leading dinghy specialists, and can offer many services to sailors racing in strict one design classes.
Workshop repair and refurbishments – our repair team work to the highest standard and can repair and refurbish boats to an as new standard quickly.
Sail repairs – our sail loft team understand the importance of racing sails and can repair damage without compromising the shape or strength of a sail in all materials.
Covers, foil bags, mast bags – made from the best quality materials and designed to give the best fit.
Trailing equipment and storage – agent for all leading trailer and trolley manufactures and stockists of everything you need to make sure your boat is safe on and off the road.
Chandlery – Largest stock of leading retail brands for hardware, rope, clothing and boat care products.
Rigging – Accurate rigging made for racing dinghies and tuning advice and services available to optimise your boat speed.
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PRODUCT OF THE WEEK!
This week Adrian has picked the Baltic Dinghy Pro Buoyancy Aid as his top product. Designed to be as compact and light as possible, it is the choice of many dinghy racers. With wide range of sizes and great fit it is our best-selling kids buoyancy aid being the choice of most sailors in the optimist fleet.
10% off Baltic Buoyancy Aids – offer ends 31st May 2015.
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