What to take to nationals

I think that the most important thing to take with you is the right attitude. I started racing on my own when I was about 10, but I wasn't really part of the clique at the local club (wasn't in any of the RYA squads and wasn't racing a tera or an oppie). The racing sometimes wasn't very well run, and I'd often get ashore only to be told that I'd been disqualified from the race for not completing all the laps of the course (despite other kids doing exactly the same thing and being given a great result) or something similar. My dad was always quite pushy too, he'd get really wound up when I ended up disqualified, made a mistake, messed around with the other kids while racing etc. I sort of felt trapped between my dad and the sailing club; neither of them were being very helpful in terms of encouraging me to keep on sailing and it really knocked my confidence. If my dad had approached the whole thing in a friendlier way then I think I would have got more out of it, so try and do that with your daughter if you can! If she fluffs up on the race track then I'm sure she'll be upset, but if she's more worried about your reaction to her mistake than she is about fixing the mistake (like I was), you've got a problem.

Good luck to you and your daughter, I'm sure she'll have an absolute blast. :)