Laser 5000 Training Weekend at Chichester Harbour
by Thomas Hill 29 May 2010 09:33 BST
15-16 May 2010
Laser 5000 training weekend on Chichester Harbour © Thomas Hill
The weekend of 15th and 16th of May saw 4 boats take to Chichester Harbour. The boats sailed from the Army Sailing Centre on Thorney Island.
The morning was spent rigging and sharing tips on those crucial bits of elastic before Taff Owens ran through land drills to give the sailors something to think about with their existing efforts. The main focus was on footwork, get this right and you’ll be across the boat in no time.
At high tide the fleet took to the water and practiced boat handling and drills sailing upwind and downwind amongst the flurry of boats in the harbour. The fleet took a short break at East head, before a final Le Mans style race back to the clubhouse. The evening saw a short debrief on the main points of the day followed by an expertly cooked BBQ.
The Sunday saw boat handling progress onto a few practice starts, where the strong tide took most boats by surprise. For the final part of the session, a few short races took place with a devilishly short course, working the crews hard on their kite hoists and drops.
Just after lunch the crews returned to shore for an early get away. Another debrief mainly covered getting time in the boat and to keep yourself going, once you can keep it upright it will all pay off. Many Thanks go to Taff Owens for organising another great weekend and Clive Grant for his coaching. Photos and a Video will be posted on the website shortly.
All left with a smile, aching muscles and under strict orders to get boat fit and practice before the Nationals at the Lymington Town Regatta on 3rd and 4th July. We have an expected 15 boats on the start line, so for those who missed the training get yourself to the nationals where the sailing is likely to be tight and exciting at both ends of the fleet.