VII Trofeo Internacional Optimist Trophy at Real Club Nautico Torrevieja
by Milo Gill-Taylor 28 Jan 2014 09:48 GMT
23-26 January 2014
Milo Gill-Taylor winning race 4 of the VII Trofeo Internacional Optimist Trophy, Ciudad de Torrevieja © Marshall King
GBR Optimists in sunny Torrevieja!
Sunshine, 20 degrees, blue skies, 25 knots – doesn't sound bad does it! A small group of GBR sailors flew out to Alicante for the VII Trofeo Internacional Optimist Trophy, Ciudad de Torrevieja, Spain from the 23rd to the 26th January. The club were extremely welcoming and very helpful, giving us transport to and from the airport, free accommodation and use of a free rib.
On the first day we set up our boats and went out training, ready for action the next day and an early start. The wind was coming off the land, which meant that there were lots of holes (no pressure), and lots of gusts, and it was incredibly shifty. I stuffed up my first race, but I managed to fight back and get a 3rd and 4th in the next 2 races that day. Alex King had a very good day with a 15th, 3rd and 6th. Ollie Hill had a 7th in the first race.
The next day, Saturday, we woke up to lots of wind, which was fun. In the first race it was very windy, with gusts of 28 knots, and lulls of 10 knots, with a lot of the top boats being caught in irons. I worked really hard and came first by a long way. It was one of the most knackering races I have ever done! The rest of the GBR team did well, with Alex getting a 2nd and 4th, and Ella a 4th and 5th.
In the second race I came 7th after leading the race and making a tactical mishap up the last beat. Very frustrating. In the last race of the day the wind picked up off the line to around 28+ knots. I was extremely overpowered, but luckily so was the rest of the fleet. I hiked really hard, but unfortunately the race was abandoned when I was leading with Alex in second by a country mile. There was some fruity language used by Alex and I! We came in and played crazy golf, wearing shorts and T shirts, which Ollie won.
Coming into the last day of racing, the fleets were divided in to Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets. I was lying in 6th and Alex in 7th, with everything to gain or lose. It was windy when we got out there, but in the first race of the day I nose dived on the reach and came 24th. In the next race it was light and fluky, and I worked really hard and won this race. The 3rd and last race was abandoned, and we sailed in, to be greeted by the largest paella I have ever seen!
The GBR results: Alex King 5th, Milo 8th, Ella Bennett 30th, Benno Marstaller 37th, Ollie Hill 87th, Vita Heathcote 117th, out of a total of 313 sailors. Full results can be found here.
At the prize giving I made a speech thanking all the organizers on behalf of the GBR sailors, and presented the Club with a Spinnaker Club tie. I found this harder than any winner's speech I have ever made!
Then it was back home by 3am, school the next day, cold and rain!