Burnham Squiddie Training Camp
by Jonathan Lewis 4 Oct 2018 10:19 BST
29-30 September 2018
Burnham Squiddies training camp © Conrad Stevenson
Eighteen RS Fevas gathered at Burnham Sailing Club for the first of seven winter training weekends. Coaches were Jon, Flynn and Dylan. New coach Dylan previously came second in the RS Feva Europeans 2018.
An indication of the continued success of the Squiddies is that, of those attending, 16 sailors were new to the RS Feva.
To ensure that the coaching was as individually specific as possible, the boats were divided into two groups.
Caitlin Morley (RS Feva 501) gives us an insight into the weekends events:
"Saturday was very light wind conditions. I was in Flynn's group and in the morning we did upwind and downwind riverbank exercises, which practiced our gybing and tacking routines. Our gain from our manoeuvres was exaggerated due to the confined area
It was carnival weekend in Burnham on Crouch: many people stayed to watch the high street procession and a number the sailors went to the fair and had a great time on all the rides.
Sunday morning the club was heaving, plenty of our famous bacon rolls were consumed, served with a smile by our wonderful galley team.
Sunday was around 10-15 knots; we did a few "elephant ear" exercises so Flynn could scrutinize our manoeuvres closely. In the afternoon, the two groups joined together for some short intense racing.
My crew and I, felt we improved an undeniable amount over the course of the weekend.
We finished the weekend with a short video debrief so we could witness and critic our own sailing from the whole weekend, which was a great way to wrap up a fabulous weekend.
A phenomenal start to our Squiddie winter camp. I can not wait for the next Squiddie weekend."
Group 2
The second group, led by Jonathan and assisted by Dylan, were those new to the Feva. How to "get around the course" was the aim, avoiding the inevitable trawling displays and perfecting crew positioning upwind and downwind.
After the two days, it was testament to the sailors and coaches alike, how much everyone had improved. With very few Feva hours to their name, the group were starting to sail like "rock stars"
Integrating the new sailors into the briefings with the more experienced sailors helped them feel part of the group and gave them an idea of what is expected to win events.
So, some Squiddies will be at the Feva Grand Prix at Hayling Island this weekend, while others will be looking forward to our next Squad weekend on the 10th and 11th of November.
Remember, Squiddies is open training, so if you would like to join us please check out www.burnhamsquiddies.co.uk for more information and contact details.