ILCA Women's Coaching day at Parkstone Yacht Club

ILCA Women's Coaching day at Parkstone © PYC

ILCA Women's Coaching day at Parkstone © PYC

ILCA Women's Coaching day at Parkstone © PYC

George Povall brought the ILCA Women's Coaching Programme to Parkstone on Saturday where 14 ladies attended from Poole YC, East Dorset SC, Chew Valley SC as well as the home club.

The strong winds that had been in the forecast all week arrived ahead of schedule but, ever prepared, George had already communicated Plan B to focus on settings and boat handling in high winds.

With more wind coming, the classroom session was kept short so we could get as much time on the water as possible. With wind over tide in the harbour and gusts over twenty knots, we needed all the technique that George and twin-sister Rosie had shared.

These were definitely tougher conditions than many of us had faced before but the combination of George and Rosie's confidence and the enthusiasm of the entire group swept away any trepidation we might have been feeling.

Wind over tide out in the harbour produced pretty lumpy conditions but we embarked on the exercises briefed with determination. Mark rounding feels very different when you know Rosie will be watching to make sure you change your settings in short order but we could quickly feel the difference it makes and how much easier the boat is to handle when you get it right.

With the promise of up to 35 knots coming in, Parkstone had stacked Rosie's coach boat with enough chocolate and snacks to "fuel" us for an extended session extending well into the afternoon.

Ok, there were more than a few capsizes and by the end of this intense session we were all tiring, but the smiles on everyone's faces showed that we had triumphed in conditions few of us had tackled before.

George and Rosie took us through an in depth debrief of the long morning session emphasising the elements of control and answering many, many questions. Back in the boat-park we looked in detail at boat set-up and potential points of failure in high winds.

George commented, "It was amazing to see so many female sailors in ILCAs at Parkstone YC full of enthusiasm and ready to take on a windy south-easterly. Capsize records were set in the strongest conditions many had been out in. It's really rewarding to coach groups with so much energy and enjoyment of the sport. Thanks to the volunteers and the club that made it happen. Rosie and I had a great day and can't wait to come back."

We were a wide-ranging ability group with some sailors in just their first year of ILCA sailing whilst others had many years under their belts, There's no doubt this presents additional challenges to the coaching team, but without exception everyone left having learned something new and feeling they got real value out of the day. George has the elusive knack of explaining complicated things with such simplicity that everyone understands and feels confident.

The evidence is that everyone left feeling tired but happy and would love a further session at the start of next season.

The next ILCA Women's Coaching event will be at Queen Mary SC on 18th October. Keep an eye on the ILCA Calendar for events in next year's programme.