29er family team report from Ovington Championships at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy

Sam Pascoe crewing for his son Benjamin in the Ovington Championships at Weymouth © WPNSA

This was my first 29er event in 22 years. I think the last one I did was the 2003 Youth Nationals. I'm at least 10 kg heavier now, but Benjamin — my 9-year-old son — is 20 kg lighter than Justin Vissor, my previous helm.

This was my fourth event this year where I had no idea where we were going to place, so no expectations or pecking order going in. With a breezy forecast, I would've been perfectly happy finishing mid-fleet and taking the odd swim each race.

Benjamin massively stepped up, having helmed the 29er only 10 or so times. They are not easy machines around the corners. The improvement in his sailing ability and confidence this year has been astonishing. We've gone from him refusing and struggling to hold the mainsheet in gybes to him now getting grumpy when I try to help him pull it in downwind, especially when it's windy.

That's the thing about sailing for kids: they grow in real time, right in front of you. Confidence, resilience, teamwork, problem-solving; every gust and shift teaches them something.

Saturday: Finding Our Feet

We started Saturday by forgetting to tally. Doh! Race 1 kicked off in 15 knots. Confidence was low, so we pottered around and finished 12th. Early teens in the fleet is a hectic place — hard to find a clean lane, especially after the leeward marks. The height difference between high and low mode upwind amazed me.

Race 2 we were comfortably in the top ten, but on the last run I missed the pressure coming down the inside. Trying to do tactics and fly the kite downwind is hard. I need to teach Benjamin downwind tactics soon I can concentrate on the spinnaker. We dropped four boats and finished 10th.

Race 3 and 4 were when we really woke up. Good starts and solid first beats made life easier. The wind dropped to around 10 knots; at 115 kg all-up, we were on the lighter side, and it showed. I spent a lot of time talking Benjamin through "high in the gusts, low in the lulls" to stay quick upwind. Definitely something to keep focusing on.

By the middle of Race 3, my lack of trapeze fitness was becoming embarrassingly obvious. We wrapped the day with an impressive 4 and 2, sitting 6th overnight. The photographer even made a cracking little clip for Benjamin's Instagram.

Arran Holman did point out I shouldn't be standing next to the foot loop in 8 knots — so hopefully next time we'll find even more downwind speed with me in the right spot.

We also had TracTrac trackers for the weekend. Nothing like your wife reviewing the data saying, "Why were you so fast downwind and slow upwind?". Turns out they were good trackers!

Day 2: the Big Breeze

Sunday brought 20-25 knots blowing straight onto the launch ramp. Luckily we didn't make fools of ourselves and sailed out confidently — and remembered to tally this time.

Race 1 started well. We were quick up the first beat until we slowed, lost our lane, and sat in dirty air. We rounded the windward mark in 10th, but Benjamin dropped the mainsheet in the hoist and in we went. To be fair, it was his only real mistake all weekend. I even found a big lump of weed on the daggerboard while standing on it — so at least we knew we had more boat speed in us. We clawed back to 22nd.

Race 2 was solid until I over-cooked the final lay line. We came in too hot, the rudder stalled on Benjamin, and we narrowly avoided a swim by dumping both the kite and the main. We lost a few spots and finished 13th.

Race 3 and 4 were another wake-up moment. Despite my fading fitness, we pulled off a 4th and 6th, coming in very, very happy and finishing 7th overall.

Proud Does Not Begin to Cover it!

A 29er is a handful even for adults, and he took on a big weekend with maturity, courage, and a huge grin. Sure, we sometimes chose the easy boat-handling move instead of the fastest one — but that's part of the journey.

Watching Benjamin grow has reminded me how powerful this sport is for young people. It gives them skills they'll use for life — not just on the water.

I'm excited to see where sailing takes us and what we can achieve together next season. Whatever results we get, the real win is sharing this journey with him.

If anyone ever wonders whether it's worth getting your kids into sailing and encouraging them to race and do events, the answer — for me — is absolutely yes.

Sam Pascoe crewing for his son Benjamin in the Ovington Championships at Weymouth - photo © WPNSA