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Best day
Leading Race 6, beating up the Ryde Middle Bank and crossing tacks with my wife Julia who was winning the Dragons. It was a study on the merits of competing in a different
fleet from that of your spouse!
Worst day
Hitting the rocks four times in Race 1 – pushing too hard, too early in the week.
Top tips for winning
Stay out of trouble, avoid unforced errors and don’t think further than two marks ahead at any time. There is always enough going on in the present to keep you fully occupied, so as soon as you step unnecessarily far into the future you are not paying full attention.
Biggest error
With my long-suffering team of Stephen Bailey and ‘H’, we uncharacteristically did an Eric Morecambe in Race 1: went to all the right marks, but not necessarily in the right order!
Luck or judgement?
Not as much luck as you might think. The degree of fortune varies, of course, but typically most of what happens is reasonably foreseeable, if you are paying attention (and perhaps have the experience). We are totally immersed in sailing and make risk-assessment decisions virtually the entire time from leaving the dock. Despite all the hard-luck stories heard in the bar afterwards, not much happens that could not have been foreseen.
Most important pre-race prep
Write the course down accurately, check, cross-check and double cross-check, if you have time.
Favourite conditions
We like a bit of variety in the Week to try to mix the points up.
Racing/social balance
Julia found an article in a magazine recently where the latest academic research shows
that lager rehydrates the body faster than water. The scientific community has finally endorsed our practice of spending several hours rehydrating together with friends
and family after coming ashore! You can’t
do the Week without socialising – that
would be cheating. When the clock strikes eight, switch to sparkling water.
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