Optimist Team Racing Training at Royal Lymington Yacht Club
by Alan Williams 2 Jul 2014 16:13 BST
28-29 June 2014
Optimist team racing training at Royal Lymington © Robert Morsley
Over the weekend of 28-29 June the Optimist Worlds and Europeans team came together to work on their team racing skills before they attend World and European team racing events this coming summer and autumn, following in the footsteps of the team which worn the world bronze medal last year.
The teams trained all weekend in Oxey Lake in perfect sunny conditions, doing many training routines, understanding patterns, using the rules and learning to count in 8 boat team racing.
Training stopped each day while George delivered a much needed lunch and then acted as finish boat for the team racing.
It was a close run thing between the 2 teams with Euros team doing better in the mornings and the worlds team better in the afternoons. Milo Gill- Taylor in one of his last acts as an Optimist sailor was on top form with his team racing skills.
As a special treat on Saturday afternoon the teams sailed over to Yarmouth across the Solent to have fun on Fiddlers Race. The ebb was running against 12-15kts of westerly breeze which kicked up a choppy but fun sea state.
The sailors ripped it up for an hour before going back to Lymington [sorry Vita we didn't have time for an ice cream], before returning across the Solent for the BBQ at Jonathon and Ann Rogers house. Quite fitting really as they had recently celebrated starting the Lymington junior programme more than 30 years ago.
Thanks to Royal Lymington for hosting us, and George Heathcote for sorting things out.