2008 RYA Zone Championships
Patience was the key for the 1,000 youngsters competing in the 2008 RYA Zone Championships©Peter Newton
Patience was the key as 1,000 youngsters across England, Scotland and Wales took part in the 2008 RYA Zone and Home Country Championships this weekend (27-28 September).
Sailors in the Home Countries enjoyed some sensational racing with those events taking place at Largs (Scotland) and Pwllheli (Wales) completing their full scheduled complement of six races.
But across England, it was a different story as this weekend’s Indian Summer spell made patience a virtue at the other Zone events.
Having endured long delays on Saturday, the West Zone (Blithfield) enjoyed a better day two to see them end the weekend as the only English zone to succeed in completing their six race series.
The North (Scaling Dam) and South (WPNSA) zones had enjoyed a champagne opening day, getting in four and three races in respectively for every class, but they struggled on day two and only three of the seven classes at WPNSA were able to get another race in today while just one further race was completed at Scaling Dam.
After drawing a day one blank, and despite best efforts all round, the South West Zone (Chew Valley) was also unable to get any racing in the can today while after succeeding in nailing one race yesterday, the South East (Bewl Valley) were also thwarted in their attempts to add to that tally.
All dinghies (except the Optimists) managed to get a further race in today at the East Zone event (Dabchicks & West Mersea) however the windsurfers successfully completed a seven-race series.
The annual RYA Zone and Home Country Championships are considered a key event for young sailors wishing to be selected for the RYA Zone and Home Country squads.
But Duncan Truswell, RYA Junior Racing Manager, was quick to stress that those who have seen limited racing in their Zones this weekend will not be disadvantaged in terms of their possible squad selections.
He said: “There has been some great racing around the country this weekend but it was obviously unfortunate that quite a few sailors did not get as much racing under their belts as they would have liked or hoped. The race officials at all the venues did their utmost to get as much racing in as possible but it was just not to be for some of them as the breeze refused to play ball.
“However, whilst the Zone Championships are seen as an important event in terms of squad selection they are not the be-all-and-end-all for those selections and the High Performance Managers (HPMs) and coaches in each of the Zones will take into account open training, key competition and performances over the summer, as well as other impending end-of-season class association events, in their selection decisions. The fact that you were at your Zone Event will be viewed favourably.”
RYA South Zone Championships (WPNSA)
The South Zone enjoyed the sunshine but not the lack of wind
© Paul Wyeth
However, with Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour acquiring an increasingly glasslike appearance just one further race was completed for the Topper, Dragoon and Laser 4.7s with the windsurfers, Optimists, Mirrors and Fevas all returning to shore on the same scores they finished with yesterday.
Despite scoring a discarded 19th in the sole race today, Spinnaker’s Matthew Hall (Warsash) held on to his overnight lead to clinch the Topper title by the narrowest of margins from Weymouth’s Sam Barker. Both boys finished on eight points overall, including one race win apiece, but Hall got the nod on account of scoring one more second place that Barker.
Sebastien Samways (Hailsham) and Daniel Channing followed up their three straight opening day Dragoon wins with a discarded second today to secure top spot in the catamaran class. Adam Butler (Christchurch), 2008 RYA Youth National SL16 champion, and Niki Boniface ended with a race win to finish second overall.
Laser 4.7 RYA National Junior Squad Selection Event
© Paul Wyeth
Itchenor SC duo Hugo Sloper and Emma Spruce took the Mirror title having finished first and second respectively with different partners at the 2007 South Zone event. They claimed two wins and a discarded second to finish a point ahead of Tom Lovesey (Sarisbury Green) and Millie Pugh (Parkstone). Hayling Island SC pair Tim Gratton (Guildford) and Chris Taylor (Stokes Poges) also picked up two victories and a discarded second to win the Feva class.
Scott Wallis (Wellow) claimed Optimist victory courtesy of his opening day (8), 1, 1, with Robert Baddeley (Cookham) a point behind in second.
In the windsurfers Nick Sylvester (Truro) won the 3.5 fleet with three bullets, Guy Dixon (Horton Cum Studley) came first in the 4.5 fleet with a day one (2), 1, 1, Adam Grayston (Truro) claimed the 5.5 title having also sealed three race wins, Ross Bromhead (Buckland Brewer) won the 6.5 class and Louis Morris (Saltash) topped the 7.8 pile.
Volvo RYA South West Zone Championships (Chew Valley SC)
With flat calm waters and absolutely no racing possible on either day, Chris Atherton, HPM for the South West, thanked the sailors and parents for their patience and praised the efforts of the race officials and volunteers in frustrating circumstances.
He said: “Everyone was very patient and understanding and really mucked in. We had lots of other things going on of interest to educate sailors and parents alike and other fun things and everyone really got into whatever was going on. All the volunteers and the Principal Race Officer worked tirelessly to get some racing on but it just wasn’t to be. No-one’s attitude could be faulted at all.”
On Saturday, Olympic silver medallist Joe Glanfield entertained the 130 youngsters at Chew Valley, going around the dinghy park talking to the children and helping the Cadet sailors learn more about rigging up their boats before then conducting an hour-long talk and answering a host of questions from sailors and parents.
Volvo RYA South East Zone Championships (Bewl Valley SC)
Only one race at Bewl
©Mark Lloyd
Whitstable YC sisters Meia and Elin Harnett secured the sole race win in the Mirror class with Cambridge’s Tim Lachlan-Cope and Theo Clarke taking second and Mali Harnett (Whitstable) and Isabelle Bruton (Lysted) third.
Hayling Island SC’s Syd Mclean claimed Optimist class victory ahead of Jamie Webb (Beaconsfield) in second and Helena Coombs (Cobham) third. Meanwhile in the Toppers Jack Spence finished at the head of the fleet followed by Oliver Machell (Billingshurst) and Louis Knevett (Seaford).
Olympic silver medallist Nick Rogers joined sailors on the water at Bewl on Saturday before treating the 100 sailors and their parents to a unique insight into life as a World Class sailor.
East of England Co-op Volvo RYA East Zone Championships (Dabchicks & West Mersea YC)
Toppers revelling in superb conditions on the first day
© Paul Wyeth
Thomas Addison (Folkestone) romped to 7.8 success with his clean sweep while Dani Conroy (Hythe, Kent) and Zara Petts (Folkstone) achieved the same on the 5.5 and the 3.5 respectively. Two races wins and a fourth from her three races today saw Hattie White (Sudbury) take the 6.8 title while Henry Bloodworth (Tadworth) tied up 4.5 victory with two firsts and a second.
With all dinghies bar the Optimists adding one more race to their overnight scores, George Meredith (Peterborough) wrapped up the Topper title with a race victory with James Rushton (Salhouse). Felixstowe brothers John and Alexander Page won the Cadets from Corinthian Otters duo Katie Barr and Arthur Brown.
With no further racing in the fleet today, Dabchicks’ Harry Gozzett won the Optimists with Jake Braybrook (Burnham on Crouch) second and Joe Girling (Norwich) third. Josh Girling (Colchester) won the Fast Handicap fleet and Matthew French (Colchester) the Slow Handicap.
Olympic Laser gold medallist Paul Goodison was the guest of honour on Saturday.
RYA West Zone Championships (Blithfield SC)
West Zone sailors saw a full series of six races completed
©Don Stokes
Matt Venables (Sutton Coldfield) made light work of sealing Topper class victory scoring 1, 2, 1, 1 today to finish on eight points with Lucy Yeates (Warrington) second on 15.
However it was much tighter at the top of the Oppies as James Hazelwood (Warrington) edged the class win from Martin Wrigley (Hereford) after finishing tied at the top on 10 points.
In the double-handers, Barnt Green duo Joe Taylor and Rebecca Rowe took the Cadets by storm winning five of their six races and finishing second in the other. Alex Lloyd (West Berholt) and Jack Moore (Stone) matched Taylor and Rowe’s feat to ease to Mirror success.
RYA North Zone Championships (Scaling Dam SC)
Close racing for the Optimists at the North Zone Championships
© RYA
Having enjoyed a belter of an opening day, the North Zone endured the same frustrating fate as many of the other Zones today as they waited on a postponement for some breeze at Scaling Dam.
However, one race was enough for Notts County SC’s Andrew Kilburn (Arnold), who had been tied at the top of the leaderboard with Callum Lambourn overnight, to seal overall Optimist victory on countback from Arran Holman (Burton Overy, Leics). Kilburn finished second in today’s sole outing to end on eight points as Lambourn (Alveston) came in third.
Ripon SC’s Tom Britton’s (York) second place today was enough to see him move from second spot into pole overall and claim the Topper class crown by a point from race five winner, and Scaling Dam sailor, Kieran Hill (Whitby). Britton’s clubmate Samantha Towers (Harrogate) finished third on countback, tied on the same points as Hill.
With five windsurfer fleets, Ruben Lansley (Barton Upon Humber) and Josh Leadbetter (Earlshilton) both romped to sensational fleet clean sheets on the 4.5 and 7.8 respectively to end the Championships on the minimum four points while the other three windsurfers heading their respective fleets all finished on five points in total; Sarah Jackson (Over Peover) won the 3.5, Joe Bennett (Rotherham) the Bic Techno 6.8 and Emma Lambourne (Barrow Upon Humber) the 5.5.
RYA/WYA Zone Championships (Pwllheli SC)
Perfect conditions at Pwllheli
© RYA
Cardiff Bay YC’s David Pain (Penarth) was untroubled on his way to Optimist class glory picking up three straight wins on Saturday before adding a 3, 2, (4) today to seal overall victory by 10 points from nearest challenger Llandegfedd SC’s Myles Jackson (Bettws Newydd). A 1, 4, 3 today for Mumbles YC’s Joshua Burgess (Caswell) saw him leap up to third place in the final standings having sat in eighth spot overnight.
In the Toppers, overnight leader, Sara Jackson (Bettws Newydd), Myles’ big sister, made no mistakes in hanging on to her lead to wrap up the Topper title, scoring 2, (4), 1 to finish on eight points overall with second-placed Jack Preece (Newport) on 14 and Robyn Cox (Holyhead) third on 17.
RYAS Zone Championships (Largs SC)
The RYA Scottish Zones at Largs had a great entry of 94 boats and boards, including a 20 strong Regatta fleet plus 19 windsurfers.
Breezes were mostly light and shifty on the Saturday, and there were also mixed conditions on Sunday, from sunshine to squalls, so the competitors’ skills were fully tested over six races.
There were healthy Regatta fleets for beginners to racing, as well as main fleets. The Topper Regatta fleet mustered a healthy 14 boats, and the lead was hard fought between eventual winner Joanna Barrie and second placed Iain McLaughlin. The Topper Regatta fleet welcomed the first ever OnBoard team to enter a Zone Championship, bringing a four person team from the Low Port Centre, Linlithgow.
Concentration at Largs ©Alan Henderson/Fotoboat
Biggest fleet was the Topper main fleet, with 35 boats. Andrew McGowan showed good form on both days to win, while Jamie Noyes showed more consistency on the Sunday to take second, from Jack Evans. Newcomers Emily Robertson and Alastair Kent both showed great promise in fifth and sixth.
In Optimists, Callum Airlie took the most emphatic win in any class, counting the perfect score of five wins. In the Handicap fleet, Radial sailor Lauren Wilkie found the stronger breezes to her liking on Sunday, improving from third up to first overall, overhauling overnight leader Nathan Forrester, who took second just a point behind. Christopher Dowson took the Windsurfing class from Amy Kenmuir, both sailing Techno 7.8s.
Report - Karenza Morton, RYA
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Team GBR for ISAF Youth World Championships
As the curtain came down on the 2009 RYA Volvo Youth National Championships and Trials today (Friday 17 April), selectors unveiled eight of the 10 RYA Volvo Team GBR sailors who will compete at the 2009 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships in Brazil this July.
No fewer than seven of the selected sailors will be making their ISAF Youth Worlds debuts at the event being staged in Buzios between 9-18 July while windsurfer Izzy Hamilton is a Youth Worlds ‘veteran’, having competed at last year’s Championships in Arhus, Denmark.
With the 420 replacing the 29er as the double-handed boat for 2009, Philip Sparks and Ben Gratton will do battle for Britain in the boys’ event while Rebecca Kalderon and Rosie Sibthorp take the baton for the girls.
For the 16-year-olds Sparks and Gratton, from Christchurch and Guildford respectively, selection marks a fantastic year which has seen them assert themselves firmly at the front of the British 420 fleet. The pair followed up their national class title win last August with RYA Volvo Youth National glory at Largs this week, not scoring anything lower than second in any of their six races.
Wimbledon’s Kalderon and Sibthorp from Thames Ditton, both 17, also make their Youth Worlds debut in Brazil having consolidated their position as Britain’s leading female 420 pairing with RYA Volvo Youth Nationals victory. In 2008 the pair enjoyed a triumphant clean sweep of the Youth girls’ 420 class National, End of Season and Inland championship titles.
The Radial is the single-person boat for both the boys and girls in Brazil and Britain’s representatives in each will be 18-year-old Oscar McVeigh from Southfields, and Llandenny’s Hannah Tilley, who at 15 will be the youngest member of RYA Volvo Team GBR.
Wimbledon Park SC’s McVeigh enjoyed a fruitful week in Largs going one better than the Laser Radial silver he claimed at the 2008 Youth Nationals this time last year at Pwllheli by being crowned RYA Volvo Youth National boys’ Radial champion for 2009.
ISAF Youth Worlds selection is an added bonus for Llandegfedd SC’s Tilley who will also be representing RYA Team GBR at the Laser 4.7 Worlds also being staged at Buzios the week after the ISAF Youth Worlds. Tilley is a former Topper sailor who has only recently started sailing the Radial and capped her RYA Volvo Youth Nationals debut with the top girls’ prize.
Holsworthy’s Izzy Hamilton will be looking to make the podium on her second ISAF Youth Worlds outing having successfully defended her RYA Youth Nationals title in Largs. The 16-year-old was part of Britain’s 2008 ISAF Youth Worlds Volvo Trophy-winning team – for the top performing nation - in Denmark last July, finishing sixth in the girls’ RS:X event.
For Ali Masters, selection will come as a boost after the 17-year-old picked up his second consecutive RYA Youth Nationals silver medal in Largs. Masters and new RS:X Youth National champion George Bowles finished tied on exactly the same points and with exactly the same scores from their five races with Bowles landing the top place on account of beating Masters in the fifth, and what turned out to be final, race at the severely wind-disrupted regatta.
However, RS:X European Youth silver medallist Masters, got the nod from the selectors after they referred to the results from the secondary indicator event – RYA Spring Series I – at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in March, where Masters won the RS:X 8.5 Open event.
The selection trials for the Hobie 16 catamaran class will take place at Eurocat in Carnac (1-3 May).
Once again RYA Volvo Team GBR will be supported by Musto while all selections are subject to the sailors meeting an agreed performance programme.
Ben Oakley, Chairman of Selectors, said: “This has been an extremely challenging week for the sailors and organisers with some variable conditions, particularly in the only Radial gold fleet race. However, in trying to be more transparent in our selection process we have largely followed the results and we have a good blend of experienced faces and newcomers to the team.
“The broader decisions about RYA Volvo National Youth Squad selections have aimed to recognise the potential of younger up-and-coming sailors in addition to recognised performers.”
RYA Volvo Team GBR squad for 2009, Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships, Buzios, Brazil: (9-18 July)
420
Boys: Philip Sparks / Ben Gratton
Girls: Rebecca Kalderon / Rosie Sibthorp
RS:X
Boys: Ali Masters
Girls: Izzy Hamilton
Laser Radial
Boys: Oscar McVeigh
Girls: Hannah Tilley
SL16
Trials to take place at Eurocat event (1-3 May)
For full results and information from the 2009 RYA Volvo Youth National Championships and Trials, CLICK HERE
2009 RYA Youth National Championships, Largs SC
Bleddyn Mon and Nick Redding win the 29er class at the RYA Volvo Youth NationalsTwo-time class 29er National champion helm Bleddyn Mon has added the RYA Youth National title to his trophy haul as he and crew Nick Redding struck gold at the 2009 RYA Volvo Youth National Championships and Trials.
Anglesey’s Mon, who won RYA Youth National and 29er World Youth silvers as well as the class National crown with former crew Tom Humphreys in 2008, and Redding, from Didcot were in dominant form despite the Championships coming to a premature end due to three days of near impossible wind conditions in Largs.
The 18-year-old duo picked up four wins from the 29ers’ six races to claim the top boys’ prize from Max Richardson and Alex Groves in second and young Reading brothers Art and Ed Romano who took bronze.
Tadcaster team Lilly Carlisle and Becky Wallbank are the new RYA Volvo Youth Nationals girls’ 29er champions as the 17-year-old pair, who won bronze at the 2008 Championships, turned the tables on 2008 silver medallists Becky Diamond and Fiona Hampshire who clinched second spot for the second successive year. Phillipa Gray and Joanna Lucas made the podium for the first time claiming bronze.
Young gun George Bowles claimed a notable scalp as he won the RS:X boys’ windsurfing title ahead of Ali Masters. With both boys finishing tied on exactly the same points and with exactly the same scores from their five races, the 16-year-old from Brigg landed the top spot on account of beating Masters, 17, in the fifth, and what turned out to be final, race. Masters took silver for the second year running while Connor Bainbridge, 15, finished third.
Holsworthy’s Izzy Hamilton, 16, is now a double RYA Youth National champion after convincingly following up her debut success at Pwllheli last year with RS:X girls’ gold again in Scotland. There was also medal joy for Sophie Bailey from Bude who took silver having missed last year’s event with a shoulder injury while Claudia Carney claimed bronze.
SailRacer Event Blog displayed on large screen at 2009 RYA Youth Championships, Largs SC
© Marc Turner
Christchurch’s Phil Sparks and Guildford’s Ben Gratton, both 16, were clinical in claiming the 420 boys’ title, picking up four wins and two seconds from their six races to finish nine points ahead of Ben Palmer and Konrad Weaver in second. Matt Rainback and Simon Foskett took third.
Meanwhile 17-year-old duo Rebecca Kalderon, from Wimbledon, and Thames Ditton’s Rosie Sibthorp took the honours in the girls’ event edging out Amy Seabright and Katrina Brewer in second by four points while the Stanley sisters, Imogen and Hermione, finished third.
Saltash’s Phillip Reynolds, 17, won the Laser Standard battle, the discard for his race four disqualification ultimately proving decisive in him taking the top prize. Although he finished tied on level points with second-placed Martin Evans, the Cornishman snatched gold on countback with Alex Mills-Barton just a point behind in third.
Although fickle Easterly winds have kept everyone on their toes this week it was an especially topsy-turvy regatta for the Laser Radials. Southfields’ Oscar McVeigh, 18, ultimately surpassed the 2008 bronze he claimed at Pwllheli by finishing on the top of the podium this time around. Max Robinson won silver and Jack Wetherall bronze.
In the girls’ it was 15-year-old Hannah Tilley from Llandenny, who will represent RYA Team GBR at the Laser 4.7 Worlds in Brazil this summer, that struck gold on her Youth Nationals debut with Charlotte Greenhalgh second and Sarah Butterfield making the podium for the second year running in third.
Duncan Truswell, RYA Youth Racing Manager, said: “The conditions this week have been fickle and unpredictable and huge credit must go to the sailors and organising team for their patience and their commitment to trying to get as much racing on as possible.
“Although this event has also acted as the selection trial for the ISAF Youth Worlds, the Championships have not been all about the Youth Worlds. There are many talented sailors on the Programme and we plan to work very closely with them in the next few months to develop their medal-winning potential for the various forthcoming class European and World championships.”
The Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships this year take place in Buzios, Brazil and the British team for the Youth Worlds can be seen here. The only exception is the Hobie 16 class which has not competed at Largs and whose primary selection event will be Eurocat in Carnac (1-3 May).
2009 RYA Volvo Youth National Championships and Trials main results:
Laser Standard
1st Laser Standard (Royal Bank Trophy) – Phillip Reynolds
Laser Radial
1st Laser Radial Overall (Crewsaver Trophy) and 1st Laser Radial boy (Eric Twiname Coconut Cup) – Oscar McVeigh
1st Laser Radial girl (Eric Twiname Trophy) – Hannah Tilley
420
1st 420 girls (Eric Twiname Trophy) – Rebecca Kalderon / Rosie Sibthorp
1st 420 boys (Royal Bank Trophy/Armarda Plate) – Phillip Sparks / Ben Gratton
29er
1st 29er overall (Harmony Trophy) and 1st 29er boys (Edwards Trophy) – Bleddyn Mon / Nick Redding
1st 29er girls (Ovington Trophy) – Lilly Carlisle / Becky Wallbank
RS:X
1st Windsurfing Boy Trophy – George Bowles
1st Windsurfing Girl Trophy – Izzy Hamilton
For full results and list of winners click here
Back on the Olympic trail: Interview with 49er champ Chris Draper
Chris Draper has just come out of premature retirement from Olympic campaigning. He is back at the helm of a 49er with another ‘retiree', Peter Greenhalgh who is doing the physically tough job of crewing the Olympic skiff more than five years since he last set foot in the boat. Top sailing journalist, Andy Rice of SailJuice (SJ), talks to Chris.
Draper made a quick and dramatic impact on the 49er class when he first started sailing them in late 2000. The big breakthrough came when he teamed up with Simon Hiscocks in early 2002 and just a few months later they finished second at the World Championships in Hawaii. A year later they dominated the 2003 Worlds in Cadiz, winning the event with a day to spare and earning Team GBR selection for the Athens Games.
Chris Draper & Peter Greenhalgh at Hyeres 2009
After such a dominant performance leading up to Athens, gold was a very realistic prospect. In fact it was almost expected, so when Draper and Hiscocks took bronze there was an element of disappointment. Still, they pressed on with their next campaign, aiming to erase any feelings of missed opportunity with a drive for gold at the next Games in Qingdao 2008.
Things were going well, not least in 2006 when Draper/Hiscocks won another World Championship. But there was a fast-rising force in British 49er sailing, with Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes throwing down the gauntlet by winning the 2006 Europeans in Weymouth. The ‘new kids' continued to perform, culminating in victory at the 2007 World Championships and swiftly followed by gold in Qingdao at the Olympic Test Event. Morrison/Rhodes were selected for the Games ahead of Draper/Hiscocks, and so Draper hung up his trapeze harness while Hiscocks found a new sailing partner in the former 29er World Champion Dave Evans.
Over the past couple of years Draper has got married and forged a career in professional sailing by stringing together a number of projects including steering an Extreme 40 catamaran for Oman Sail and most recently doing the windspotting job for Team Origin at the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in Auckland.
So, why the return to Olympic sailing? SailJuice spoke to Chris to find out his plans....
SailJuice (SJ): Chris, you've done a lot of different things in the sport over the last couple of years. Why are you going back into Olympic sailing?
Chris Draper (CD): I had become pretty miffed with the sport towards the of the last Olympic cycle. I'd lost motivation, and so I decided to explore different avenues, and the stuff I've done has done that massively. Doing the Extreme 40 and America's Cup stuff has made me realise how much there is in the sport, and how exciting it is. Now I'm going back into the 49er, prepared to give it my all.
SJ: Before we go into that, what was it like going up the rig of an America's Cup boat for Team Origin?
CD: It was a heck of a lot of fun, going 100 foot up in the air. I was standing in for Rob Greenhalgh [his 49er crew's brother] who was already committed to doing the Volvo Ocean Race with Puma. I'd talked to Ben [Ainslie] about opportunities to sail with the team, and because this opportunity came up Ben gave me a call and I dropped everything to give it a bash. It was very good fun, very interesting to work with Ben and Bart [Andrew Simpson] and [Iain] Percy. There were some pretty amazing sailors on that boat.
SJ: Yes, well, you're not too bad a sailor yourself though, are you?
CD: I got on there not knowing anything about anything, and it became apparent to me very quickly that my 49er experience was irrelevant.
SJ: Then again, a lot of 49er sailors seem to end up going up the rigs of Cup boats - sailors like Adam Beashel on Emirates Team New Zealand for example...
CD: I think maybe it's because you're trapezing up there, even if it's a hundred feet up! One of the things is getting your head around the heights, it took a long time to stop my leg from shaking, but really it is just like trapezing. Adam was very helpful about how to manage it up there. I'm used to sailing boats that are pressure oriented. Like the 49er, with the Cup boats the angle changes so much on the pressure. But it's pretty difficult to interpret the wind from up there. It takes a while getting used to gauging distance and working out how long the wind will take to reach you.
SJ: What else did you learn from the Auckland experience?
CD: Working with Bart, Percy and Ben how they manage their sailing - that was the most interesting thing. They're very close knit, they know what one another want, they sail with an incredible maturity. I learned a lot from just being a part of that group and the way they communicate.
Chris Draper's old crew Simon Hiscocks is now a rival for Olympic selection...
CD: I think we went too hard back into it after Athens. We'd put in so much effort between 2000 and 2004 that we were shot to bits. This time I'm having to start from afresh, with a new rig, a new partner, and we're going to have to work our cut out. It's going to be a steep learning curve, and we won't have time to get stale.
SJ: There's that old cliché of it being harder to stay at the top than actually getting to the top. You'd know whether that's true or not...
CD: Well, staying there is definitely one of the hardest things, but I'm under no illusions that getting back up to the top is going to be very hard too.
SJ: You and Pete Greenhalgh have both been off the RYA programme for some time, so what sort of support can you expect now?
CD: The RYA are being very supportive, but we've got to qualify funding quickly, we're going to have to turn it on for the Worlds in Lake Garda this July. If we didn't do the business in Garda we'd have to do the business at the Europeans in Croatia instead.
Andy Rice is a professional sailing journalist who writes for a number of magazines and websites in the racing world. A former Olympic campaigner in 470s and 49ers, he currently crews an International 14 and finished 5th in the 2008 World Championships.
CD: It certainly is a talented squad, but if we didn't think we could do it, we wouldn't set about doing it. At the end of the day, with any of the Olympic classes it's about focusing on the rest of the world. You've got to get to being No.1 in the world. If you do that, then the funding and everything else takes care of itself. At the moment we're on the back foot with the lack of sailing we've done, but with the new rig everyone is starting afresh to some extent. It will be interesting for Pete and me both having previously been in long-term sailing partnerships. Putting all that together will be exciting.
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Being shouted at? Should you stay or should you go?
Top sailing journalist, Andy Rice of SailJuice (SJ), talks to leading RYA Coach, Adam Bowers (AB) about how to get a performance edge from good teamwork :
SailJuice (SJ): When people are sailing in a team and things aren't going so well, when should team mates stick together and when should they call it a day? And do you think there are any parallels with marriages or long-term relationships in sailing?
Adam Bowers (AB): You're not going to draw me on that one, Andy! I'm certainly not qualified to answer that. In sailing, if your goals are incompatible it won't work. The moment you get someone who's got a different goal, that's when the team will start falling apart. If you're 470 sailing for example, and if your goals don't match, then you're looking for a tough time and that pressure will only build as things get tougher.
Sailing the 470 is not the difficult part, it's the team work....
SJ: So maybe it's as simple as writing down your goals...
AB: I think you're right, it's a simple tool that we very rarely use. One of the problems we have is you either go sailing with your chum and that works great for a while, and you expect that's going to get stronger in the future. But as you get into tailored goals more, that's when that friendship inevitably breaks down. Even if you have similar goals, such as going to the Olympics, if one person wants to go training all the time and the other person wants to take a more cerebral approach - even that is enough to create a rift.
SJ: What if you do have someone who wants to think their way to victory and someone who wants to do their way to victory? How do you compromise?
AB: It's certainly not impossible, because there are many successful teams that are made of two very different characters, but unless you realise that there is another way of doing something, you won't see it, so you'll rile against it all the time. You've got to sit down and say 'I think we've got to do this, and I think we've got to do that.' There are great sailing teams built up of completely different human beings, but their end goals are strong enough that they will find a way of making it work, even if they don't always agree on how the other goes about it.
SJ: Can you think of any examples?
AB: I'm not going to name names, but in the 470 everyone sails the boat at pretty much the same speed, so it comes down to how accurately you can sail the boat around the race course, and how accurate is your understanding of the rig. We get a lot of very good sailors coming through the 420 programme with an enormous amount of talent. At that level they've been able to cope with all the stresses and strains. But when you step up into the Olympic glare, when you put yourself under that spotlight, the pressures are significantly greater. Maybe it's because they're younger and inexperienced, but just because their way of doing things thus far has served them well, that way may not be sufficient for carrying them forwards into a more pressured environment at Olympic level.
One of the things that people never bring in from other sailing into the Olympic level, is the amount of time you're going to spend doing this game. It sounds wonderful, 'I'm going to go to Hyeres, Palma, train five days a week, and travel the world etc,' but it puts a heck of a strain on you; you don't see your mum and day, you miss your boyfriend or girlfriend, you don't spend time with your mates and that's the sort of stuff that sneaks around and starts to break down the fabric of any goal-driven ideal that they originally had.
Nick Rogers & Joe Glanfield built up an understanding based on a decade of sailing together
SJ: Can you think of an example of a team where perhaps the team is greater than the sum of the two individuals?
AB: Here's one, although I don't think either of the sailors are weak, by no means. But I think Nic Asher (Nasher to his friends) and Elliot Willis epitomise two people doing a very, very good job [two-time 470 World Champions]. I'll also mention Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield [two-time Olympic silver medallists]. All those four guys are very good friends, but there are some very different people in that group. Nasher and Elliot are very different. Nasher is the more studious and sits and thinks about things, whereas Elliot will come and play PlayStation and Gran Turismo. So they're very different people but when you put them in a boat together, they work incredibly well.
I suppose the same could be said of Nick and Joe, that they're superb sailors and they bring very different parts to that party. Those two boats are almost set up differently in the way those two teams work together. There's no right or wrong with any way that these guys sail, but they are almost at opposite ends of the continuum in the way that the dynamics are dealt with in the boat.
In crude terms, I would suggest that Nick Rogers would consider that his job is to drive the boat as fast as he possibly can around the race course and Joe's part is to help Nick understand where he is on the race course, and to explain to Nick why Joe is asking him to go there. Effectively Joe is the tactical part of the boat and Nick is the engine room.
In the other boat, Nasher is the tactical brain of that boat and what Elliot does is paint an incredibly strong radar picture in Nasher's head so that Nasher can process a lot of the very good information that Elliot is bringing to him. So it's a slightly different way of processing the same job.
SJ: Nasher and Elliot I don't know so well, but I've spoken to Nick and Joe about their split of responsibilities, and they see that as a massive advantage in tight situations such as you'll find in a Medal Race for example...
AB: They've obviously proven that to work very well, but they must have developed some incredible trust for that to happen. For Nick to be able to drive as fast as he does, he has to put 100% trust into Joe's ability to call their way around the race course. They've obviously worked long and hard to get to that situation. That doesn't happen overnight, but I think time has allowed them to use this tool so well.
SJ: You've given us some great examples of how teams can work together so well. My impression is that Nick and Joe are very good at giving each space to do what they want to do.
AB: That's a result of time and trust. The trouble with all of this is we look at a successful team, we see the end point, but we haven't seen how they got to that point. All of those teams, if you brought them back to their start point, maybe more than 10 years ago, would have been a lot more fragile than that end point. So at some stage in their development, I wonder if Nick and Joe had a disagreement that might have led them to falling apart? Actually I've used Nick and Joe as an example because I happen to know that they haven't. They're one of those very rare teams that have been great friends from day one. That's what they've been able to build their trust and relationship on. That's rare because with great friends sometimes things become very personal.
I kind of wonder if we are there to play matchmakers as coaches. Let's say you've got an exceptional Topper sailor coming through the ranks, and we're looking to put him in with someone in a 420 or 29er, that's where we have to get a bit creative about who we put him with, otherwise he'll just end up sailing with his mate.
Now you might end up with a Nick and Joe scenario, or Nick Asher and Elliot, but for those two great examples I would imagine there are hundreds of examples that failed at an early stage. I kind of wonder if that's quite a big price to pay. Then again, should we allow people to do that, because you learn from your mistakes too?
SJ: You said that the basis of a good team is having the same aims and knowing that you're going in the same direction. But if things still aren't working, when is it time to move on?
AB: It depends what level you're talking about. When it comes to club sailing - when you're being shouted at. That's when it's time to get out. Here's a classic - husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend sailing together, scream at each other all the way round the race course, those people sail with different people, all of a sudden they're having much more fun and all of a sudden they actually enjoy the people they're sailing with, more than with their other half. Funny old world that!
SJ: So the advice is clear: If you're with a shouter, just move on then?
AB: You and I have sailed with shouters. We've sailed with people who don't shout. Who are your friends? The ones that didn't shout. Who are the ones you were most successful with? The ones that didn't shout. You're not there, as a helm or crew, to be made to feel uncomfortable or silly. That's not your job.
SJ: I suspect we've both been in Olympic campaigns with shouters as well. Some of those people are very good sailors, so what do you do then?
Andy Rice is a professional sailing journalist who writes for a number of magazines and websites in the racing world. A former Olympic campaigner in 470s and 49ers, he currently crews an International 14 and finished 5th in the 2008 World Championships.
AB: Excellent sailors, yes, but unless you've got a massive support network to take away the emotional angst of being shouted at all day..... At the level you're talking about there, you're being asked to jump over this incredibly high bar and while you're doing all this technical mullarkey and being brilliant - someone's shouting at you!! Any psychologist is going to tell you that you're going to be distracted from your core value that day, which is dragging that shouter round the race course as quickly as possible. That's impossible.
I've been sailing with a brilliant sailor against the best FD sailors in the world, but the reason why I didn't go to the Olympics was I wasn't prepared to put up with that shouter any more. Even at that level you can't tolerate that behaviour. I'm not talking about someone who has the occasional rant. I'm talking about someone who lives off your subjugation, and that's no way to make a successful team. I don't think there are any teams that do well while being shouty these days because it's just too tough to be there.
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Interview with Puma's Rob Greenhalgh, newly crowned Skiff World Champion
SailRacer writer, Justin Chisholm has been chatting to multi talented sailor Rob Greenhalgh, who after shortly stepping off Pume (Volvo Ocean 70) goes onto to win the challenging 18ft Skiff Worlds
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OR: So Rob, had you not done enough sailing after finishing the Volvo Ocean Race?
RG: Well I had always planned to do the Skiff Worlds even before I signed up with Puma for the Volvo. The new boat had been sitting around for almost two years and I had used it only twice. We looked at the schedule for both events and the Volvo finished on the Saturday in Russia with the first race at the Skiff Worlds the next day in Brittany. So it was all pretty tight to be honest. I had been so excited about doing the event that for the last few months of the Volvo I had been flying home during the stopovers to get the boat ready. We had actually done quite a lot of development in preparation for the event.
OR: So tell us about the logistics involved in getting yourself across from St Petersburg to Carnac?
RG: It was a mission to get out of the country as quickly as possible, so we pretty much left the moment the boats docked and saw nothing of Russia at all. Phil Harmer from Green Dragon had agreed to sail as front man on the skiff and we literally grabbed a shower and headed for the airport. We made it to France that evening and in all honesty it was a great way to get out of the Volvo – say your goodbyes, head for the airport and off to the next regatta.
OR: Before we talk about the racing at the Skiff Worlds itself tell us a little about your boat?
RG: Well it’s from the Australian mould, (there are two moulds – one in Oz and one in China, but they are identical). I bought it after the end of the last VOR and took delivery in 2007. It didn’t get sailed at that year and we only used it twice in 2008 – at the Nationals and a Eurocup event. Other than the hull and foils, which come as a pre-built package, everything else is UK sourced. Richard Lovering and Richard Woof have built the wings and the mast, the sails are from a UK loft. It’s all just a culmination of what we have learned over the years really – what worked and what didn’t. Then we just studied a whole bunch of photos of the Australian boats and tried to incorporate what we thought was good. In the end, the boat has turned out to be not far off the mark really.
OR: So the boat was fast straight out of the blocks then?
RG: Well almost. We made a few modifications after a couple of days of racing which seemed to work pretty well.
OR: You opened the regatta with a fourth and a first. Was it a big call to start making modifications at that point? What did you change?
RG: Well we thought the fourth more accurately reflected our speed against the top guys. The race we won was sailed in pretty patchy conditions and we were able to make the best of them to get away. The second day we got a second and a seventh and we all three agreed that we didn’t feel fast enough to win the overall regatta. Grant Rollerson on Slam had three bullets and an OCS at that stage and we felt he was just that little click quicker than us around the course. It was clear he was going to run away with it if we didn’t do something. The changes were mostly to the rig set up. We had a think about what might be the problem and decided to stand the mast up a bit by shortening the forestay by 100mm. We had a lay day on the third day, which gave us the time to sort it all out - including some re-cutting of the sails.
OR: You make it sound simple and straightforward, but re-cutting sails mid regatta is a big deal surely?
RG: It helped having sailmaker Phil Harmer on board. He was responsible for the sails on Green Dragon and so we just called in at the sail loft and he shortened down the luff of the jib and made a couple of other mods while Dan Johnson and I reset the rig by putting extension pieces on all the shrouds.
OR: It felt better the next day?
RG: Yes. It felt better straight away and we thought we were as quick, if not quicker at times, than Rollerson around the course. The speed margins are tiny but they make a big difference. We hadn’t actually been that slow before and had been one of the top five fastest boats at the regatta. But when somebody is running away with it, you either think OK we can sail for second, or we can try to change something and go faster. The lay day gave us the option to try something and it would have been silly to finish the event in second place when we had the chance to win.
OR: So how did you set about eating away at Grant Rollerson’s lead during the remainder of the regatta?
RG: Well he had a crash in one race, which changed things round a bit. This meant he had two discards and we had a more consistent series. This gave us the opportunity to sail him out at the start of one race, or at least we gave him the willies anyway. So going into the last day mathematically us, Rollerson and Howie Hamlin were all still able to win. We just needed a fifth from two races. We discussed it and decided the best and simplest plan was to just try to win the first race. Happily we managed to do that and that was job done.
OR: What are your thoughts on the venue?
RG: We love going to Carnac. Great club, great town and although the pressure was predominantly light there was no issue with the wind for the event.
OR: Moving on to the Volvo Ocean Race aboard Puma – tell us a bit about your second round the world adventure?
RG: Yes second time for me and the Volvo. I was a late call up but pretty happy with the overall result really. The Puma campaign wasn’t really a big budget thing and we didn’t have the choice of the first two designers Juan K or Farr. That put us on the back foot a bit with essentially a one and half generation boat. The overall experience with Puma was good though and the atmosphere in the team was generally pretty relaxed and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
OR: What did you learn this time around?
RG: I learned lots about the new boats and how to take it forward for next time, when I think it will be much closer between individual boats and much more about the people. It’s going to be really important to get a good dynamic between the all the people in your team.
OR: Why do you think the boats in the next race will be so much more even? Because of the new design rule?
RG: Partly that, but I also think the designers have all now got their heads around what needs to go into the design of VOR boats. This means there will be a few refinements here and there on the hulls and the sails but it’s unlikely anyone will be doing anything radical. More so than it has been to date, the emphasis will be on crew choice and making good decisions throughout the entire race, so that valuable miles aren’t wasted cheaply.
OR: You must have been pleased with the relatively strong performance of Puma on the inshore races, where you took up the tactician’s role from Rio onwards?
RG: Yes well the inshore stuff is relatively straightforward short course racing that I have done a lot of in my time. It was satisfying as the inshore scores weighting meant it was an important part of the race. I think it will be the same for the next one too.
OR: Why do you think Ericsson 4 were able to dominate in this edition of the race?
RG: They had a fast boat and they knew her really well. They were confident in all the sail crossover points and their sail program was way better than anyone else. They were leagues ahead all round, to be honest. This allowed them to take their foot off the pedal in the latter stages of the race – from Galway onwards really.
OR: Aboard Puma you had a couple of major comebacks on a couple of the legs where you looked dead and buried and managed to pull off a podium result?
RG: Well on the transatlantic leg we broke our rudder and had to repair that before we could start pushing again. We came out smelling of roses, which was pretty lucky really, but in reality there was a process and we had talked about how to get back in contention. Then on the way to Sweden we made a bit of a mistake in the North Sea when we ended up sailing too close to the low pressure. When we realised the mistake we gybed to go back to the east but immediately got lifted so we were dug into it fully and it was kind of going over us. If we had forced our way out that way we would have been sixty miles behind the leaders and dead last. So Capey called it and we gybed back and went out the other side of it. We went upwind for quite a while but it wasn’t as bad as we’d feared. When we got out, it all happened quite quickly. We using the J4 in a drifter and the next minute we had it up in thirty knots of wind and we were back in the race. We were luck to get out of it so quickly I guess.
OR: We have heard stories about the Green Dragon crew pushing incredibly hard for a good result into their home port in Galway. Did you feel as the race progressed you were also pushing harder and harder?
RG: Absolutely. I think the team was working better and better and everyone was a lot more comfortable with what they were doing. As a result you just go faster. The Green Dragon was a boat that could be pushed pretty hard without breaking and they proved it on that leg. Our boat was more like a submarine in big breeze conditions we experienced on that leg.
OR: The spectators love the video of the boats blasting along, with the crew getting fire hosed on deck the whole time, but what is that experience actually like for the sailors?
RG: Obviously the spectators get an exciting snapshot of what life is like on board a VOR 70 in the race, but when you are onboard twenty-four hours a day it is very different. It is nice to get lots of miles done when the conditions are windy and wild but after a few days you start to think this would be nicer if it were just a bit lighter or a little drier. But all you can do is get used to it, get your gear on, get out there and get stuck in. Next time, with less sails allowed, you will be doing less sail changes which should help keep the crew drier, but the reality is when you are doing twenty or thirty knots through the water you are going to get wet. That’s just how it is on an ocean race.
OR: What are your thoughts on the ideal boat for the VOR?
RG: It goes without saying that the trick is to get a boat that is as good at as many things as possible. However you do not want a boat that tries to be good at everything, because then you never shine. To win this race you need to have a set of conditions where you are smoking hot. On Puma we never had a point where we were able to shine. At best we were always second or third best boat, which meant we were always fighting for second or third. You need to be able to hang on to everyone in most conditions and then have a wind strength or angle where you smoke. The Farrs and the JK boats had that and in a certain set of conditions they were off. We were always just there with the rest and we never had a time when we could say, ‘this is our day, let’s go’.
OR: Rob you have mentioned the next VOR several times in this conversation – I guess this means you have plans to go around again next time?
RG: Yes I would very much like to be involved in the Volvo again and I am actually formulating plans to skipper an entry for the next race. It is just an idea right now but I’m keen to see if it can be done. Obviously it is all about raising the money so I need to do a lot of research around what opportunities might be out there. Watch this space.
www.offshorerules.com/articles/showArticle.aspx
Sept News
Wow what a busy period we at SailRacer have been having, over the last few weeks has seen us supporting several major championships, including worlds. Traffic on the web site has smashed all records, August we saw 62,000 monthly visitors and nearly a million page impressions.
RSX Worlds
The RSX Worlds concludes today and has been generating enormous interest across the web. SailRacer has been working with the class and RYA to provide new features such as serial number registration, which have all sped up the measurement process. The Medal Races with live GPS tracking will be available online
http://www.sailracer.co.uk/events/event-v2.asp?eventid=37678
Interview with Rob Greenhalgh
SailRacer writer, Justin Chisholm has been chatting to multi talented sailor Rob Greenhalgh, who after shortly stepping off Pume (Volvo Ocean 70) goes onto to win the challenging 18ft Skiff Worlds
Topper Nationals
The Topper Class saw a record breaking 345 boats attend its Championships at Pwlhelli, enjoying some great racing. SailRacer supported the championships with the event website, new for this year was the Event blog that draw an enormous following both via the web and the big screen in the club house.
http://www.sailracer.co.uk/results_report.asp?event=7093
SailRacer hits 60
Last month we saw 62,239 visitors and 952,449 page impressions served from SailRacer, We are working hard to keep up with this phenomenal growth, our existing server has been regularly upgraded, and we have have a new super fast dedicated server waiting in the wings which we will start to bring on stream in the next few weeks. In the meantime, hopefully the existing server will not become too slow with this large growth in traffic.
RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships
Race action for all events on the closing day of the RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships
More wind came out to play today (Sunday 27 September) for the closing off of the 2009 RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country Championships allowing race action to take place at all nine championship events, including the South East (Datchet) which failed to get racing off the ground yesterday.
With more than 1000 of the nation’s Olympic sailing hopefuls hitting the water across Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales this weekend, hopes were high of getting a good days racing in today after races were hampered by yesterdays light winds.
Sailing more than three races over the weekend and making provision for one discard the South West (WPNSA), South (Poole), Northern Ireland (East Antrim), Scotland (Largs), East (Grafham) and Wales (Pwllheli) events rounded off a good championship today.
Having suffered the most yesterday was the South East (Datchet) event however, with a little wind today, all-be-it 1-2 knots, sailors were pleased to finally get some racing in with the 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 windsurfers completing one race.
Better luck was had at the North (Burton) and West (Draycote) events where today’s full complement of races were completed.
Head RYA High Performance Manager Chris Atherton was pleased to see the majority of the events get a good series in however, stressed that where racing was scarcer, competitors could still be assured of an objective selection policy to their squads.
He commented: “We’ve seen some great racing around the country this weekend with a number of events getting in a full series of races. Unfortunately, especially in the South East Zone the wind didn’t quite allow for as much racing as hoped, leaving some sailors with no racing. But although the Championships are a key selection event, the results from them are not the sole source of data for squad selection.”
“Sailors can be assured of objective decision making as High Performance Managers (HPMs) and coaches will take into account open training, key competition and performances over the summer, as well as other impending end-of-season class association events, in their selection decisions.” he concluded.
The Championships traditionally mark the end of the Junior racing season and are a key event for any young sailor wishing to be selected for the RYA Volvo Zone and Home Country squads, which are the first step on the pathway to Olympic Classes sailing.
RYA Volvo South Zone Championship (Poole)
The South’s sailors arrived this morning for the second day of their championship in yet more sunshine but this time, opposed to yesterday, there was enough of a breeze to get out racing straight away.
Having completed two races yesterday with a morning of no wind, the plan was to try and squeeze four races in today so a full series of six could be achieved.
Sailing back-to-back races the Toppers sailed three good races with the Mirrors, Cadets and Laser 4.7’s managing the target of four.
There was no change at the top of the Cadet class today with yesterday’s top three finishers sailing some great races and holding onto their positions securing championship honours. Mary Henderson and Annie Sibthorp scooped first with Matthew Currell and Theo Smith taking second and brothers Matthew and Ben Shorrock picking up third.
The Mirrors, Laser 4.7s and Toppers saw more of a shake-up in results today with the following sailors making the most of the days racing to secure themselves trophies.
Mirrors: First Peter Sedwick and Nick Pugh with Tom Lovesey and Milly Pugh picking up second and sisters Anna and Rosie Watkins taking third.
Laser 4.7: Andrew Bridgman took first with David Pain taking second and Georgina Dorah picking up third.
Toppers: Josh Stone took victory with Matthew Stevens taking second and Giles Kuzyk picking up third.
RYA Volvo South West Zone Championship (Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy)
In contrast to yesterday’s opening day, the young sailors at the South West event woke up to a steady 8-10 knot breeze and coupled with yet more wall-to-wall sunshine, conditions couldn’t have been any better for getting races in can.
The Toppers, Optimists and Feva’s were out on their race course by 10:00 eager to get underway. Race one saw some high speed action kicking off at 10:30 with race two taking a slightly more sedate pace as the sea breeze began to kill the morning’s north easterly wind.
The wind died completely at about 13:30 creating an ideal break for lunch and by the time that was over, the sea breeze had kicked in from the south west opening the door to more race action.
Having not quite managed to squeeze in a second race this morning, the Optimists sailed their second race of the day whilst the Toppers and Feva’s completed a third.
The windsurfers got in two races before lunch, the second requiring some serious pump action, and a further one race after.
Championship honours went to the following sailors:
Feva: 1st: Morgan Peach and Herbie Harferd, 2nd: Ruth and Tessa Allan, 3rd: Jack Hawkins and Chris Thomas
Optimist: 1st: Scott Wallis 2nd: Joshua Belben 3rd: Joe Burford
Topper: 1st: Ellie Cumpsty 2nd: Robbie Robinson 3rd: Edward Jones
Windsurfers:
3.5’s 1st: Ross Warren 2nd: Georgina Savage 3rd: Flora Todd
4.5s 1st: Molly Todd 2nd: Isabelle Savage 3rd: Ella Milne
5.5s 1st: Daniel Wilson 2nd: Lou Brown 3rd: Alex Parker
6.8s 1st: Ross Bromhead 2nd: Adam Greyston 3rd: Sebastian Cooper
7.8’s 1st: Zak Page 2nd: Andrew Robinson 3rd: Gemma Greyston
RYA Volvo Welsh Zone and Home Country Championships (Pwllheli)
The Welsh zone saw a postponement this morning after wind was non-existent to start off with however, by 12:30 it had built to give sailors a good five or so knots to play with and the opportunity to get out racing.
Building on yesterday’s full complement of three, two back-to-back races were sailed completing a successful day and weekend for the Home Country. The only complaint being; the sun wasn’t seen all day.
Picking up Welsh victories were:
Optimist: 1st: Josh Burgess 2nd: Myles Jackson 3rd: Gareth Viney
Topper: 1st: Ellie Meophan 2nd: Alex Jardine 3rd: Thomas Williams
RYA Volvo South East Championship (Datchet)
The South East’s sailors all went home with smiles on their faces despite another day ashore for the majority. Glorious sunshine made for great spectator sunbathing but mixed with hardly any wind again today racing was not going to happen for the 80 plus dinghy sailors who were at the event.
Racing was not all canned however, with the windsurfers going out over lunch for a very slow but much celebrated race. The 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5s got results in whilst the dinghies stayed ashore and listened to Event Coach Marcus Lynch’s two talks on mark rounding and start line techniques which went down well.
Event Director James Tilley reported that everyone enjoyed the weekend it was just a shame the weather didn’t allow for more racing.
Winning windsurfers were; Ellie Trollop in the 3.5’s with Zarah Petts second and Ellidh Hards third. Jenna Gibson in the 4.5’s with Jonny Dudfield second and Alec Goldstone third. And Henry Seifert in the 5.5’s with Jamie Earle second and Harriet Fry third.
RYA Volvo East Zone Championship (Grafham)
After a good day of racing yesterday, competitors woke up to a blanket of fog this morning. With the forecast promising six knots of wind later the mood was hopeful for some later race action.
By 13:00 the sun had burnt the fog away and with a gentle breeze filling in, racing was in action for all four fleets. The postponement meant that time ran out for any further races however, competitors went ashore happy to have got one in the can despite the earlier conditions.
Prize giving saw the following top three trophies awarded.
Topper: 1st: Bryony Bennett-Lloyde, 2nd: Anna Cattermole, 3rd: George Meredith
Cadet: 1st: Alex and Lucy Corby, 2nd: Joseph and Francis Butterworth, 3rd: Molly Brown and Angus Eckstein
Dragoon: 1st: Sebastian Samways and Daniel Chamming, 2nd: Jack Muldon and Rhys Cooke, 3rd: Adam and Jack Murphy
Optimist: 1st: James Hutton-Penman, 2nd: Oliver Chapman, 3rd: Chay Taylor
RYA Volvo West Zone Championship (Draycote)
The West Zone sailors had a fantastic day of racing today to round up their series. A steady 5-8 knots of breeze meant that conditions were great for fitting in the four scheduled races for the day.
Racing was highly competitive across all fleets with lots of place changing to keep it exciting.
Well fought championship trophies went to the following sailors:
4.5 Techno: First Sarah Labourne with Harry Davis in second and Jordan Howram in third.
5.5 Open: First John Davis with Cameron Coghill in second and Scott Collins in third.
6.8 Techno: First Oliver Bradley-Baker with Robert York in second and Max Bushell in third.
7.8 Techno: First Adam Purcell with Kieran Burley in second and Luke Patrick in third
Optimist: In first place Martin Wrigley with Haydn Griffiths in second and Boby Hewitt in third.
Topper: In first Matt Venables with brother Dan Venables in second and Curtis Mearns in third.
Feva: In first, Robert and Emma Loveridge, with Robert and Rebecca Morris in second and George and Ed Shelley in third.
RYA Volvo North Zone Championship (Burton)
Having had a great day of full race action yesterday the North event’s sailors were pleased to be greeted with more wind today which allowed another full day of three races to take place rounding of a brilliant closing day and very successful championship for the Zone.
The wind built up from five knots this morning to a good 6-8 knots and acting on the advice they received from Volvo for Life and Skandia Team GBR sailor Nick Rogers yesterday, the 70 plus sailors put in some great performances out on the water.
The following sailors finished the championship in a top three position:
Topper: 1st: Christopher Towers, 2nd: Hector Simpson, 3rd: Bradley Hilton
Optimist: 1st: Andrew Kilburn, 2nd: Georgina Booth, 3rd: Benjamin Brown
Mirror: 1st: Matthew and Ben Lulham-Robinson, 2nd: Edward Greyson and Alex Mowbray 3rd: Catherine and Eleanor Hide
RYAS Volvo Zone and Home Country Championship (Largs)
Not managing much in the way of racing yesterday competitors at the Scottish Home Country event were hoping for better conditions today.
The sky remained overcast for the day however, the wind came out to play blowing 12-13 knots by the end of the days racing which saw three races for the Topper fleet and four for the Windsurfers and Optimists.
Event Director Nick Scott was pleased with the days racing which made for much more competitive races than yesterday’s opening day.
Scooping Championship trophies were the following young sailors:
Optimist: 1st: Callum Airlie 2nd: Alistair Gray 3rd: Jamie Calder
Topper: 1st: Alexander Still 2nd: Rory Kilgore 3rd: Jordan Black
Windsurfers:
6.8s - 1st: Callum Kerr 2nd: Natalie McWilliams 3rd: Jan Goldbeck
7.8s - 1st: Ross Kenmuir 2nd: Torin Prescot 3rd: Annalee Hargreaves
RYA Volvo Northern Ireland Zone and Home Country Championship in Association with McCready Sailboats (East Antrim)
In contrast to the South East Zone, too much wind (25 knots plus) greeted young sailors at the Northern Ireland event this morning meaning racing was postponed for a couple of hours until conditions improved.
It was worth the wait as the wind moderated to a steady 15 knots and along with it came some sunshine making for a great day of racing.
The Laser 4.7’s were first out on the race course with the Toppers joining them after one race. A further two races went ahead in both classes with the following sailors achieving top three trophies at the event:
Laser 4.7: 1st: Chris Eams 2nd: Ben Reigan 3rd: Fionnan Martin
Laser Radial: 1st: Chris Penny 2nd: Robbie Gilmore 3rd: Oliver Loughead
Topper 4.2: 1st: Rory Sekkers 2nd: Peter Gilmore 3rd: Emily Hill
Topper: 1st: James O’Hare 2nd: Eoin Curran 3rd: Laura Gilmore
SAILRACER MAKING MEMBERSHIP MORE MANAGEABLE
The process of signing up members for sailing clubs and class associations is set to become easier than ever when the new SailRacer Online Membership system is unveiled at the RYA Volvo Dinghy Show this weekend (6-7 March).
At a time when attracting and retaining members is a primary and constant concern for clubs and classes, joining and renewing needs to be as uncomplicated and hassle-free as possible for the member.
Developed in conjunction with the Topper and Optimist (IRL) class associations, the SailRacer Online Membership system will enable members, new and existing, to sign up to their club or class with a couple of mouse clicks while payment is also handled securely online.
Meanwhile for the clubs and classes, the system will bring together all the organizing and communication tools required to centrally manage applications and renewals, including automated reminders to members to re-sign when their renewal is due and the ability for members to edit their own records while the facility also means class associations can ensure only full members enter their events.
Topper class chairman Charles Glover said: “Membership has traditionally been handled with letter reminders then paper forms coming in with cheques to be banked. A small number were on a Direct Debit. We are looking to the new system to remove paperwork and create a single data entry point, therefore saving time.
“Once the core of the membership has joined online, their future experience will be less time consuming and easier without any reliance on the post and the benefit of secure online payment processing.”
Also at the RYA Volvo Dinghy Show, SailRacer will be presenting the prizes to the first ever winners of the inaugural SailJuice Global Warm-Up series on the main stage at 1pm on Saturday (6 March).
The new winter travellers’ series brings four of the biggest winter handicap racing events – Bloody Mary, Steve Nicholson Memorial Trophy, Tiger Trophy and Hoo Freezer- into a unified series with more than £2,000 of prizes up for grabs throughout the fleet.
SailRacer managed the online entry and cumulative scoring system for the SailJuice Global Warm-Up series plus the individual event websites, and, as well as handing out the prizes to the 2010 winners, SailRacer will also be unveiling the format for the next series and providing a SailRacer analysis of the results.
Visit www.dinghyshow.org.uk for details about the 2010 RYA Volvo Dinghy Show.
Key features of the SailRacer Online Membership system:
• Existing membership database imported
• New accounts with logins and passwords created
• Personalised renewal emails sent to existing membership inviting renewal
• Sailors can edit their records
• ‘For families’ facility to add details of siblings etc to membership
• Pay online with credit card
• Payment reminder emails
SailRacer is a Solent-based web company with offices in Sarisbury Green, Southampton and Port Solent.
The SailRacer website was launched in 2007 with the searchable database boasting results from around 5,000 events and over 40,000 sailors.
The SailRacer Event Management System has now processed over 30,000 entries while also enabling organisers to create micro event websites for their competitions.
:''This article is about Volvo Group - AB Volvo; Volvo Cars is the passenger vehicle maker using the Volvo trademark, owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group.'' {{Infobox company
company_logo = File:Volvo logo.svg
center
250px
Volvo logo
company_name = AB Volvo
industry = Commercial vehicles
company_type = Public company
Publicly traded Aktiebolag ({{OMX
SSE366
VOLV B}})
foundation = 1927 by SKF
location = Gothenburg, Sweden
area_served = Worldwide
products = Volvo Trucks
Trucks, Volvo Buses
buses, Volvo Construction Equipment
construction equipment, Volvo Penta
marine and industrial power systems, Volvo Aero
aerospace components, financial services
key_people = Louis Schweitzer (CEO)
Louis Schweitzer <small>(chair (official)
Chairman)</small>, Leif Johansson (businessman)
Leif Johansson <small>(President and chief executive officer
CEO)</small>
revenue = Swedish krona
SEK 218,361 million <small>(2009)</small><ref name="AR2009">{{cite web
url=http://www3.volvo.com/investors/finrep/ar09/ar_2009_eng.pdf
format=PDF
title=Annual Report 2009
accessdate=2010-04-03
publisher=Volvo}}</ref>
operating_income = {{loss}} (SEK 17,013 million) <small>(2009)</small><ref name="AR2009" />
net_income = {{loss}} (SEK 14,718 million) <small>(2009)</small><ref name="AR2009" />
assets = SEK 332.3 billion <small>(2009)</small><ref name="AR2009" />
equity = SEK 67.03 billion <small>(2009)</small><ref name="AR2009" />
num_employees = 90,210 <small>(2009)</small><ref name="AR2009" />
subsid = Mack Trucks, Renault Trucks, UD Trucks, Volvo Construction Equipment, Volvo Buses, Volvo Trucks
homepage = [http://www.volvogroup.com/ www.volvogroup.com]
intl = yes }} '''AB Volvo''' is a Sweden
Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Until 1999 it also produced Automobile
cars. Volvo also supplies marine (ocean)
marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services. Although Volvo was incorporated in 1915 as a subsidiary of AB SKF, a Swedish ball bearing manufacturer, the auto manufacturer considers itself officially founded on 14 April 1927, when the first car, the Volvo ÖV 4 series, rolled out of the factory in Hisingen, Gothenburg.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.volvo.com/group/global/en-gb/volvo+group/history/volvosfounders/volvo_founders.htm
title=Volvo's founders : Volvo Group - Global
publisher=Volvo.com
date=1927-04-14
accessdate=2009-06-12}}</ref> ''Volvo'' means "I roll" in Latin, conjugated from "volvere". The name ''Volvo'' was originally registered in May 1911 as a separate company within SKF AB and as a registered trademark with the intention to be used for a special series of ball bearing, but this idea was only used for a short period of time and SKF decided to use "SKF" as the trademark for all its bearing products. In 1924, Assar Gabrielsson, a SKF Sales Manager, and Engineer Gustav Larson, the two founders, decided to start construction of a Swedish car. Their vision was to build cars that could withstand the rigors of Sweden's rough roads and cold temperatures. This has become a feature of Volvo products ever since.<ref name="volvo.com">{{cite web
url=http://www.volvo.com/group/global/en-gb/volvo+group/history/ourhistory/history_introduction.htm
title=Historic time-line : Volvo Group - Global
publisher=Volvo.com
date=
accessdate=2009-06-12}}</ref> The company AB Volvo had no activities until 10 August 1926, after one year of preparations involving the production of ten prototypes, was set up to carry out the car-manufacturing business within the SKF group. AB Volvo was introduced at the Stockholm stock exchange in 1935 and SKF then decided to sell its shares in the company. Volvo was delisted from NASDAQ in June 2007, but remains listed on the Stockholm exchange.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2007/06/14/afx3820156.html AB Volvo applies for delisting from Nasdaq - Forbes.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In 1999, Volvo sold its car division Volvo Cars to Ford Motor Company for $6.45 billion. The Volvo trademark was shared between Volvo AB, where it is used on heavy vehicles, and the unit of Ford, where it was used on cars. In 2008, Ford decided to sell its interest in Volvo Cars; in 2010, Ford sold the brand to the parent of Chinese motor manufacturer Geely Automobile for $1.8 billion.<ref>{{cite news
url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/oct/28/volvo-ford-geely-china-car
title=Ford set to offload Volvo to Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Geely | Business | guardian.co.uk
publisher=Guardian
date= 2009-10-28
accessdate=2009-12-04
location=London
first=Andrew
last=Clark}}</ref> ==History== The Volvo Group has its origin in 1927 when Volvo ÖV 4
the first Volvo car rolled off the production line at the factory in Gothenburg.<ref>[http://www.volvo.com/group/global/en-gb/Volvo+Group/history/history.htm Volvo 80 years]</ref> Only 280 cars were built that year.<ref name=georgano>Georgano, G. N. ''Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886–1930''. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985)</ref> The first truck, the "Series 1", debuted in January 1928, as an immediate success and attracted attention outside the country.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.volvo.com/group/global/en-gb/volvo+group/history/volvo_80years/volvo_80-years.htm
title=Volvo 80 years : Volvo Group - Global
publisher=Volvo.com
date=
accessdate=2009-06-12}}</ref> In 1930, Volvo sold 639 cars,<ref name=georgano/> and the export of trucks to Europe started soon after; the cars did not become well-known outside Sweden until after World War II.<ref name=georgano/> Marine engines have been part of the Group almost as long as trucks. Pentaverken, founded in 1907, was acquired in 1935. As early as 1929, however, the U-21 outboard engine was introduced. Manufacturing continued until 1962. The first bus, named B1, was launched in 1934, and aircraft engines were added to the growing range of products at the beginning of the 1940s. On 28 January 1999 Volvo Group sold its business area Volvo Cars
Volvo Car Corporation to the Ford Motor Company for US$6.45 1,000,000,000 (number)
billion, with the resulting group largely set on commercial vehicles. Volvo Cars was then sold to China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in 2010. On 2 January 2001, ''Renault Véhicules Industriels'' (which included Mack Trucks, but not Renault's stake in Irisbus) was sold to Volvo, which renamed it Renault Trucks in 2002. As a result, former mother company Renault is AB Volvo's biggest shareholder with a 20% stake (in shares and voting rights). The last ten years the company has undergone rapid growth in the service area with, for example, financial solutions supporting the sales of the manufacturing business units. In 2006, AB Volvo acquired from Nissan Motor Co Ltd, 13% of the shares in the Japanese truck manufacturer UD Trucks former Nissan Diesel, and became major shareholder. In 2007 the Volvo Group took complete ownership of Nissan Diesel to extend its expansion in the Asian pacific market.<ref name="volvo.com"/><ref>{{cite web
url=http://www3.volvo.com/investors/finrep/eng/index.html
title=Volvo Annual Report 1999
publisher=.volvo.com
date=
accessdate=2009-06-12}}</ref> ==Business areas== Volvo Group's businesses are conducted in several companies - among them these subsidiaries: *Volvo Trucks (midsize-duty trucks for regional transportation and heavy-duty trucks for long distance transportation, as well as heavy-duty trucks for the construction work segment) *Mack Trucks (light-duty trucks for close distribution and heavy-duty trucks for long distance transportation) *Renault Trucks (heavy-duty trucks for regional transportations and heavy-duty trucks for the construction work segment) *UD Trucks (midsize-duty trucks) *Volvo Construction Equipment (construction machines) (previously Volvo BM, see also AB Bolinder-Munktell) *Volvo Buses (complete buses and bus chassis for city traffic, line traffic and tourist traffic) *Volvo Penta (marine engine systems for leisure boats and commercial shipping, diesel engines and drive systems for industrial applications) *Volvo Aero (high-tech components for aircraft and rocket engines as well as services for the aircraft industry) *Volvo Financial Services (customer financing, inter-group banking, as real estate administration) Volvo Group's purchase of Renault Trucks and Mack Trucks in 2001 created Europe's largest and the world's second largest producer of heavy trucks with a broad product program. Mack Trucks
Mack is one of the most well known truck brands in North America while Renault Trucks holds a special position in Southern Europe.{{Citation needed
date=October 2008}} The Japanese UD Trucks marketing a wide range of light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles as well as buses and bus chassis, engines, vehicle components and special-purpose vehicles. Prevost Car, owned by Volvo Bus Corporation, is the leading North American manufacturer of premium touring coaches and bus shells for high-end motorhomes and specialty conversions. Nova Bus, part of Prevost, stands as a North American leader in the design, production and marketing of urban transit buses. Beside this the group consists of several business units: *Volvo Parts (Spare parts, maintain services for support to the aftermarket within Volvo Group's companies) *Volvo Information Technology (IT services, develop new technology and business solutions for Volvo Group's companies) *Volvo Powertrain (Responsible to Volvo Group's development of diesel engines, transmissions, and axles) *Volvo 3P (Responsible for product planning, product development, and for purchasing to all Volvo Group's truck businesses) *Volvo Logistics (Plans and hands logistic solutions for the metal and air-related industry worldwide) *Volvo Technology Transfer (Develop and support new businesses with relevance for Volvo Group's companies) *Volvo Business Services (Maintain cost effective and high quality services within financial administration for Volvo Group's companies) *Volvo Treasury (Manage Volvo's cash flow) *Volvo Event Management, which coordinates sponsorship activities including the Volvo Ocean Race Previously Volvo Group consisted of also of these businesses subsidiaries: *Volvo Leisure (Leisure group) (mainly Jofa sports products and Ryds boats) *Provendor (Food and beverages group) *Volvo Energy (Energy group) (mainly STC Scandinavian Trading Company) *Wilh. Sonesson (Engineering group) Volvo Group also had several associated companies from 1981 to 1997, which themselves were corporate groups: *Kebo AB (Pharmaceutical group) *SvedaKemi AB (Chemical group) *AB Wilh. Becker (Paint group) *AB LEO (Pharmaceutical group) *AB Gambro (Medical dialysis group) *AB Nils Dacke (Engineering group) *Procordia AB (Food and Beverages group) *BCP Branded Consumer Products AB (Food and Beverages group) *Pharmacia AB (Pharmaceutical group) *Alfred Berg Holding AB (Financial services group) *Falcon Holding AB (Brewing group) *Swedish Match AB (Matches and lighters group) ==Trademark== File:T2005 1664 450px.jpg
thumb
Volvo Trademark Volvo Trademark Holding AB is equally owned by AB Volvo and Volvo Car Corporation.<ref>[http://www3.volvo.com/investors/finrep/eng/html/thevolvobrandname/ingress.html Volvo Annual Report 1999]</ref> The main activity of the company is to own, maintain, protect and preserve the Volvo trademarks (including ''Volvo'', the Volvo device marks (grille slash & iron mark) ''Volvo Aero'' and ''Volvo Penta'') on behalf of its owners and to license these rights to its owners. The day-to-day work is focused upon maintaining the global portfolio of trademark registrations and to extend sufficiently the scope of the registered protection for the Volvo trademarks. The main business is also to act against unauthorised registration and use (including counterfeiting) of trademarks identical or similar to the Volvo trademarks on a global basis.<ref>[http://www3.volvo.com/investors/finrep/eng/index.html The Volvo Brand Name, Volvo Annual Report 1999]</ref> ==The Volvo brand== The brand's<ref>[http://www.volvo.com/group/global/en-gb/volvo+group/our_brand/ The Volvo Brand]</ref> promotional strategies include the sailing race Volvo Ocean Race, [http://www.volvooceanrace.com] formerly known as the ''Whitbread Around the World Race''. Volvo likes to encourage its affluent image by sponsoring golf tournaments all over the world including major championship events called the Volvo Masters and Volvo China Open. Volvo sponsored the Volvo Ocean Race, the world's leading round-the-world yacht race for the first time in 2001–2002. Volvo has also had a long-standing commitment to the International Sailing Federation
ISAF and is involved in the Volvo/ISAF World Youth Sailing Championships since 1997. Volvo sponsors many polo matches in the town of Easthampton at the arrival of the summer season. The prince of Saudi Arabia often attends matches with his world-class horses. Volvo Group also sponsored the Show Jumping World Cup from its inception in 1979 until 1999. The company also sponsors culture, e g The Göteborg Opera<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.opera.se
title=GöteborgsOperan
publisher=Opera.se
date=2009-06-02
accessdate=2009-06-12}}</ref> and The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.<ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.gso.se
title=Göteborgs Symfoniker
language={{Sv icon}}
publisher=Gso.se
date=
accessdate=2009-06-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
url=http://www.volvo.com/group/global/en-gb/volvo+group/sponsorships/
title=Sponsorships : Volvo Group - Global
publisher=Volvo.com
date=
accessdate=2009-06-12}}</ref><ref>[http://www.volvo.com/group/global/en-gb/volvo+group/sponsorships/ Volvo Sponsorships]</ref> ==See also== *Volvo Cars *Ainax - ownership of Scania shares acquired by Volvo ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Portal
Companies}} *{{official
http://www.volvogroup.com}} *[http://www.volvo.com volvo.com - official site for Volvo-branded companies] {{OMX Stockholm 30 companies}} Category:Companies established in 1927 Category:Companies of Sweden Category:Motor vehicle battery manufacturers Category:Volvo
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