Reflecting on 3 Months of Racing
Lots of reflecting over the past few weeks. It has been about a month now since the end of the world championships in Barcelona. Many of you may have been following along with the results and already know some of the stories I am about to share. For the rest I think it is Important to start out with my result and then we can unpack all of the details. I finished 87th out of 135 Boats which in all honesty, as a standalone figure, is quite disappointing. However, without making any excuses there is some explaining to do which I feel lets me walk away from this regatta more confident than ever.
The first thing to be addressed is my two black flag (false start) disqualifications. This is a particularly annoying point as starting is usually the strongest weapon in my arsenal. My style is one which relies on good starts and being able to control the fleet and this often works quite well for me. When we were called back with a general recall on the first race of the regatta and I saw that my number had been called out as a boat which was DSQ I was a little shaken to say the least. I think all things considered I did a decent job at resetting my head and coming back for a mediocre second race but watching the whole fleet sail the first race of the most important regatta of the year as you watch from the sidelines is not an easy task. In reflection now I can see how being in the first few boats at the favoured pin end of the start line on the first race of a regatta was a slightly immature and overly aggressive move. When I look back and think of who was around me on the start line at the time it was all talented but young sailors, trying to make a statement on the first race. The whole group of us young guys who were called over that race suffered for it, but now I have the experience and can see that the mature move is to play it conservatively at the beginning of the regatta. My second black flag came (somewhat poetically) on my last race of the regatta, giving a nice book end feel to the week. This one really stung because there was no recall so despite my number being called over early the race continued, and I was not aware of the DSQ until the end of the race. The reason this DSQ particularly stung was I would go onto win that race only to have it taken away from me. It was a great race too, I rounded around 7th at the top mark, passed 6 boats moving up to second on the first downwind, and finally passing my friend Krishan on the second upwind for the lead before sailing away to win by a sizable margin. Devastating. Though at the end of the day it was only a silver fleet win so I can’t be getting too excited.
That brings me to my next point. You may remember that my goal for this regatta was top 50% as that brought with it funding from Sport Canada which will be essential to my continued campaign. In practical terms this meant I needed to qualify for the gold fleet in the qualifying series (first six scheduled races of the regatta). This was well within my capabilities and was something I had proven I was capable of at the European championships only a month before the worlds. Unfortunately, I missed out on making Gold fleet by a meer 2 points. To put that into perspective, If I had scored 1.6 percent less points in qualifying, I would have made it. This was probably the hardest part of the regatta. Knowing I was so close to making my goal but then still having to go out and race another 2 days is a big task. Looking back, I think the greatest thing I can take away from this regatta is my ability to put that behind me and go out and deliver in silver fleet. In the end we only had two races in silver fleet due to the challenging conditions, but my results were a 2nd and a 1st (though granted my win was a BFD). Had I counted the last race as a win I would have won silver fleet with a comfortable margin to second place. I’m starting to feel like my ability to endure and come on strong in the second half of regattas is a strength of mine, one which I am certainly glad to have.
As hard as this has been going through what all went wrong this is the second time in my career, I have missed out on a national team spot by less than five points. The previous time being in Kiel 2019. I also take pride in the fact that I have never been the automatic favourite for success in sailing. I don’t come from a family of competitive sailors, I don’t have unlimited financial support, I started sailing at a later age than many kids, all of these things work against me but the one thing on my side is my grit. I am willing to work harder than anyone, no matter how many times I am thrown the ringer, or the carpet is pulled out from under me, I’m not going to give up. The only way I go down is kicking and screaming, and we aren’t there yet. So, I look forward.
Luckily for me I don’t need to look too far down the line to see my next focus. The Ft. Lauderdale Olympic classes regatta runs from January 15th-17th and is my next chance to qualify for a Canadian Sailing Team card. That is my sole focus from now until then. When most people went home for a break after the worlds in November, I went to Malta and got straight into a training camp. I know what I need to do in January and so I am working towards that as my new peak event to show everyone how much I can improve in two and a half months. On the whole between the European championships and the Worlds, despite how the result in Barcelona looks on paper I am actually quite happy with my fall season. The gains I made over the spring and summer actually exceeded my expectations and I am at a point where I am confident that on my day, I am the best laser sailor in Canada, which is a quantum leap from where I was a year and a half ago when I first left for Malta. This confidence is a serious tool and I am really looking forward to carrying it into the new year.
After the regatta in ft Lauderdale, the 2022 World Championships are coming up quickly in May. They will be in Puerto Vallarta Mexico (Thank god for some warm weather sailing finally) and will be the next opportunity to show what I am capable of on the world stage. Right now, I must say I am actually more motivated than ever to push myself to the next level. The past 3 months has both proven what I am capable of and showed what I need to work on. The learnings I have come away with have been invaluable and I have no doubt will lead me to much success in the new year.
Until next time,
James
p.s. Unfortunately, my phone took a tumble a few weeks ago and I lost all of my pictures from the last 3 months. That is why this update is less visually appealing than usual. I will do my best to take extra pictures to include in the next newsletter !