Frustrating start

With new sponsor, Andy Beadsworth recounts progress, or lack of it, on the opening day of the Star Europeans

The big news is - we have a new sponsor for the Europeans in Maximus, a development and investment group form the Midlands area. The sponsorship, besides generally reducing the strain on our finances, has specifically allowed us to train, purchase sails and prepare our boat for the biggest event of our program to date. We have new sails and have trained for a week in the venue with Freddy Loof the current world No1 and Prof O'Connell with good input from coach John Claude. We were not always the fastest but sometimes specifically making some progress in our weakest
area, down wind in the heavier air.

Peter Harrison is purchasing our boat from the RYA in order to secure its use for us which has given us a solid foundation from which too work.

Having won the Swan 45 Class in Copa Del Rey in Palma on the Swan 45 Courdileone just yesterday it was a particularly tough program today: two races in light and fickle winds.

The first race got off to a good start and we approached the first mark in 4th position after a very tricky beat. However a header combined with foul current at the mark gave us a a problematic approach and we lost around ten boats as we got rolled by a boat above us making the situation worse. Boat after boat then cruised pass, each making the situation worse as they took our wind.

We gained and lost a few around the three lap 10 mile course finishing 13th at the end. A little disappointed but it was a reasonably solid start. Percy had had a great second beat, passing us and quite a few others and finished the race fifth.

The second race was dreadful. The wind shifting through 40 degrees and dropping to less than 3 knots regularly, the maximum being probably 5 knots occasionally with big holes on the race course. With such a big course the fleet is spread over a large area, and small changes in wind speed and direction make an enormous difference. We were up, we were down. The first leg took nearly an hour, the first boat just making it round in the time limit. We were fortunate to be only fairly mediocre in the mid-teens. Downwind we did well making gains but up wind we lost on every lap. We would make gains and then suddenly we would lose five boats or more in a two minute interval. It was really trying and frustrating! I have to admit to hitting the deck a few times today in shear frustration. The race nearly failed to finish in the time limit of 3.5 hours but did, just - unfortunately for us and a few others!!!

We finished 28th, Percy 4th and Xavier Rohart (the current world Champion
in) 42nd. The fleet eventually got back to the dock at around 8pm. After a long day, overall we are currently lying in 15th place. Not a dream start, but its a start. Hopefully the conditions will improve and our good fortune.

There are two races scheduled tomorrow again then a day off on Wednesday. The series will be six races with one discard.