The 2009 Youth Worlds journey over the past three weeks in Buzios, Brazil was a once in a life time opportunity and I valued the chance to compete at a competition of this caliber. Being part of the Australian Youth Team in the Laser Radial class was a huge learning experience filled with memorable moments. The Australian team was fortunate enough to be prepared by world class coaching and our uniform reflected our unity as a team. While over in Brazil I wore the uniform with pride and I felt very privileged to be there representing Australia.
The journey began from the moment we embarked on the long flight and bus trip to reach our destination in Buzios. A mammoth travel time but on arrival we were not disappointed with the beach village type atmosphere. After recovering from the trip we spent three days training at the Vele Club Buzios, which enabled us to familiarise ourselves with the conditions and the weather patterns occurring during the Winter period over there. Just the thought of sailing on the other side of the world at a Youth Worlds was more than enough motivation to train hard and maintain the daily routine required to keep focused for the upcoming regatta.
Before beginning the Youth Worlds regatta there was a couple of days to enjoy the culture and hospitality of the host country Brazil, where its renowned beaches were definitely well received by all the team members. As all the preparation was finally concluded the task was now ahead of us to compete at the regatta and put into practice all the skills learnt from years of training. Being part of the Australian Team at the opening ceremony, holding the Australian flag high was a moment never to forget and I would encourage all sailors to strive for this experience. This was followed by distribution of the boats to the competitors enabling us to rig them to our individual specifications train in them very briefly and adjust them accordingly.
The racing began and it hit home that this was indeed a world class competition. This is where consistency was the key to succeeding. The conditions varied from no wind and no racing to the other extreme of too much wind and still no racing. However the moderate conditions with a reasonable swell prevailed most days, creating awesome racing in a great spot in the world. Throughout the regatta the Australian Youth Team kept a serious, yet relaxed atmosphere off the water allowing full recovery after each day ready for the next day of racing. The amount of knowledge gained from competing at an event such as this is invaluable and I believe it will help in my sailing ambitions in the future.
The leaders of the team Adrian Finglas, David Mann and Kristen Kosmala provided ongoing consistent support for the team sharing their comprehensive knowledge to all of us in all aspects of the regatta. The team also got to meet other world class coaches including a talk from Torben Grael one of the world’s greatest sailors and current winner of the Volvo Ocean race as well as many other Olympic coaches.
To facilitate this trip I must acknowledge the many people who have supported me to represent Australia. Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron has a proud reputation of supporting sailors enabling them to compete at world class events and they were there for my participation in Brazil. Yachting Queensland, Live Sail Die and Barz Optics all contributed generously to my campaign. These people have been the back bone of my trip and have allowed me to gain invaluable experience which will enhance my future sailing endeavours.
From this point on I am going to continue my sailing goals with my participation in the third Brisbane to Keppel Yacht Race conducted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron and by extending my involvement with umpiring to advance my knowledge in the sport. I encourage those who are training for selection to aim for this goal with a strong resolve as competing at a Youth Worlds is an experience not to be missed as it is the pinnacle of youth sailing in the world.
Curtis Skinner
Laser Radial