Summer has begun, with wild weather across the country and the Summer regattas are definitely in full swing. I hope everyone is safe, especially with the flooding in Queensland!
With the Sail Downunder Series over, inclusive of the three regattas; Sail Brisbane, Sail Sydney and Sail Melbourne, I now have a week’s break over Christmas time until the Laser Nationals begin on the 29th of December. It has been great to get back into the racing, and generally spending time in the boat. Since being over in Scotland for the World Championships, my school commitments and workload, as most know well, has taken hold of my time ultimately. So it has been a good feeling to be able to devote my undivided attention just to my sailing and racing.
Being held out of my home club the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, Sail Brisbane was a good place to start. During the event, mass amounts of torrential rain and diverse wind conditions made for an interesting racing environment, with the laser course area already placed under Green Island. I placed 8th overall and 2nd Woman to Claire Blom from the Netherlands.
In Sydney, with my coach Mike ‘Fletch’ Fletcher and the other Australian Laser Radial girls, we have begun a good relationship working in with Claire. Sydney is always an interesting place, and with so many variables affecting the race course, this means there is often a lot to get one’s head around. I had some good racing, where a few races I led with the top pack for all or major parts of races. However on a few occasions lost places by being on the wrong side of the wind as it shifted up a work. Again, I finished 8th woman, as the Radial Women and Men raced separately in Sail Sydney. My fleet positioning was the biggest area of work which was highlighted at both Sail Brisbane and Sail Sydney, and therefore was to become a primary focus coming into Sail Melbourne.
Sail Melbourne the first leg of the ISAF World Cup was loaded with internationals, and had the same kind of competitive feel as a “Worlds”. The regatta was mainly light to medium gradient winds, which meant using good observation skills and being an opportunist was extremely important. Melbourne also presented a wild thunderstorm, where the start boats measured up to 45 knots as boats on all courses struggled to stay upright. I finished 3rd Australian and 28th overall. Therefore with such interesting racing and a high quality fleet I’m eager to compete in the second round of the world cup: Miami OCR, in the USA. This event is to be held in late January.
However before this, I am preparing for the Australian Laser Nationals which is due to start on the 29th of December. Then to follow, is the Australian Youth Championships, both to be contended out of Georges River Sailing Club, on historical Botany Bay in Sydney.
Things are extremely busy! I’m enjoying the sailing, racing and venturing across Eastern Australia!
Stay posted for news after the Nationals and Youth Nationals!
All the very best for a Happy New Year!
Kind regards,
Ashley
Ashley Stoddart
Member of the Australian Sailing Development Squad
Laser Radial
Mobile: +61 (0)404 296 426
Phone: +61 (0)7 3204 4336
Email: ashley@stoddartelectrical.com.au
www.australiansailingteam.com.au