Ice breakers, intensive training, ageism amongst the
coaches
and some interesting general recalls and match racing
at the Farmoor Training and Oxford Traveller
From what we can gather (from the warmth of the website’s remote eyrie), the Class Training on the Farmoor Reservoir and the Oxford Traveller were a great start to the 420 Fleet’s new year.
Nearly thirty boats rolled up for the Saturday training day
to find ice on the reservoir and little wind. Undeterred the Coaching Team, led
by Head Coach, Neil Marsden, with Daniel Schieber, Jonny McGovern and Catherine
Alton, set about making this a very productive day off the water. With the
excellent turnout and the range of experience, Catherine reports that the
sailors were split into two groups. Neil and Catherine focussed on exploring
“common mistakes”, rig set-ups and tuning and land drills [from our satellite
vantage point we are sure that we spotted Catherine Alton demonstrating her
prowess on the trapeze – renowned, of course, since it helped her and Maria
Stanley to their medal at the 2007 Worlds in Brest – but we are concerned at the
apparent family collusion that has prevented any photograph of her
demonstration reaching us….so far!(ed)]. Meanwhile, Dan and Jonny did advanced
boat psychology and tactics – something about “What Helm’s Want” by Dan
apparently! [but does he deliver in his continuing career as a crew of
distinction, we ask?]. Meanwhile,
Richard Stanley went for some recreational ice-breaking – Farmoor (non-tidal)
was at low water apparently.
In the evening, the coaches thought that they would keep up
the pressure with a quiz. But, by all accounts, the tables were turned when a
question about the combined ages of the coaching team came up. Apparently the
consensus amongst the sailors did not impress the Head Coach, when a decade
excess was proposed (should you need answers to such questions in the future,
just call the Membership Hotline!).
On Sunday, there was some wind and some Club racing. A
series of general recalls led to some interesting activities around the start
line when, we gather, various Lasers and a 49er tried to race through the
assembled 420s. The 420 fleet must have seemed mighty, indeed local rumours
(Chinese whispers?) inflated the size of 420 fleet by 150% - well done guys,
made your presence felt then!
The OSC website subsequently carried the following report, from
a Club perspective:
“It sounds as though it was a balmy 8 degrees with a force 2-3 giving the first “pleasant” days sailing since Christmas.
“I understand we shared the water
with about fifty 420’s who were in for a training weekend. The morning race
must have been amusing with the 420’s coming back for a general recall,
upsetting the OOD’s plan to keep them behind the club classes. They eventually
started with the fast handicap sailing through their start line and the Lasers
and medium handicap also becoming entwined with the 420’s mid-race. Just what
you need to test out your sailing skills.
“In the afternoon, an inner/outer
loop scheme worked much better and all enjoyed the conditions until the breeze
began to fail.”
Anyway, we have been told that Phil was so busy practising
his match racing skills at one point that Amy & Katrina were able to come
through to take a lead in one race; in spite of shredding a kite, Phil &
Rosie still seem to have had the overall lead after the second race though. The
formal results we have are a bit sketchy at the moment – we understand that
those from a third race, run by Dan Schieber after the Club RO retired to the
Clubhouse (thanks, Dan!), may still be somewhere at Farmoor – but show Phil
& Rosie 1st after two races on countback from Ben and Konrad
(who won the first race). Amy & Katrina were running 3rd, with Tim &
Brian – making the journey from Dublin! – 4th and Neil & Catherine 5th.
By all accounts so far received (…..we are happy to receive
further embellishments! – after all there has been unusually little mention of
fourth coach, Jonny so far), the weekend was a success and proved to be a
useful and fun start to the season. Much of the story is shown in Helen Alton’s
images from both the training and the traveller [even if evidence of
Catherine’s prowess on the wire has been withheld! (ed)], see Photo News,
We thank Matt for his timely and factual account, Catherine
for her usual fulsome spilling of the beans, Helen for showing that this
photography thing runs in the family and Carla for her ever sensitive finger on
the pulse. If you find this attempt at a report of the weekend a total
travesty, you will surely tell us.
Better still write the next one! Of course, when the
Selectors begin, we hope that Miles will be filing his Y&Y reports again,
but we are keen to have reports from sailors and supporters about any of the
Class activities or the exploits of our sailors when doing missionary work in
other classes. If you cannot write a report, then we are happy to give you a
call and get your take on things, please let us know your interest by sending us an email