Silver at D1 Worlds
Written by Nick Thompson | 02 August 2011
I have just finished the Devoti D1 Worlds and I’m coming away with a Silver medal.
cycling has been tough but when you are riding along with the incredible scenery, warm airs and good friends the pain soon dissipates to the back of the mind and the miles fly past. As fun as the cycling was it was nothing when compared to the enjoyment of learning a new boat and then competing at the World Championships.
The D1 is a great boat combining some of the skills, speed and challenges of a skiff with elements of a hiking class. This makes for very close tough racing. The event was held over 4 days with 2 races per day for the first 3 days followed by a final double points non-discardable race on the final day. In attendance at the event were the seasoned D1 sailors including the current World Champion Agustin Zabalua, along with Laser legend and current World Champion Tom Slingsby, Finn legend and current European Chgampion Giles Scott, Ex-Laser star Andrea Casale, plus past Finn European Champion Ivan Gaspic.
Over the first 3 days Slingsby and I had some amazing battles often finishing within 2 seconds of each other over a 45-minute race, and I managed to never score out of the top 2. Going in to the final race Tom was 2 points clear so I had to beat him to win. We raced early launching at 7:30am to catch the morning breeze; however mid way through the race the wind clocked round to the typical Garda Southerly and the race was abandoned. This was a shame as I was looking like I was going to seal the win. We then raced again in a building breeze but this time Slingsby sailed superbly to take the win and the title, leaving me with the Silver medal. Congratulations Tom!
To compliment this cracking event the social scene was also very enjoyable, in the North end of Lake Garda it is as if everybody is a part of the same family, everybody knows each other and they all welcomed us as one of them. Together the local Sailors and Windsurfers seem to own a fair majority of the refined restaurants, hotels and bars, meaning we were often invited to eat at amazing tables overlooking the mountains whilst we enjoyed the delicious Italian cooking.
Overall it was a fantastic experience, I got to do some productive training whilst meeting some great people and learning some new skills. I will certainly be looking to head back to Lake Garda soon.