Feeling positive in a breakthrough season
Written by Chloe Martin | 26 June 2014
Winning my first ever ISAF Sailing World Cup medal in Palma back in April was a welcome surprise as well as a massive confidence boost.
My coach Hugh Styles has always believed in my ability and has said for a long time that I could do it, but I never quite believed I could actually follow it through and finish on the podium at an ISAF Sailing World Cup event.
I have put a tremendous amount of hard work in over the winter; out on the water as well as long hours in gym, so to finally win a medal was a great feeling and it proved that the things that I had been working on with my coach had been effective and worthwhile.
I had a cracking first day in Palma which gave me a great confidence boost for the rest of the regatta. I managed to win a race which was only the second race I had ever won at a World Cup event and it kind of felt like the pieces of jigsaw were finally starting to fall into place.
My Palma success gave me the belief that I could actually win races, compete at the top of the fleet and finish on the podium when competing against the best sailors from around the world.
Heading into the European Championships in Split, Croatia I knew that I could now do it and I was confident - a great feeling as we head into the key regattas this summer!
I worked hard in trying to iron out the mistakes which I made in Palma and focussed on my weaknesses which were identified from that regatta. I knew that I had improved a lot; I felt better within myself and had the belief that I could achieve a good result if I kept positive and made the right decisions.
It was quite a frustrating regatta with shifty and hot conditions which meant there was a lot of waiting around at the start of the day and out on the water. The main priority was to try and keep cool and hydrated and in the right frame of mind. You had to be ready to go if the wind did pick up but also had to be prepared to chill and sit back for long periods whilst we waited for the wind.
Heading into the regatta I was thinking a top five finish would have been a bonus, so to once again finish on the podium and win my first ever European Championship medal – a bronze – was a great achievement.
These two medals have definitely come at the right time as we head into a very important summer, they have given me a lot of confidence in knowing that if I put in the preparation and the hard work then I can actually achieve really good results and that is a fantastic thing to know.
As well as the two medals, there are also a lot of things which I have taken away which need work on so now it’s just a case of trying to push on with that in trying to create a good sailor that can sail well in all conditions.
My next stop is Rio, Brazil for the Test event which I am really excited for. It will be great to sail there again, the conditions are really interesting with all the tide lines and the effect that has, and then all the big hills and the wind shifts – it’s a really challenging place so it will be good to get out there again and get to grips with it.
Results are always important at whatever regatta you compete at, but the priority while I’m out there needs to be about getting to learn the venue and a greater understanding of the conditions it has to offer.
The Santander Worlds is the key regatta for me this year so my main focus is that, a top ten finish is my aim and a top five finish would be a bonus.