World Tour for the Skud
Written by Alexandra Rickham | 19 January 2011
So here we are. Back in Miami for the start of the Pre-Paralympic year. Time is rolling by quickly and the competition is hotting up.
We just got back from Australia after 4 weeks of great training and the best regatta results we have ever had, thanks to BA Great Britons and all who voted for us to win the flights to get there.
Miami is always interesting for us because it is where we started as a team back in 2008. It is where we were selected for the Beijing 2008 team and where in 2009 we decided to continue on to 2012. For me personally being here means quite a lot as this is the first place I went sailing whilst in spinal rehab at the University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital. I guess it means in some ways it is quite a reflective and loaded venue for us as a team though it is great because we know all the people at the sailing centre here and feel very much at home.
We are hoping to bring the momentum we gained from Oz to US shores this year. We both headed out on the 9th on separate flights. I left a bit earlier with a substantial amount of luggage including a big tool bag and large quantities of hydration drinks and protein recovery shakes. Thank goodness we have an extra baggage allowance from UK Sport and British Airways.
Niki headed out on a flight with other team members including Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell. They sat next to Louis Theroux though Niki didn't know who he was. No such star spotting on my flight. We moved into our accommodation in Coconut Grove.
Loreen (my P.A.) and I are staying in one studio and Niki is sharing one next door with 49er team of Pink and Peacock. The boys have decided each night we'll rotate cooking duties which I suspect could turn into a bit of a competitive 'come dine with me' situation. Maggie the manager of the apartment block decided to make a sailing Wall of Fame in the lobby, showing all of the various teams they are hosting this year(see pic). She is terribly excited to have a part to play in the Olympic and Paralympic movement and has made our stay effortless for the past couple of years.
The next day was container unload day which was long as the containers were late, which is pretty standard for Miami. However we were very happy to get our boats on the right day as most of the team had bets down for arrival the following day.
We spent the next couple of days having our local boat builder Ezra put in our seating tracks and repair any niks in the gelcoat from transport in the container and we got into rigging. Ian our coach arrived after a mammoth 3 days travelling from Australia via the UK. He and Niki built up his RIB and we were ready to hit the water.
With 2 days to our first regatta we got back into the swing of things with boat handling and taking advantage of great winds and choppy conditions we had. Downwind was amazing with great speed in sunny conditions, though a slight chill in the air had appeared from the northerly bringing down the cold air from the blizzards in the northern states.
We then went straight into the Alex Caviglia Bluewater Classic, a small charity regatta hosted by Shake-A-Leg Miami. The wind had dropped substantially but we still got in 4 races on the first day. We had a stellar start with 2 race wins but the other teams put up a fight and we got a 3 and 2 for the last 2 races.
Day 2 was more difficult as the Aussie team over took us on countback following a 3, 2, 2 in races 5,6 and 7. The final day had very ominous clouds overhead with thunderstorms forecast, this had nothing to do with the appearance of Ben Chell team psychologist! Ben was riding along for the day to see how his stress management training had been going for us.
Unfortunately I think we failed somewhat as we let over thinking get the better of us. We posted a 2 and 4 for races 8 and 9 which wasn't enough to surpass the Aussies whose bullet in race 9 allowed them to win on count back with equal points.
It was frustrating not to have retained our title from the previous year but we know exactly where the work has to be done for the next few days before the Miami OCR, World Cup Event. Today we are having a day off which has involved a morning of fixing a leak we found in the boat, lunch with my old physio and visiting another friend's new baby.
Niki hit the gym, relaxed and went to the cinema with the boys. Tomorrow it is back at it with Biscayne Bay awaiting another day of fun and focus in SKUDland.