Forward-thinking veteran

Bob Preston is amused by the suggestion that had fate followed a slightly different course, he might now possess an Olympic yachting gold medal. Actually, he admits he was never really that close, despite his former tornado skipper Rex Sellers eventually winning gold with Chris Timms at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Sellers would also win silver in the same class four years later in Seoul. The fact is, Preston recalls with some humour that Sellers had sacked him as his crewman about five years before Los Angeles. They'd sailed together at the 1972 world cherub championships, finishing second, and moved up to the tornado class before a personality clash eventually ended their relationship. Preston's not the least bit concerned about the failed partnership. The seasoned 61-year-old Nelson sailor has since followed an entirely different path and just 10 days ago in New Plymouth, he won his sixth national paper tiger championship title. He'd won his first way back in 1979 – the same year as his split with Sellers – ahead of further successes in 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2010, with this year's title completing a handy half dozen. Preston freely admits that he could do without the competitive intensity and financial pressures associated with Olympic campaigns. "You needed that extra level of killer instinct which I never had or wanted really," he says. "I think I just realised that I didn't have that extra bit [and] you've got to be good at raising that extra finance and that just wasn't me, which I accepted." He's now clearly found his niche on the New Zealand yachting scene and the one-man multi-hull paper tiger provides the perfect fit. He's been sailing tigers since 1974, having followed the customary procession of P class, cherub, laser, 470 and moth classes since first hitting the water as a 12-year-old. The tiger's now his domain and there's little he doesn't know about the boat. "Skippering a trailer sailer or skippering another boat is all right, but the laser, which is a class that everyone relates to, is a very physical boat, and I'm not that sort of yachtie really. "I'm a touchy-feely type – and I like the tuning side of the paper tiger because you've got quite a lot of choice with sails and foils, so it's a combination of things. "It's just like a car really; you've got the steerage, and some people's steering is better than others. It's knowing what you're looking for, which is the feel of the whole boat and knowing how to go about getting that feeling. Ad Feedback "The ideal yacht is one that you don't have to change many settings because it's tuned for overall conditions, whereas some people do fiddle a bit, but I don't. Too many people fiddle; it's a mental thing; and I'm not a fiddler." Nor is Preston interested in the mind games that some of the other sailors indulge in. "I don't get psyched out and there's a lot of psyching going on. I don't do it to other people, but other people do it to each other and try to do it to me but give up after knowing me for a wee while. "Just before the race I do settle into a different mode than what I would normally be sailing in. I've always been able to switch on just before the start gun goes – it's just a concentration level that's really intense. You've just got to stay there." Six titles clearly place him among New Zealand's all-time elite in his class, although several of his successes haven't come without incident. He almost knocked himself out during his 2009 championship-winning campaign in Nelson. He'd already sewn up the title ahead of the seventh and final race of the series in Tasman Bay, and despite not needing to sail, opted for one last dash on the water. However, it turned into the most eventful race of the week for Preston when trouble struck on just his second approach to the bottom mark. "I was heading toward the bottom mark and a couple of boats got a little bit out of control and sort of forced me to take evasive action," he recalls. "I gybed; the boom hit me on the head and I capsized and ended up with a bit of a dizzy head." He eventually regained his composure and continued but eventually decided that enough was enough and, with the series already in the bag, withdrew from the race. This year's successful campaign also produced some anxiety after Preston was forced to compete with a patched-up mainsail. He'd torn the sail on a marker pile in Nelson Harbour during his buildup, requiring local sailmaker John Leydon to complete some urgent repairs. It meant Preston entering the five-day regatta with the sail untested. "I didn't know if it was going to hold together or what, but it didn't seem to affect me too much. That sort of thing can play with people's heads a bit, but I've learnt not to let that sort of thing come into it. "The first time I used [the repaired sail] was the first race. I didn't have a chance to try it out because when we got up there it was pissing down with rain." He also had to fight off the effects of flu during the first three races, with illness actually forcing him out of the first race sailed in heavy 25 knot winds. As his health improved, however, so did his competitiveness. If his extensive sailing experience has taught him anything, it's ensuring he's always competitive at the start line. "The starts are so important and over the years you develop your own style of sailing and your own style of starting and you get to know the people around you, you know, who to be near and who not to be near. "Starting is one of my strengths. If you get a bad start and you end up in the 20s or 30s, you can catch up, but it's very hard to get past the top eight or nine. There's lots of boats going at very similar speed, so you can catch up to them. But it's very hard getting right to the top. "Most of the time you'll find the guy who gets the clear air start – there's usually four or five guys who will get good clear air and you'll all meet at the top mark together and it's all on from there. "The idea of not making any mistakes is high in priority and I seem to be able to pick what is a mistake and what's not." Preston likes to use the analogy of a snooker player thinking "five or six shots ahead" in his approach to sailing. He tries to stay mentally ahead of the competition. "I can see [what's developing] in five seconds time and I know where I want to be in five seconds time, whereas with a lot of other people, that five seconds time is now. In another five seconds they're where they shouldn't have been." Squash provides another useful analogy, specifically a player's ability to control the T and dominate an opponent – something Preston's also familiar with in a yachting context. "You can sail against someone who's a little bit better than you and wonder how the hell he does it, but you can still do that same thing to other people. So I relate to that squash scenario quite a bit and I quite often think about that, about who's going to try and dominate me and how do I counteract that." Preston's consistency on the national scene is also remarkable in the sense that Nelson doesn't have a competitive paper tiger fleet. Dave Shaw, who won last year's national title in Wellington, is the only tiger sailor in Nelson, and the pair interact freely and frequently when it comes to preparing their boats and training for regattas. Preston certainly isn't concerned about the absence of a local fleet, with six training sessions usually enough to get him ready for a national championship event. "I just cruise and go windsurfing when it's blowing and have a bit of an idea how many times I'd like to sail my tiger before the contest. It doesn't bother me, no, but it would bother other people. "It's just part of the overall plan that I've followed. But it's quite good to set a goal each year, which is the nationals and then peak at that time." Increasing age doesn't faze him either. Despite the obvious stress on legs, back and arms, Preston's learned to adapt. "Everyone when you get to this age, you've got your joint problems and neck problems and if you push it too hard you can actually do more damage, so I sort of know how far to go. "It's knowing how to relax and that concentration thing, being able to switch off and switch back on again. "That's the good thing about the tiger, it's not too physical. "It's like most things, you get out of it what you put into it."

Proposals for £8.3m sailing academy go on show

PLANS for an £8.3m sailing academy will go on show giving people the opportunity to give their opinions. The academy, in Pwllheli, designed to showcase the town to the world, is expected to provide a major shot in the arm for the area’s economy to the tune of around £1m a year. Ellis-Williams Architects in partnership with local architects Dobson:Owen have been working on initial designs, which are now open for all to see. This marks the start of a consultation process, with the designers on hand to explain how their preliminary design for the development will work and to receive feedback. Councillor John Wynn Jones, who leads on the economy for Gwynedd Council, said: “Good progress is being made on the sailing academy project with building work set to get underway in 2012 and the project completed by the end of 2013. “The architects appointed by the council have come up with an exciting initial design for the development, and we hope that as many local people as possible come along to the consultation day to let us know what they think. “This event is the first phase of this process of contacting, consulting, and listening to the community.” Gwynedd Council leader Cllr Dyfed Edwards added: “Without a doubt, Pwllheli is one of the top sailing venues in the British Isles which already hosts a number of high-profile national and international sailing events and regattas. “This flagship development will enable Pwllheli to attract bigger and more frequent races and competitions to the area. “Along with the economic boost, the development will also provide local people, and children especially, the opportunity to take part in water sports. This in turn will lead to more of our young people developing careers in the local outdoor activities sector.” The information event will be held at Pwllheli Sailing Club on Tuesday, January 17 from 12pm-8pm. The exhibition will remain on display at the sailing club for the remainder of the week, and will be on show at Neuadd Dwyfor in the town during the week commencing January 23.

Teenage Dutch sailor, 16, approaches end of solo voyage in stages around the world

AMSTERDAM — Teenage Dutch sailor Laura Dekker is nearing the finish of her solo sailing trip around the world almost the same way she began it — in good spirits, despite endless debate about the terms under which she is allowed to be at sea. Now 16, Dekker is on the final leg, a long stint from Cape Town, South Africa, to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, where she set sail in 2010. Amid blustery weather, she’s on pace to reach port in Philipsburg around Jan. 24, her lawyer Peter de Lange said in a telephone interview Wednesday. But in her native Netherlands, the story of her voyage has once again been overshadowed by conflicts with the Dutch school system and bureaucrats about approval for her trip. De Lange confirmed a report in De Volkskrant newspaper Tuesday that truancy officers issued her father a summons to appear late last year after a newspaper quoted her as saying she hadn’t been giving her studies full attention. De Lange said the report was a misunderstanding, based on her saying she needed to concentrate on sailing while weather in the Atlantic was poor. When her father refused to turn up, the truancy agency notified child protective services, infuriating the family. “Who knows, maybe they’ll be waiting for her with handcuffs at the finish line,” De Lange said. He added that the incident now appears to have blown over. But Dekker told a Belgian radio station by satellite phone on Friday that while the voyage had been a “dream come true,” she is considering moving to New Zealand when her trip is finished. Dekker has citizenship there because she was born on a boat off the New Zealand coast. De Lange said tensions may evaporate once the trip is over, given that Dekker is two years older than when she first announced her plans, and she wants to return to school anyway. A Dutch court originally blocked her voyage and only permitted her to set off after she bought a bigger, sturdier boat than the one she originally planned to use; fitted it with advanced navigation and radar equipment; enrolled in a special correspondence school; and took courses in first aid and coping with sleep deprivation. There are no questions of world firsts or records attached to Dekker’s trip. Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council have decided they will no longer recognize records for “youngest” sailors to avoid encouraging dangerous attempts. Unlike other young sailors to circumnavigate the globe in recent years, Dekker stopped at ports along the way to rest, repair her 38-foot (11.5 meter) ketch Guppy, and catch up on her studies before resuming her trip. Her circumnavigation attempt started two months after Abby Sunderland, a 16-year-old American, had to be rescued in a remote section of the Indian Ocean during an attempt to circle the globe. Jessica Watson of Australia completed a 210-day solo voyage at age 16. Dekker is now on day 508 of her voyage. “After another heavy squall with winds at 40 knots and rain streaming down, it slowly became a calmer night and a wonderful day,” Dekker said in her most recent journal entry, published on her website Tuesday.

Sailing Club Spotlight Oxford Sailing Club 2

Sailing Club Spotlight Oxford Sailing Club 1

Ainslie to sail with champion Oracle before entering America’s Cup with new team of his own

LONDON — Three-time Olympic gold medalist Ben Ainslie will sail in next year’s America’s Cup with defending champion Oracle, gaining experience for what he hopes will be a title challenge with his own team.

Ainslie said on Tuesday that his Ben Ainslie Racing outfit will compete in the America’s Cup World Series beginning immediately after this year’s London Olympics. Then he’ll join the crew of Oracle’s Defender for the 2013 America’s Cup in San Francisco.

Racing for Oracle will help underwrite what Ainslie estimated to be the $3.8 million cost of putting his own team together and the experience will be invaluable as the 34-year-old Briton aims to take BAR into the America’s Cup two years later.

“We have no intention whatsoever of competing as a challenger for the 34th America’s Cup,” Ainslie said. “It’s just not realistic in the time frame that we have in terms of putting the team together.

“But we very much hope to be a challenger in the future with the 35th America’s Cup and moving on.”

Ainslie won his Olympic golds in the Laser and Finn class, but the America’s Cup represents a big step up in difficulty.

The world series is raced in identical AC45 wingsail catamarans and the America’s Cup showpiece race utilizes even more high-powered AC72 boats.

Ainslie only recently set foot in an AC45 for the first time, sailing with Oracle chief Russell Coutts on San Francisco Bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Coutts said Ainslie showed enough on that short trip to convince him he can make the step up.

“Ben’s the top of the tops and it was pretty clear as soon as he jumped onboard the boat he had a great feel for the boat,” Coutts said. “The fact that he’s a four-time Olympic medalist doesn’t guarantee anything. I know from personal experience that there are times when he could end up with a bit of egg on his face.”

Neither Ainslie nor Coutts expects that to happen. After all, the Briton has already showed he knows how to meet new challenges.

Ainslie took silver in the Laser at the 1996 Olympics and, after winning gold in Sydney in 2000 in the same class, he switched to the Finn, a heavyweight dinghy. He won golds at Athens and Beijing and could become the most successful sailor in Olympic history with gold at this year’s London Games.

“He’s obviously a very determined sailor and he’s got a track record second to none,” said Coutts, whose four America’s Cup titles make him the most successful skipper in the 161-year history of the competition. “He’s very determined and very talented. Even though these boats are very different, talent’s the key thing.

“I’ve got no doubt he’s going to adapt to this new format very well. It suits very, very good sailors and actually amplifies their skills.”

Ainslie is still respectful of the challenge ahead.

“It’s full on racing these boats,” Ainslie said. “They are the ultimate racing machine. You make one error of judgment and suddenly a lot of people are flying in different directions. It’s going to make for very exciting racing.”

The commitment to international sport’s oldest trophy — which originates from 1851, when the schooner America humbled a fleet of British ships in a 53-nautical-mile race around the Isle of Wight — doesn’t affect Ainslie’s Olympic hopes.

He will compete in the Finn class again at Weymouth and Portland, the Olympic venue on the English Channel, and said he was still open to the idea of sailing at the 2016 Olympics.

“We’re going to race in the 2012-13 world series and that doesn’t start until late August 2012, so there’s absolutely no impingement on my Olympic plans,” Ainslie said. “I remain 100 percent focused and committed on that. This will kick in after that.”

The 2013 America’s Cup will be Ainslie’s fourth foray into the competition.

After the 2000 Olympics, Ainslie joined the American One World Challenge and he helped Team New Zealand hoist the Louis Vuitton Cup four years later. In 2008, he joined TeamOrigin as skipper only for the British venture to decide against competing in 2013 following changes to tournament rules.

Sailing duo secure Olympic spots

Young sailors Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell have been named as the latest members of Team GB for the London 2012 Olympics.

Patience and Bithell, both aged 25, will compete in the men's 470 Class, the British Olympic Association announced on Monday, 200 days before the opening ceremony of the Games.

The pair had to see off the challenge of double Olympic silver medallist Nick Rogers, sailing with Chris Grube, and double world champions Nic Asher and Elliot Willis to win the selection spot.

Team GB sailing team leader Stephen Park said: "Campaigning to represent Team GB at the Games in this class is probably the hardest challenge.

"Luke and Stuart have come a long way since they started sailing together back in 2009, and are a classic example of how getting the right complement of skillsets for helm and crew in the boat can really launch sailors' careers."

The pair won silver medal at last month's world championships and the confirmation of their inclusion brings to 21 the number of athletes who have been selected for Team GB.

Patience, from Helensburgh, Scotland, said: "Even though we weren't sailing together at the time, Stuart and I by complete coincidence were in the same room when London was announced as the hosts of the 2012 Olympic Games. I feel so privileged and am so excited to have been selected.

"We have just one goal and that's to win a gold medal this summer in London so selection is by no means the end of the job."

Bithell, from Rochdale, added: "Although we never doubted ourselves, it's still a big relief to have been selected and to know that we'll be there on the startline at our first Olympic Games and doing our best to bring home gold.

"As our coach put it when we learned of our selection 'we've climbed one peak, now we need to climb another, and the sunset's a whole lot nicer from the next one'."

Copyright © 2012 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

Disabled Sailing World Championship 2012

Sailing-French crew set round-the-world record !!

French skipper Loick Peyron and his crew of 13 have set a record for sailing non-stop around the world by cutting nearly three days off the previous mark to win the Jules Verne Trophy.

The 40-metre Maxi Banque Populaire V trimaran crossed the line of departure on Friday at 22:13 p.m. BT, circumnavigating the globe in 45 days, 13 hours and 42 minutes.

"To sail around the world in 45 days you've got to be at your limits very often," Peyron told reporters shortly after his trimaran docked in the northwestern French port of Brest amid much fanfare and huge crowds.

Peyron, 52, said the weather had not always been favourable and that there had been nerve-wracking moments passing through zones with many icebergs in the southern hemisphere.

"We had to be very careful going very fast through the red zones and I had to furrow my brow to calm my young jedis who liked to go even faster," he said. "I like to go fast but you also have to know how to go slow."

French skipper Franck Cammas had held the previous record for crossing the globe in 48 days seven hours and 44 minutes in 2010 aboard the Groupama III. He is currently taking partin the multi-stage Volvo Ocean Race.

The Jules Verne Trophy is a prize for crews who set a record circumnavigating the globe on a sailboat.

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Editing by John Mehaffey)

Sailing Club Spotlight Annandale Sailing Club 2

Sailing Club Spotlight Annandale Sailing Club 1

Sailing Cape Horn

SAILING CLUB SPOTLIGHT --- East Lothian Yacht Club 3