Coaching day for the Laser ‘B’ team*
by Fiona Nightingale
The ‘B’ Team included a mix of 12 ELYC’s Laser sailors, including some fairly new to Laser sailing, recent returners, new club members with less experience of sailing on the sea (let alone with a hearty North Berwick swell), and those seeking to better their sailing through a class-specific training opportunity.
During an introductory session in the Sail Loft (nice gentle start to a Sunday morning, thank you John) John Wilcox gave the group a couple of key points to consider, which at the outset seemed simple enough, but as the day went on and we took our learning afloat further discussion and on-the-water tuition added breadth and depth to those points.
A lunch of hot soup and filled rolls prepared by Catrina followed by mounds of cake provided by Alison and Emily gave everybody their second wind and we headed out for two races in the afternoon. I definitely heard it suggested sotto voce that providing an abundance of cake was a deliberate ploy to sabotage the competition via excessive carb intake!
The sea state had kept most of us on our toes in the morning and now the swell picked up not allowing anybody to rest on their laurels. Our start line could be described as either ‘competitive close-quarters sailing’ or ‘mayhem’ depending on one’s position as they crossed the line however, we all made it round the course with the honours being shared after two races. At the final debrief there was no hiding from the video evidence which illustrated both sailing idiosyncrasies and new-found skills, reinforcing the key points John had returned to throughout the day.
*The ‘B’ team was undoubtedly the blossoming team. We banked new knowledge; our skill-levels burgeoned; our sailing became bolder; we came off the water buoyant, beaming and full of baking…. followed by bonding and banter in the bar.
Brimming with excitement for part 2 in October!
A huge thank you to John and David for giving up an entire day to coach other club members and to Jeanette, Harry and Andrew for assisting. It was a braw day.
Fiona Nightingale
