Download PDF - Oyster News 66 - Oyster Yachts
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HANNAH STODEL<br />
52 www.oystermarine.com<br />
Countdown to Qingdao<br />
and the Beijing Paralympics<br />
Cowes 2 Sail Open Regatta<br />
As we had no more international<br />
competitions scheduled before the<br />
Paralympic Games, Team <strong>Oyster</strong> decided<br />
to create our own regatta.<br />
Enlisting the help of long time Sonar sailor,<br />
Andy Cassels and the Cowes Corinthian<br />
Yacht club, we got a fleet of seven boats<br />
to join in, including the Irish and Norwegian<br />
teams and, the current Paralympic Gold<br />
medallists, the Israeli team. We also invited<br />
some able bodied sailors, including our<br />
long time tuning crew of Dan Parsons,<br />
Jon Waite and Joe Erskine.<br />
All in all we had four days of great<br />
competitive racing. In the end it came<br />
down to the last race between<br />
Team <strong>Oyster</strong> and the Norwegian team.<br />
Going into the last race on equal points<br />
is something we have been discussing<br />
recently as a possible scenario for the<br />
Games so to have some first hand<br />
expereince in Cowes was brilliant.<br />
Following a textbook start we covered<br />
the Norwegians all the way for two laps<br />
of the course, putting us last and last but<br />
one. Then on the final lap we sailed them<br />
to the wrong side of the course and split<br />
with them to what we knew was the<br />
favoured side. In the end we even<br />
managed a last race win, leaving the<br />
Norwegians fighting it out at the back.<br />
So Team <strong>Oyster</strong> took the title with our<br />
tuning crew coming in a very credible 4th.<br />
Great job boys!<br />
A huge thank you to the Cowes Corinthian<br />
Yacht club especially Debbie Macdonald<br />
for all their help with the organisation.<br />
Finally thank you to Andy Cassels and<br />
your Foundation for the loan of charter<br />
boats and the fantastic prize-giving dinner!<br />
Irish 2 Sail Open Regatta<br />
Following our regatta in Cowes, the Irish<br />
team decided to host a similar event in<br />
Kinsale, Cork. Loading up two boats, six<br />
sailors and one coach, Team <strong>Oyster</strong> took<br />
to the road once more. A special thank<br />
you must go to our driver, Steve Wood,<br />
for the two trips all the way from our<br />
warehouse in Colchester to Ireland – it’s a<br />
pretty long way, and we really appreciate<br />
how much effort it takes to get two boats<br />
and all the kit that we carry around to the<br />
various venues!<br />
We welcomed Martin Boatman to the team<br />
for the first time, taking over from<br />
Dan on the helm. All in all it was a great<br />
regatta with the Australians making the<br />
long journey over together with the<br />
Norwegians and of course the Irish!<br />
Nine boats took to the water from the<br />
stunning Kinsale Yacht Club and made for<br />
some incredibly tight racing in conditions<br />
not that dissimilar to those we might<br />
find in Qingdao.<br />
With nine races scheduled over three days<br />
we had some very long days on the water<br />
but it was well worth all the effort. Martin<br />
and the boys must be congratulated on<br />
their brilliant sailing – they came away<br />
to take the title and gave us some<br />
well-deserved grief around the racecourse.<br />
We finished 2nd, 16 points clear of our<br />
old rivals the Norwegians.<br />
Photo: Liz Harrison<br />
It sent a great message to all of our<br />
Paralympic competitors, as effectively it<br />
was the British that came out on top once<br />
again. Things are certainly looking up and<br />
finally all those long hours on the water<br />
are starting to stick.<br />
We fly out to Qingdao on August 21<br />
with our tuning crew. Let’s hope the<br />
outstanding Olympic sailing success<br />
rubs off on us!<br />
So the waiting is almost over and my next<br />
report will tell the whole story of our<br />
Paralympic regatta. Without all the support<br />
over many, many years from Richard,<br />
<strong>Oyster</strong> and a number of <strong>Oyster</strong> owners<br />
there would be no story to tell so a big<br />
thank you to you all.