Jul-Aug 2012 Issue - the Aberdeen Boat Club

Photo by Erika Maher
ABC 29er Sailors Set Sail
for the ISAF Youth Worlds
This July, ABC sailors Nathan Bradley (L) and Cosmas
Grelon (R) will take part in the ISAF Youth Worlds in
Ireland, the pinnacle of competitive youth sailing. They
will be joined by four other ABC sailors at the 29er Worlds in
Germany later the same month. ABC Dinghy Sailing Manager
Kevin Lewis spoke to Nathan and Cosmas and asked them about
their first steps in dinghy sailing, racing and future plans.
Tell us what you can remember about first
learning to sail.
Nathan: I first started sailing an Optimist at ABC when I was
seven years old. I wanted to keep sailing, and eventually I heard
about the racing team. I wanted to join because I wanted to go
sailing more and it seemed like the best way. I moved to HHYC
and sailed there for three years because at that time they were
the only club to have a full-time race coach. My most memorable
experience was the Brazil world champs after eight months of
sailing! But my best result was the 10th place in Thai nationals.
Why start sailing 29ers?
Cosmas: I was too old for Optimists, and I wanted to sail closer
to where I lived. ABC had just employed a race coach and both
RHKYC and ABC were starting a 29er fleet.
Nathan: My ambition is to sail 49ers eventually, and the 29er
is the perfect step. It’s also a world-class ISAF youth class, so
competitive at the highest levels.
How did you end up sailing together?
Cosmas: I left Optimists a year before Nathan, and spent that
time training in the RS500 at ABC. I went to the RS500 Worlds
in the U.K. with Will Stephens and we won the youth world title
and were 5th overall. Then Nathan showed up and we decided
to try and team up. The hardest part was we were both naturally
skippers. Nathan being taller ended up as crew!
You won Gold in the Asian Sailing Championships in 2012 in
Langkawi, Malaysia. What challenges did you face there?
Nathan: It was very motivating, we put in a huge amount of
training, and winning the gold showed what was possible. I had also
spent a lot of time learning a new and very different style of racing.
Cosmas: And we were racing against a former Optimist world
champion.
You have qualified for the ISAF 29er Worlds in Dublin in
July. What does this mean to you both?
Cosmas: Only one boat from each country is allowed, the level is
as high as it gets, the absolute top youth sailors in the world will
be there.
Nathan: It’s like a university degree, if you want a job they look at
your university degree, but if you want to be a professional sailor
they will look at this.
So what’s your ambition?
Nathan: Well, it’s a big challenge, but I suppose sailing a 49er in the
Olympics would be my goal. There’s a choice: sailing or university, I
don’t think I can keep sailing at the top level while studying.
Cosmas: Yeah, the problem in Hong Kong is things change when
you go to university and sailing by necessity has to take second
place. But I guess I’ll still sail competitively as much as I can.
The 29er ISAF Youth Worlds take place between 12 and 20
July in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, directly followed by the World
Championships in Travemünde, Germany. Keep current with the
ABC team on our website and Facebook page:
www.abclubhk.com (Dinghy / High Performance Squad)
www.facebook.com/AberdeenBoatClub