Today we wrapped up our first week of official summer training. Last week we made the move from the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club to our summer training location of Kingston, Ontario. We have connected with our Canadian training squad and started a three week training block coached by 49er National Team member Justin Barnes.
For these next three weeks we are really trying to push our limits of boat handling in big breeze and waves. Our goal is to put a strong focus on our maneuvers and become more comfortable in the boat to prepare us for more skill specific training. This means we are spending long hours on the water and performing as many quality tacks, gybes and mark roundings as we can. Moreover, we are in the gym daily continuing to increase our body weight and improve our conditioning. This will help us manage the immense power of the 49er and better prepare us for the huge physical demands of short course racing.
Sailing in the big breeze has meant we have had a lot of equipment failures. We have been making trips to our local marine store nearly everyday and spent many hours repairing and replacing boat parts. This has been at a large cost as we have to purchase new equipment out of our own pocket and as well take the time to make repairs. Understandably, this is part of skiff sailing and as we re-familiarize ourselves with the boat breakages and boat repairs should be minimized.
We are ecstatic to be back in Kingston with the team, receiving quality coaching. These next two weeks will be a steep learning curve and an opportunity to really make big leaps forward. Look for an update at the end of the two weeks detailing how the camp wrapped up and our next steps!