Musto Skiff Training
– Rutland, 28-29 February 2012
On the weekend of 28-29 Jan 2011, 7 hardy
Skiff sailors congregated at Rutland Water with respected
sailor and trainer Ian Turnbull - to be put through
their paces and learn a few tricks.
The motley crew of class-newbies, old
hands (including local hero Richard Stenhouse) and those
in between completed 7 short (2 lap) races on the first
day. We were kept moving by a good 10mph wind and
Ian hot on our tails - as he shadowed everyone round
to give timely hints, and capture all the right and
wrong practice on video for forensic examination later.
Under the pressure, few managed to avoid capsize (though
performance clearly improved as the day wore on). However,
with everyone dressed for the 4C forecast and the sun
shining strongly, the occasional swim could be welcomely
refreshing. We managed to get the boats away at dusk
before the water froze on the decks and spent some very
useful hours in the bar - reviewing the
footage from the day and good examples of how to do
it from Ian’s extensive video library (topping up the
first hour’s review of critical points over lunch).
The clear skies and wind had gone on Sunday,
so Ian had us concentrating on sorting out on land the
issues that had hindered our performance the day before:
important boat pimps, and tack and gybe choreography
(aboard David Annan’s boat – kindly lent); as well as
more video comparison between our practice and best
practice, and how to bridge between the two. The day
was rounded off with a discussion about the 2012 Worlds
at Weymouth, including how to find useful sources of
information and intelligence to inform your tactics.
Whatever their level, everyone seemed
to not just enjoy the two days, but to take a lot away
from it (much more than the ‘party bag’ of video clips
we received for further study at home). The session
on land gave as much or even greater value to the one
on water, and the two days together made it a complete
and rewarding package. I, for one, am looking for some
big performance improvements once I can put this learning
into practice. If you want to benefit from similar training
and some Weymouth-specific learning, you can join Ian
at the venue before the champs. Check the details online
and contact Ian if you want to book a place.
- Patrick Keen, GBR MS 246
|
