Sailing, Seals and a Spitfire
Riddle rides the waves and gets a first hand sailing lesson from British Sailing Team hopefuls
Review by Marc Stickley
The moment the spinnaker curled and caught the wind again, perceptibly pulling our boat forward, a wave (excuse the pun) of exhilaration washed over me. In that instant, I completely understood how sailing had become the passion of so many. I had picked up the technique to do that. We were running with the wind, “really humming”, as the experienced sailors would say.
Here I was, until that day a sailing virgin, lucky enough to spend the day with Volvo’s Into the Blue team - being introduced to the sport by some of the country’s top sailors and British Sailing Team hopefuls.
We were sailing in RS Ventures, a small Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) boat, capable of taking eight sailors, but also easily crewed by two - or one Olympic sailor and some ballast - which is how it felt when we first hit the water! Designed for beginners like me, the Venture made it easy to get to grips with the basics without compromising the thrill of the ride. Safely aided by 2012 Olympic Silver Medallist Stuart Bithell, I quickly learnt how to steer with the rudder, keeping the tell tail strings on the gib flying free. Disappearing up a channel (and giggling like a naughty schoolboy in the process) with Stu’s Silver medal partner from 2012, Luke Patience and his boat, I soon found myself changing direction to keep the sails in the wind, regardless of the hull’s position. Trying not to run aground as we explored ever narrowing channels, we also got as close as I have ever been to some seals around Hayling Island.
We were largely successful in staying afloat - thanks to some creative and furious tacking from Stu - but despite being the lighter boat, Luke had to jump out and push his at one point!
In the afternoon, we tried to stay ahead of the other boats in a series of short races that broadened my understanding of the Olympic sailing I had followed on the TV in 2012 - most people will remember Sir Ben Ainslie’s exploits. Each boat was crewed by a member of the GB Sailing Team and experiencing the rush of (novice) competitive sailing, I could easily tell how the Team GB Squad felt in each and every race. The technical expertise to sail is specialist, but the knowledge (and I swear Jedi powers) that tells these athletes when the wind will pick up, when to tack, how to get the jump on the other boats at the start line (following a complex countdown and rolling start process) is awe inspiring. I’m beginning to sail close to the wind with this, dangerously close to gushing, but this was an amazing day and one which has deepened my respect for those that compete in any sport aiming for the highest level - the Olympics
The only slightly distracting thing to a petrol head like myself was the constant presence of a Spitfire flying overhead, but this only added to the experience.
The members of the GB Sailing Team looking after us were Stu and his partner in the 49er Class, John Pink, Luke and his Men’s 470 partner Elliot Willis, Helen Lucas (Paralympic Gold medallist in 2012), Nick Thompson (who had just bagged Gold in his Laser at the World Championships) and Silver Medallist Saskia Clark, who will compete in the Women’s 470 Class with her partner Hannah Mills. Many of the guys had just returned from Rio de Janeiro, where they had been conducting recce runs and warm up competitions for the Olympics. The World Championships for some classes are due to be held in Buenos Aires next month. Then for some, there are the 2016 World Championships in Clearwater, Florida - being held early next year to deconflict with the Olympics - before more training in California for some and then the short run uo to the Rio Olympics begin. These athletes have competed and lived together for the last six years on and off and the camaraderie was obvious.
For Stu, as well as some of the others I spoke to, the pressure has been on to perform. The London Olympics were Stu and Luke’s first, so they were the underdogs. For Rio, they are returning in new partnerships and there are high expectations. The hectic schedule leading up to team selection cannot be easy to manage, but I got a real feeling that these athletes enjoy what they do immensely and were ready to impart some of that enjoyment (and thankfully knowledge) to me.
I have no doubt that the guys that looked after me so well will do a brilliant job in Rio - sailing is one sport where we truly hold an advantage over the rest of the world. If they can manage to keep this land lubber not only dry, but also spend an adrenaline fuelled day learning new skills - skills I’d be prepared to use sailing again - then I have no doubt there will be medals in the bag too! 
Since writing, the Team GB announcement made on 9 Sep gave the names of 4 of the first 8 places in the Olympic sailing squad, which go to Nick Thompson in Lasers, Luke and Elliot in the 470M and Saskia and Hannah Mills in the 470W. My fingers are firmly crossed for Stu, Pinky and Helena.
The UK arm of the Swedish car manufacturer, Volvo, has been the sponsor of the Royal Yachting Association’s British Sailing Team for a number of years and continues to actively support the future of British sailing.