August 27, 2019 3 min read
James Foster, Laser Radial and Sailing Chandlery sponsored sailor talks about his year so far.
My 2019 season started back in April at the Youth Nationals in Weymouth. The start of the regatta was super windy, with only the Laser fleet being sent out! Luckily, we completed one race and I managed to capsize 7 times! Not the best start to the event, but I bounced back over the coming days and was soon in 3rd place on the penultimate day. On the morning of the final day the conditions didn’t look hopeful, with not a ripple to be seen across the harbour. After an indefinite postponement, the breeze filled in and we sailed out to the bay for the final day of racing.
Unfortunately, as soon as the race began the breeze dropped off and became rather fickle causing one of my competitors to retire from the race in frustration. Despite finishing in 5th, my only remaining competition was behind me by far enough to clutch the Gold medal and claim the Youth National Champion title! Not a bad start to the season!
Between April and July I wasn’t able to get out on the water too much as I was completing my GCSE exams, but just days after my final exam I set off to Athens for the European Championships.
The Greek Laser Nationals were being held at the same venue as the Europeans, so myself and a couple of other GBR sailors took part in a few races as part of our training, which was great fun. There was a consistent breeze of over 20 knots but unfortunately by the time the Championships began, the wind had completely dropped leaving behind only 5 knots for the rest of the week with the occasional 90° wind shift. This led to some weird racing conditions and mark pile-ups of 40+ boats! In conclusion, despite my overall position I had a great time in the sunshine and was just glad to be away from all the textbooks!
After the Europeans I had a few days at home to rest before I left with the British Youth Worlds Team for the Youth Worlds in Gdynia, Poland.
On the first day the conditions were amazing, with a steady 12-15 knots from the Baltic; this made for very good racing and allowed me to come 7th in the first race. Over the coming days, the wind built up making for incredible racing! Despite the more favourable conditions I dropped a few places and was 18th coming into the last day of racing. The tension throughout the competitors built coming into the last day, with many British teams being in the contention for a medal! I managed to have a good day allowing me to gain two places and move up into 16th position overall.
I had such a great experience, I made lots of new friends from all over the world and will never forget the uber competitive evening Ping-Pong tournaments!!!
After 48 hours of travelling from Poland, I finally arrived in Canada with only two hours of sleep! Luckily this worked a treat as I felt very little jet lag! After a good night’s sleep, I was ready to set up my boat generously supplied by Phoenix Marine. From the onset of the event, it was evident that there was a very favoured left-hand side, but with random shifts and bands of pressure from both sides. This made for very interesting racing as the start became very critical for a successful race. I came 34th overall, however I learnt lots from the event and plan to take these lessons forwards to the upcoming qualifiers.
The day after returning from Canada, I transferred all my control lines back onto my own boat and began Parkstone Youth Week – which is a local event which is loads of fun for all youth sailors! We were lucky with the wind as the sea breeze brought medium to strong winds all week allowing me to achieve a clean sheet of six firsts! However, on the penultimate day, I lost the streak with a 3rd place behind two of my competitors Drew Barnes and Ollie Sturley. Despite this I redeemed myself with two more bullets on the final day.
Keep an eye on the Sailing Chandlery social channels to follow James progress in his Laser Radial.
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My favourite rope for splicing
Solid folding lock knife, this is my third one (dropped the last and the first I had for over 6 years).
Looks like it will be good at cutting rope, I've only ever used it for cutting cheese...
we order some stainless beta pins, good price and very quick delivery.
Zhik described this range as medium waterproofness. Unsure what this means and whether I need a spare set of gear for stronger weather. Not convinced but it fits well and it’s a good make. Would be good to see a long term review
The Inglefield clip was invented by Lieutenant Edward Inglefield RN in the 1890s, it has been standard issue to British warships since 1895.
The idea was to make a reliable and fast way of assembling a hoist of signal flags, which they do very well.
I have had a long involvement with these clips, mostly for flags, but they have other uses, for example the West Lancashire Seabird One Design (a half rater) use the clips for their spinnaker halyard attachment to the sail, and I have seen a big version cut out of steel plate for a special job.
The standard clips are made from brass, these medium size nylon ones are clearly not as strong as brass, but they are good for small flags.
A further advantage is the avoidance of metallic stains on the bunting.
I don't think they would be strong enough for a big flag in windy conditions, but that isnt what i purchased them for.
Brilliant rope pack - thanks
Well made and arrived well within time frame really happy with the cover and service highly recommended
Many thanks to the team for advice on which products are in stock and which is most suitable.
This part fitted exactly.Excellent expert advice. Promptly delivered.
Regards Martin
Buoyancy aid arrived nice and quickly, and a nice little park of love heart sweets. Haven’t had chance to sail in it yet, but it’s a nice fit and great quality. Should be testing it out this Sunday.
Quick delivery, well made product and perfect for my purposes.
Goods as described. Arrived promptly. Everything as expected.
I bought the rope to replace rope for stage curtains at our village hall. It was speedily delivered in time for the panto and is smooth to use and does the job perfectly!
Great easy to use web shop, delivered on time exactly as described, will deffo use again
Finding it difficult to refuel & surprised how quick the fuel runs out
Came exactly as described --work well--delivered promptly