2012 29er European Championships were held in Sopot, Poland. After taking time off following Kiel Week, we travelled from Berlin to Sopot. The venue was perfect for racing, with a long beach for boat storage and launching. The president of Poland was on hand for the opening ceremony, which made the event special in itself. The event had 96 entrants. Although the fleet was smaller than the 2011 Europeans, it was not without talent. We couldn’t find our groove at first, but once we did, we sailed well ending up in 14th overall as the second American team.
The next day was spent travelling to Travemunde, Germany. Worlds took place during Travemunde Week, where many other classes were racing as well. It was a great experience, despite our disappointing result of 70th. We were burned out by the time we got to worlds, naturally, after the long summer with little time away from sailing. Europeans and Worlds were scheduled very inconveniently, allowing only one day of rest (which we spent traveling) before the practice day. The event was long and sailed in shifty and light offshore winds, not unlike Europeans. Despite the adversity, the experience I gained competing in Worlds will translate into other sailing success, whether on the course, in the protest room, or when mentally preparing to compete. Had I sailed a great regatta I would not have learned nearly as much.
I learned numerous valuable lessons this summer. You always hear from coaches that preparation and boat work is key. It really is. If something breaks while you're sailing at a large event in Europe and end up with a DNF and possibly a DNC in the next race, your hopes for finishing in the top may be over. Our boat was perfect with no problems, but only because we took the time to be certain of that. Its better to miss a day of practice and do boat work than to have a breakdown during a regatta. Regarding travel, its best to move your boat around yourself so that you're the one responsible. We had an incident while an Australian team was transporting my boat. A camper wrecked the boat while it was in their care (at no fault of their own). Taking responsibility for your own equipment may be the most important lesson I learned this summer. Going to Europe for seven weeks to compete in three events was a fantastic experience. I wouldn't trade it for anything, but in doing so I learned that in order to place on the podium at any large event, that event must be the main focus of a campaign. We did not express extra focus on any event, putting in the same effort at Kiel, Europeans, and Worlds. By the time we got to worlds, we were burned out. I just wanted a week away from sailing to decompress. I knew that I would be ready to sail at my best with just a small break. In hindsight, we should not have competed at the European Championships. It was a great learning experience, though. Another important lesson I learned is that good coach can make the difference between being on the podium and missing out on the top ten. We were fortunate to have Fred Strammer, currently campaigning for the 2016 Olympics in the 49er, coach us at Kiel week. Through his collegiate sailing experience, he was able to help us greatly in our starting technique, which needed improvement. Jonas Warrer coached us at Europeans. He won the gold medal in the 49er at the 2008 Olympics as a skipper, but narrowly missed out on this year's Olympics. He is a great tactician, which benefitted us, for the entire regatta was sailed in puffy and shifty offshore conditions. Finally, Martin Kirketerp, Jonas' crew at the 2008 Olympics, coached us at the World Championships. From his experience running an Olympic campaign, he understands how to avoid getting burned out (which we were at that point). Not only was he great on the water, he helped us stay levelheaded off the water while we were frustrated with our results. He understood our position, having limited success in his tenure with Team Sanya in the Volvo Ocean Race. While the results of the summer were not necessarily what I expected, it taught me what I need to know for next summer. We put in a high level of preparation, which proved to not be enough.
I would like to thank my parents for making this possible, our coaches: Fred Strammer, Jonas Warrer, and Martin Kirketerp, and finally the SDYC competition fund for its assistance in making this campaign possible.