Osprey Nationals 2013 - A first-timer's view

Published 23:26 on 24 Jul 2013

It was with some nervousness that I entered the National Championship as I had only sailed on an Osprey twice prior to the first day of the competition. As I normally sail a Laser Radial the Osprey not only handles very differently but I also had to get used to trying to work with an assistant helm. Overall, I enjoyed the racing. Tim Bowden from WSC kindly agreed to loan ÄúAble 2Äù his veteran Osprey which was nearly the oldest boat in the fleet but proved not to be the slowest in the fleet. This was great as my target going in was not to finish last- which we didnÄôt. On day 1, it seemed as though someone in the fleet had seriously upset the captain of a large cargo vessel which came and placed itself in the middle of our race course, and despite being asked to move, didnÄôt. Eventually our course was moved elsewhere and guess what? It moved and began to proceed towards our re-configured race course again- bizarre. The racing over the weekend was good with lots of sunshine and reasonable winds. The opposite was true on days 3 and 4 when the winds were unreliable and a sea mist rolled in quickly on day 4, with visibility down to 20 metres at times. This meant we could only complete 1 race each day on days 3 and 4. Over the four days, our results were extremely consistent where we achieved a 25th place in four races, as well as two 30th places and a 32nd. The racing was tight downwind and the gains were made from constantly trying to have clear air, as well as working the boat up in the light patches and down in the windier patches. I was very struck by how friendly and sociable the crews were as well as being very expert sailors. It was great meeting Emma from Poole, my own age and who was also taking part. After being unsure about entering, I was very pleased I did. I learnt a lot, had a great time and would now like the opportunity to helm an Osprey again and develop my skills- Many thanks to everyone who made the four very enjoyable days possible.Emma Stevenson

Last updated 15:13 on 28 July 2025