We are now coming out of winter hibernation! I’ve got the boats out of their winter storage in 7th Wave’s shed and am just in the process of getting all the kit together to give to the team when we start training on 23rd April.
This year sees quite a few changes to the team, with Dylan Sewell, Tim Chan, Will Henthorn, Matt Perry, Patrick Cope, Stephen Arnold, Ross Arnold and Rory Donegan ALL out growing the Teras this year! The good news is that all of these sailors are carrying on with their sailing careers in bigger boats. Patrick and Matt have both had good results in the the RS Feva class. The others are moving into the Laser class, and showing good promise for Island Games events in the future.
Our star sailors Ben Batchelor and Alec Cope are staying in the MYSS for one more season and both are looking for top 5 finishes at UK and World championships this year. Ben is currently ranked Number 1 in the UK! This was based on his results last year at the RS Tera Start of Season, Inland and National Championships in 2015. He has been awarded a Cavendish Scholarship through the Isle of Man Sport Aid Foundation, which gives him access to gym, nutritional and psychological support, physiotherapy, plus a small grant to help toward travel costs. Ben says that SAF has made his sailing more physical, he is more mentally prepared and it has changed his outlook to a more professional approach. Cav is following Ben’s progress and he has even mentioned him on Twitter, much to Ben’s delight!
Alec has moved into the Pro class and his sailing has really come together this year. Alec was one of our younger squad members when he first started and in the last couple of seasons he has really started to mature and get some good results. We have high hopes for both of them this season.
We are excited to have five new young sailors joining us this year. Charlie Whitbread (age 12), Tom Whitbread (age 11), Henry Hotchkiss (age 11) and Teddy Dunn (age 10). I am still on the lookout for more girls to join the squad in the future!
These young sailors all have at least three years sailing experience under their belts and we are looking forward to helping them develop good racing skills through their four squad training weekends this year. They will all be racing regularly at their local sailing clubs throughout the season. The plan is to take this new team to the RS Tera National Championship in Pwllheli, North Wales, in August, for their first taste of a big event.