This weekend there are clinics galore going on, including ‘blasting, gybes and jumps’ from GetWindsurfing at Hayling Island and a wave clinic from the Baker Academy at Shoreham. 

On the equipment front, North Sails treated Boards to some inside information on their new sails, while Quatro showcased their new SUP range. 

We have also been covering all the latest news and gossip from the PWA in Costa Brava, with daily reports from Sean O’Brien here and all the gossip from Gran Canaria from Proffitt and the boys here. 

And finally don’t forget on Wednesday, 20th June we have the next LIVE Chat with Josh Stone at 7.30pm (UK time). 

Can Albeau overtake Dunkerbeck? Image credit PWA/JC.

Hopefully many of you have been making the most of the weather the past couple of days and looking forward to a good saturday session. Ant Baker was certainly ready for the wind today as he called an impromptu wave clinic and competition today, which will just be coming to a close as this news goes live, we hope to hear an update from Ant very soon!

Sail for Gold has dominated the news this week, with some incredible conditions here in the UK and all the top RS:X racers in the mix.

Sail for Gold – Wednesday Update

Sail for Gold – Thursday Update

Sail for Gold – Friday Update

Nick Dempsey racing at Rolex Miami OCR. Image credit Richard Langdon/Skandia Team GBR

Some 2013 gear has already been spotted this week, with the release of the NeilPryde Wizard and some brilliant shots of Andy ‘Bubble’ Chambers putting them through their paces. Plus, RRD showed us around their dealers conference including a sneak peak of the 2013 ranges.

Finally, Boards posted their second installment of ‘Deals of the Week’ sharing with you all the latest offers from the windsurfing world. Be sure to take a look and grab yourself a bargain!

Waiting for the start at Sail for Gold

The British sailor explained, “I had a really difficult first race today, it was the first time we had sailed in the bay in a little while. I was pretty sure that the left was going to be quite favoured but the problem was that I lost my lane and I had to tack out so the separation was massive. The course was big which meant the separation was big, so I was caught out today – it didn’t do what I thought it was going to do which is unfortunate.”

Bryony Shaw at Sail for Gold. Image credit: Matthew Dickens/ Skandia Team GBR

In the RS:X Women it was another extraordinary day for Poland’s Zofia Noceti-Klepacka – with two first places to add to her tally – making four wins and two seconds. Noceti-Klepacka is now discarding a second place and has a significant jump on her long-term rivals. Trailing her by 13 points in second place is Spain’s Marina Alabau, with Lee Korzits of Israel in third, another eight points behind.

Zofia Noceti-Klepacka’s enthusiasm is perhaps one of the reasons she is doing so well. “I am training really hard and I have some really good training partners who include a world champion and I am really seeing the results from this. I will continue to train hard in the hope that at the Olympic Games I do well. I love Weymouth, the conditions are great, the wind is great so I sail slalom for fun in the evenings! I really like the people here, it is like Poland.”

Zofia Noceti-Klepacka

Continue to keep up to date with Sail for Gold here on Boards and on the Sail for Gold website.

Whether you live in Llandudno, Lichfield, Largs or Lowestoft, the RYA’s Sail for Gold programme aims to bring London 2012 to your doorstep.

Nick Dempsey at the 2011 RS-X ISAF Worlds in Perth. Photo - Skandia Team GBR.

With the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sailing regattas taking place at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy this summer it would be all too easy for the rest of Britain’s sailing community to feel unconnected from events unfolding on the south coast.

But with the Games presenting such an enormous opportunity to put sailing and windsurfing on the map across the country and recruit new converts into our sport, Sail for Gold provides a nationwide framework of ways for everyone to get involved in special Olympic-themed activities to really make the London 2012 sailing events a truly nationwide spectacle.

Under the banner of ‘Inspire Celebrate Support’, Sail for Gold was launched in March 2011 and since then more than 500 clubs and centres across the whole of Britain have signed up to the programme to start nudging people in their local communities about what opportunities there are to learn to sail and windsurf, and continue participating regularly, in their areas.

Some have already held special Sail for Gold regattas, some hosted Sail for Gold-themed free Open and Taster Days and some ran ‘bring a friend for free’ days. Lots’ has been going on.

Astbury Sailsports - Mini Olympics

But with the clock striking midnight to welcome in the year of the London 2012 Games, that opportunity instantly magnified tenfold.  Over the course of the winter, clubs, centres and the RYA have been, and continue, to work feverishly to ensure people rally to show their support for the British Sailing Team, as well as organising fantastic events at their venues to celebrate the Games.

As Celia Edgington, the RYA’s Sail for Gold co-ordinator, explains:

“Sail for Gold is all about Britain’s sailing community coming together and showing the rest of the country just how amazing and inclusive the sport of sailing is. It really is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do this.

Britain has been the world’s top performing sailing nation for the past three Olympics and hopes are high that our sailors can once again shine at Weymouth and Portland. We want to use this success to inspire people throughout the country to get out on the water for the first time, or simply more often, to make a nationwide statement about what it really means to be an active, regular sailor or a member of a vibrant, friendly sailing club.”

Providing the focus of the RYA’s Sail for Gold activity this summer is national ‘Push The Boat Out’ day on Saturday 21 July. Taking place exactly one week before the start of the 2012 Olympic regatta, clubs, training centres, marinas and all boaters, whether sail, motor or windsurfing, are being encouraged to host an event or just get out on the water for the day.

The idea is to show massive, unified national support for the British Sailing Team, as well as showcasing what a great sport sailing is, through local media coverage and sharing event photos and details on the official Sail for Gold Facebook page.

Some clubs have already starting planning special events to coincide with Push the Boat Out with ideas ranging from mini Sail for Gold regattas, to treasure hunts and have-a-go days.

But it is important to remember that being part of Sail for Gold doesn’t have to mean loads of extra work for you or your organisation, or finding space in already crammed calendars. Why not just make one of your existing events Sail for Gold-branded and take advantage of everything that comes with that, from the RYA-supplied banners, medals and DVDs to the additional local publicity for your club or group that being involved in Sail for Gold brings?

Among the other highlights on the national Sail for Gold calendar this year are the touring ‘Our Sporting Life – Sail for Gold’ Olympic and Paralympic sailing heritage exhibition, which provides a fascinating walk through time from pre-World War I through to our present day champions. Alongside rare photos, memorabilia and recollections are also personal items shared with us by past Olympic and Paralympic greats. Plus June’s Passage to Portland at Weymouth and Portland gives sail and motor cruisers a truly unique opportunity to see the 2012 sailing venue prior to the Games and to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Sail for Gold Heritage Exhibition

Get a full flavour of what’s going on in this historic year below or to find out how you can get involved in Sail for Gold visit www.rya.org.uk/sailforgold

A jubilant Nick 'Golden Boy' Dempsey

Nick Dempsey and Ben Ainslie sealed victories in the RS:X windsurfing and Finn events on the final day of racing at the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta today (Saturday 11 June), with further podium glory for British sailors in the 470 women’s, 49er and women’s match racing events taking the GBR medal tally to nine from their home World Cup regatta.

Dempsey had competition both from in front and behind heading into the medal race for the RS:X men’s windsurfing event, but fought off the New Zealander Jon Paul Tobin and Dutchman Dorian van Rijsselberge to claim World Cup gold in his home town.

“It feels brilliant.  We’ve had some pretty similar conditions most days so it’s been immensely tight racing,” said Dempsey.

“JP and Dorian have been sailing amazingly so I couldn’t really put a foot wrong as they made it very difficult.  But to finish off like that was amazing.  That race is kind of what it’s been like all week, so it’s been tough but it’s a really good result.”

Bryony Shaw ended her regatta on a high with a win the RS:X women’s medal race to finish seventh overall.

For the latest news and information from the British camp, visit www.skandiateamgbr.com or follow us on Twitter (@skandiateamgbr).

Bryony Shaw

She may have missed out on the podium spots at the RS:X Windsurfing World Championships by the narrowest of margins, but Beijing bronze medallist Bryony Shaw drew huge confidence from her best ever World Championship finish as the event came to a close in Kerteminde, Denmark, on Saturday (4 September).

Shaw, who picked up a bronze on the 2012 waters at the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta last month, ended her Worlds campaign in a personal best of fourth place, tied on points with French rival Charlene Picon after the medal race but missing out on bronze due to Picon’s higher placing in the 10-boat finale.

It was a fight to the finish for Shaw, who went into Saturday’s final in fifth place but vying with four other girls for a shot at the podium spots.  In a testing race in which both shifting winds and seaweed on the course area played a part, the Skandia Team GBR sailor came through to finish third, but Picon placed just ahead of her to claim the bronze with silver going to Italy’s four-time Olympic medallist Alessandra Sensini and the world title to Shaw’s Spanish training partner Blanca Manchon.

“It’s a bit frustrating to have come so close,” Shaw admitted, “but it’s still my best ever result at a World Championship so it’s really pleasing from that point of view and I’ll take a lot of confidence from the way I’ve been sailing this week.

“I’ve climbed the board every day and that was a good feeling.”

“Everyone’s here at these World Championships, it’s been a great fleet, and to have beaten a couple of former World Champions in Marina [Alabau] and Zofia [Klepacka] shows that I’m in good company.

“My coach Dom Tidey had a lot of belief in me, probably more than I had in myself at the start of the week, but that grew throughout the week,” the 27-year-old continued.  

“It was a really mixed bag weather-wise so it was great to be tested in the all-round conditions and pitch where I am against the other girls. I’ve been the most consistent and had the lowest discard out of everyone this week so it’s great to know that it’s not fundamentals that I have to work on, just small things here and there.

“I think it just comes down to me being relaxed and confident and a case of me growing up a bit as a sailor – not doubting or over-analysing everything but staying happy and relaxed.”

Nick Dempsey

With a performance on the 2012 Weymouth waters his stated aim for the year, Nick Dempsey knew that a defence of his World Championship title was going to be a big ask.  The 2009 winner pulled himself back into the top ten medal positions on Friday’s penultimate day after an inconsistent scorecard this week, but placed tenth in the medal race to end his regatta in ninth overall.

“I had my moments this week, but really it just came down to a lack of experience and time in the venue,” Dempsey explained.
 “My focus for this year was always Skandia Sail for Gold in Weymouth, and having achieved my goal of a top three there I didn’t come here with a performance target in mind. The Worlds was really a secondary event for me and when you come to a World Championship with it as a secondary event you can’t really expect to challenge.

“This is a difficult venue – amazingly shifty, some days predictable and other days really random.  Experience in the venue really counts here – if you haven’t got it you make mistakes and you can’t afford to make mistakes at a World Championship or you get punished.” Dempsey had sympathy for his title-chasing opponents who struggled through the weed which was prevalent on the medal race area.

“I must have stopped about 15 times during that race.  It was marginal planing conditions, so you’d get planing, hit some weed, stop, get going again, stop, and so it went on.

“It was pretty frustrating and just a real shame for the other guys that the title had to be decided in conditions like that.”

Nick Dempsey

In Kerteminde, Denmark, Nick Dempsey will this week look to defend the RS:X Windsurfing World Championship title he won in his home town of Weymouth 12 months ago when racing starts on Sunday (29 August), while Beijing bronze medallist Bryony Shaw will hope her consistent form this season will carry her through to her first RS:X World Championship medal.

“To be World Champion is right up there,” said Dempsey of his 2009 Worlds victory.

“I hadn’t won it before and last year I was desperate to win – it was the right time and it meant a hell of a lot,” he explained.  

A disappointing medal race which led to bronze at Skandia Sail for Gold also means that Dempsey arrives at the World Championships eager to retain his crown, although he admits a second straight world title win would be no mean feat in the 120-strong men’s fleet.

“Everyone is getting better, everyone is getting faster and fitter, with better technique, they are learning to race better. The younger kids are starting to do well. It is getting harder and harder,” he explained.

Shaw is confident of her form and fitness going in the event: “It will be a hard fight, but I feel that this year has been going well and we have been hitting our goals. Speed-wise I am going pretty well and my fitness is up there for the light wind races.”

The venue conditions in many ways are also quite similar to Weymouth and Portland,” Shaw continued, “so to win a Worlds in a venue that is quite like the Olympic venue would also be a big statement about my capabilities of sailing in these types of conditions.”

Team GBR medal winners

There were bronze medals in the both the men’s and women’s RS:X windsurfing events at Sail for Gold, with Nick Dempsey losing ground after a risky starting strategy in his closely-fought medal race.

Four sailors were within easy reach of gold – Dempsey included – but it was Portugal’s Joao Rodrigues who came out on top, with Dutchman Dorian van Rijsselberge in silver and Dempsey in the bronze spot.

“It’s always going to be close, you’ve just got to give yourself the best chance and I’m just a little disappointed that I made an error at the start,” Dempsey admitted. “The rest of the race was fine and I did everything I needed to do to beat Julien [Bontemps] so that was good. That’s what I didn’t do in China,” Dempsey said, recalling his Beijing Olympic heartbreak where he finished fourth.

Shaw, the Beijing bronze medallist, went into the medal race in fourth place and fought back hard to claim her podium spot.

“Going into the medal race I had a couple of Italian girls who I had to beat and keep an eye on the French girl as well. She rounded first on the upwind mark and so my heart was beating fast as I really had to do something to stay in the race,” Shaw explained.

“I had a lot of pressure on me and a lot of doubt, but I’m really really happy that I’ve come out with a medal.

“We can take a lot of positives from this event and there’s also a lot of learners so hopefully we’ll be vying for a medal in 2012!”

www.skandiateamgbr.com

Nick Dempsey at the RS:X Worlds earlier this year. Photo: Richard Langdon

Birthday boy Nick Dempsey, who turned 30 today, heads into Saturday’s RS:X windsurfing medal race at Sail for Gold, Weymouth, as part of a four-way battle for gold between France’s Julien Bontemps, Dutchman Dorien van Rijsselberge and Portugal’s Joao Rodrigues.

Bryony Shaw will challenge for the podium in the RS:X women’s event – she’s two points off of bronze, with rising star Izzy Hamilton also making the cut for the medal race.

The final medal races start at 1000 on Saturday (14 August) with the RS:X Women scheduled for 1230 and RS:X Men at 1330

For the latest news and information, visit www.skandiateamgbr.com or follow us on Twitter (@skandiateamgbr) for updates during the regatta.

Nick Dempsey, not in front here but currently leading the RS:X fleet

In spite of a tough day on the water, results of 7,5 were enough for Nick Dempsey to maintain his overall lead in the RS:X windsurfing event, where he’s now four points ahead of the second placed Julien Bontemps of France.

“It was a really tough day today,” explained the reigning World Champion, who celebrates his 30th birthday tomorrow (Friday).

“Normally gold fleet racing is pretty tough but then you throw in some new conditions and it was really difficult. The race officer set a pretty difficult startline so it puts a bit more risk into it all and makes it hard to get off the line with a safe start.

“It was a solid day, I’m pretty happy. When it’s like that, it’s just a case of limiting the losses a little bit. You’ve just got to be patient.

“I was hoping for some light winds to mix it up a little bit,” Dempsey continued, “but it doesn’t matter what you want – it’s what you get and you have to do it in whatever you get. That’s what we strive to do.”

Bryony Shaw is one point off the podium positions in the RS:X women’s event.

The Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta continues on Friday 13 August. Racing for the Paralympic classes concludes on Friday, with the final 10-boat medal races for the Olympic classes scheduled for Saturday 14 August.

For the latest news and information, visit www.skandiateamgbr.com or follow us on Twitter (@skandiateamgbr) for updates during the regatta.