Gdynia, Poland plays host to 84 boat's this week for the 2010 49'er European Championships and what a great venue!
The country has been a revelation for many of the competitors with its friendly people, laid back atmosphere and the value for money, thanks to being out of the Euro zone. Gdynia is one of Poland's most popular beach resort and with temperatures well into the 80's, it’s been busy.
On the water, it’s down to business for Team GBR as sailors look to peak for next month’s Sail for Gold regatta at the Olympic venue in Weymouth. That being the case, most teams are bringing out their guns and I'd expect this regatta to be a good form guide with all 5 performance teams going head to head for the 1st time this year.
The conditions are expected to be light although breeze is forecasted mid week. Expect the usual suspects up the front with the addition of the NZL sailors Burling and Turk. They have Dan Slater in the coach boat for this event and after an impressive Holland regatta; I’d expect them to feature in the top 10. The Austrian 'B' team of Zajack and Cazaka may also feature in the light winds.
Preparations for my guys, Draper-Greenhalgh and Fletcher-Sign have gone really well and confidence is high in the camp. It’s great to work with 2 teams that have such a similar approach and I'm hoping their efforts in training will be rewarded in the racing. Sailing, however, is not always like that and there will be some difficult races and a few mistakes. It’s all about learning from errors and continually refining the performance through the regatta. All being well, at the end of the week, the lads will be in a position to challenge for a medal in Saturdays Medal Race!
I'll let you all know how things are going mid regatta!
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