Miranda give us an interesting insight into the world of elite Laser sailing ...

I had an up and down regatta, which was a bit disappointing. I was 38th, but I also had some good moments, I was leading race 3 and slipped back in 6th and second for a long time in race 7 and slipped back to 8th. I also kept having good starts or fighting back really well from a bad start and then losing a lot of boats on the last lap. This probably indicates a speed problem, which was a surprise to me as speed is not usually my main problem!  But freo is a unique place with short, sharp waves, combined with the supplied masts being really stiff, I just didn't get my head around it and it turned out to be just one of those regattas where things just don't come together and I wasn't quite good enough this time.

So where to from here? The other radial girl, Sara Winther will most likely be selected for the games in the next week or so, and I wish her all the best for them. Also my sister Polly, will very likely be selected in the two handed boat, the 470 - fingers crossed!

I have an office job with Weta Marine, a company that sells a one design 4.4m trimaran called the Weta, so I will be doing that for the foreseeable future. On a local level there are laser nationals in mid january and sail auckland which I will do the in the radial for a bit of fun. Next year I want to get my fitness up to another level, it is amazing the change in fitness levels in sailing over the last 8-10 years. Where once extreme fitness may have given you an edge, now it is the norm, mostly because no one sits still downwind anymore. The finns basically stand up and pump downwind like a board sailor, the 470s pump their rigs upwind like a board and pump the kites one to one downwind, lasers are not allowed to pump one to one, but we are constantly moving the boat with our body weight to surf the boat down every little wave and as anyone who has sailed a laser will tell you, the hiking upwind bit is not so easy either. I am very fit, but I would love to push myself just that little bit father...

Thank you to everyone for all your support this year, despite not coming away with goods I have learnt a huge amount about how much attitude affects performance and how to asses something clearly and plan accordingly. I was randomly talking to the aussie sports psyc in freo, who said that sailing is all about making pressure decisions quickly, it is like playing chess while running a marathon, and if you have any weaknesses in your attitude and approach it shows them up pretty quickly! I have learnt so much this year and I really appreciate the opportunity. So thank you very much, especially to Destiny Bay and Yachtshare! Check out their websites www.destinybaywine.com and www.yachtshare.co.nz.

Cheers,
Miranda