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| Copyright: Ian Roman |
With the festive season approaching,
all of us tend to look back on the year and also think about the
future. Although it's been a couple of months since the Moth Worlds
in Hawaii, it still feels just like yesterday. 5th overall
was better than I thought and with seven top ten finishes, it was
also very satisfying to show some consistency. I love the Moth Class
and I will continue to put in the hours practising, when the winter
weather allows. My personal racing highlight of this year was winning
the British National Moth Championship. It has been a long time since
I was racing against top competition solo and I haven't been racing
the Moth anywhere near as long as some of the class, so I was really
chuffed to bits.
Sailing in home waters brings its
advantages and Cowes Week is an event that I have enjoyed since I was
a nipper with my dad. This year racing with Keith Mills' 5 Degrees
West was very special, taking five bullets in a competitive class,
with Keith at the helm, who has really come on as a TP52 driver. The
crew were a great bunch of friends and top class sailors and we
really enjoyed the week and celebrated in style winning IRC 1.
Looking forward to next year, I am
setting my sights on the Volvo Ocean Race. For me, the race is the
ultimate test offshore and for me the one-design class has added to
the attraction. I have experienced the highs and the lows of the race
for the past ten years and I know that the next race will be no
different in that respect. The Volvo is a long long project and to
see it through, you have to be fully committed from the start and
have the backing of those around you. Leslie knows only too well how
the race takes over your life and she has always been a rock and so
understanding.
There has been a lot of talk and
discussion about the decision to go one-design and I am sure the
debate will continue for years to come but the fact is, I think that
everyone knows that Azzam was not the quickest boat last time out and
that is a huge disadvantage. Going one-design will not make all of
the teams equal but the quicker boat will be down to the skill of the
team racing it, rather than the designer or boat builder. How you
tune, trim and drive and the tactics employed will decide the outcome
and that is a big attraction to me and one of the main reason I have
decided to put myself forward. If you had asked me a year ago, if I
was going to do another race, I would have said no. But it is the
ultimate test and I have never been one to shy away from a challenge,
the Volvo is like an itch and I can't stop scratching it.
Happy Christmas to everyone, I hope
2014 is a great year!
Robert