Monday, 3 July 2006
Skipper Training for Round Britain & Ireland.
When I was asked if I would deliver a Reflex 38 from Troon, Scotland to Southampton I jumped at the opportunity. It may seem a little bit silly but I thought it would be excellent training for the forthcoming Round Britain & Ireland race.
I am not thinking of it as a training session from a sailing skills point of view. It is really training in sleep deprivation and re acquainting myself with what life is like aboard a boat on a non stop passage. The total miles I will sail will equate to just one third of the race itself or the same distance as the Fastnet race. The main difference for me is that I am doing this two handed which is giving me a good opportunity to work with sleep patterns.
My sleep management on the RB&I race will be extremely important and will have a fairly large impact on the successful performance of Puma. As the skipper the responsibility of the final decision making lies with me. I will make decisions based on the continual flow of information provided to me by the navigators and the team on deck. If I am too tired then fundamental and elementary mistakes may occur. If I am sleeping at the wrong times then vital tactical calls may be missed. It is always difficult for the skipper to decide when the best time is to sleep and re charge the batteries and indeed what duration of sleep is required.
This trip is providing me with the ideal opportunity to experiment with how much sleep I can function with and what sleep patterns work best for me. With the lessons learnt I will be ready to get aboard Puma with a clear plan as to the best approach for my sleep management which will boost my confidence and performance from the outset. To me, success in the RB&I race will be the result of meticulous preparation in all areas and the attention to small details.
The down side of this little project is that I am sat in the Irish Sea with no wind, rain and a thunderstorm!! Oh well, I guess you have to expect that on the stretch of water between Ireland and Wales!
When I was asked if I would deliver a Reflex 38 from Troon, Scotland to Southampton I jumped at the opportunity. It may seem a little bit silly but I thought it would be excellent training for the forthcoming Round Britain & Ireland race.
I am not thinking of it as a training session from a sailing skills point of view. It is really training in sleep deprivation and re acquainting myself with what life is like aboard a boat on a non stop passage. The total miles I will sail will equate to just one third of the race itself or the same distance as the Fastnet race. The main difference for me is that I am doing this two handed which is giving me a good opportunity to work with sleep patterns.
My sleep management on the RB&I race will be extremely important and will have a fairly large impact on the successful performance of Puma. As the skipper the responsibility of the final decision making lies with me. I will make decisions based on the continual flow of information provided to me by the navigators and the team on deck. If I am too tired then fundamental and elementary mistakes may occur. If I am sleeping at the wrong times then vital tactical calls may be missed. It is always difficult for the skipper to decide when the best time is to sleep and re charge the batteries and indeed what duration of sleep is required.
This trip is providing me with the ideal opportunity to experiment with how much sleep I can function with and what sleep patterns work best for me. With the lessons learnt I will be ready to get aboard Puma with a clear plan as to the best approach for my sleep management which will boost my confidence and performance from the outset. To me, success in the RB&I race will be the result of meticulous preparation in all areas and the attention to small details.
The down side of this little project is that I am sat in the Irish Sea with no wind, rain and a thunderstorm!! Oh well, I guess you have to expect that on the stretch of water between Ireland and Wales!
posted by Sailing Logic at 8:58 PM
