For 3rd time Axel Sly goes to Opti Worlds!
Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
August 2009
Difficult conditions with cold and rainy days, was what almost 200 sailors found this year at the qualifying event in Noroton, Connecticut. Axel's first day of sailing was difficult and he finished on a compromised position to reach his goal to finish top 5. But he consistently worked hard and made no mistakes during the following days, finishing in 3rd position at the end.
Going to the Optimist World Championship for 3 consecutive times is an outstanding achievement.
Axel notes about the event:
Day 1: The wind for the first day was about 3-8 knots, and a sunny day with temperatures around 60 degrees. The wind was shifty and lots of current. I struggled and got finishes of 8, 12, and 15. Not the best day for me, but consistent enough to keep me in the game.
Day 2: On Friday the races were much earlier and we got more wind. We got 5 – 13 knots. That day I finished way better and placed me in 7th by the end of the day with scores of 4, 3, and 7. I was relived and I knew everything was going to be fine because my drop (worst score) was a 15, so in any case I would be in a good position.
Day 3: Saturday was an interesting day. The wind was coming from land, so it meant big shifts and variable winds. When the Race Committee started my group, we could lay the mark from the start, everything was about speed. I was one of the top 3 half way up the first leg, but they abandoned that race. Then they restarted the race and there was a huge shift that put me in a bad position. I battled to finish 27th. Then we started more races that I finished 9, 1, 2 in tough conditions. This placed me in 4th overall for the end of the day.
Day 4: The last day was fun and exciting. I got a decent start due to tons of people over the line. Managed to be 7th by the gate mark and won the race. Then all I had to do the last race was to get a top ten and I would be fine. I played a conservative race and finished 8th. This hard work and effort made me qualify to the World Team.
Now he needs to work hard to reach his ultimate goal; to be a World Champion.
Turkey 2008, another great experience
Cesme, Turkey
July 14-25, 2008
Axel wrote: On the first day, I was extremely tired because of having a long
flight with many connections. We got to Cesme, at about around 4 or 5
pm. We got together with the Team, got to know the venue, the hotel,
and coach Marek explained all the plans at dinner. By the way, the
food was spectacular.
The venue was excellent, good winds, good geography and clear waters.
For the next couple days we practiced a ton, got the feeling of our
boats, and tested the racing area. We had 3 days of practice and two
of them were windy and one was light. We were expecting both
conditions for the regatta. More and more competitors came each day
from all over the world. Every now and then I would see some familiar
face. It was amazing to see the diversity of sailors throughout the
world.
For the first day of racing most of the team did badly. The wind was constant 16 - 18 knots and gusts up to 20 - 22 knots from the N to NNW. It was the windiest day we have seen since we got there, so it was harsh. The whole team and I needed much more physical conditions to be in shape and handle the wind.
The second day was the same, but just a touch windier, up to 25 knots. I did much better that day. Everyone got more adjusted to the wind. Plus, many kids were already quitting because it was another heavy air day.
The third day it was light and very shifty. I did ferociously bad because every race the wind would die and pick up, die and pick up. Every race there was more wind on one side because it picked up only on one side, but no one knew which side . All you had to do was get a clear start, go fast and cover the fleet, but I over think many things, and at the end, the simplest plan works out.
We didn't qualify for Team racing, we were 17th on the list and only 16 got in. Turkey got in because they were the host country. That day, my dad an I went on a scooter (small motorcycle) around the little town center of Cesme,. We also went to watched the Team Racing, It was full of suspense, all the positions would change in a matter of seconds. ISV got 3rd, Singapore got 2nd, and...... Puerto Rico won! It was so amazing and fun to watch.
The next days were of light wind and shifty like the third day of racing. The last day of the Regatta, the wind intensity was just like the 1st day, 16 - 18 knots sustained, I have a very good race, but I was OCS…
After the 3rd day of racing, my hopes were done and my goal was over, but now a week after, looking at the scores I realize that with 5 races and then, looking at the results with 15 races, a sailor who was in 100th, finished 16th. After 5 races, I was 35th, so if I would have done at least a top 15 every race , I would have finished top 20 at least. This has finally made me realize how never quitting, is so important, even when it seems impossible. I learned, more than ever, that your mind needs to be also trained to always push you up. You know it, but do it!
Turkey is an incredible country, with a lot of history. On the lay day, my dad and I went to Ephesus, a Roman city that was built about 3000 B.C. It was all in ruins, but some remains showed the history.
2007 World Sailing Championship
Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
July 2007
As we predicted, this Cagliari World’s will be remembered for many years, because of the hard winds of the Mistral.
During the days of racing two Mistrals went by the area, which average 30 Knots of wind. One day, racing was suspended, because many boats were breaking riggings.
55 Countries were represented with their 5 best sailors, so competition level was very good. Axel got a really hard time to sail in the windy conditions; only 5 of the 13 races were sailed on normal/low wind achieving Top 10 results on 3 of those races. Now is time to work and train hard, getting into the best shape for Turkey 2008.
