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Jon Emmett 49er Olympic sailing campaign and laser coaching 2006 News archive It always seem to happen that I end up coaching on some lovely days, and when I try and train myself the weather is never so good! Saturday at Hill Head there was a moderate South Westerly, more than enough to tire out the dozen or so local Laser sailors I put through their paces. As always, I left them with a DVD of their efforts to provide future entertainment! Saturday evening I dropped into Training Ship Lion of the Nautical Training Corps in Portsmouth. I feel I owe the NTC a great deal as it was they who first introduced me to sailing, which has now pretty much taken over my life! It was great to catch up with some old faces, some of whom it is years rather than months since I have seen them… Whilst in Portsmouth I also popped into Alexandra Sports to buy some new trainers. It has been over two years since I last ran as the impact really aggravated the disc problem in my neck. However being away for a whole month I thought it would be very nice if I could go for the odd run. Alexandra Sports first does a biomechanical analysis and talks to you about your intending running to ensure you come away with the right shoe. After going for several short runs with a variety of trainers I left the shop with the most cushioned pair available. Needless to say before I jumped back on the plane to Germany I popped into the International College of Oriental Medicine in East Grinstead for some acupuncture, and the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath for some more treatment from my physio., Tony, thus giving me the best preparation for my trip away. From Munich airport it was only a few hours drive to Attersee, Austria. This time I remembered to buy the motorway pass before crossing a border as I made the expensive mistake of not doing this a few years ago and I was certainly not going to repeat that error! Upon arrival I quickly registered and unloaded and washed my boat. It was extremely hot so I was keen to get out of the sun as soon as possible. All the competitors received a free model Laser kit in addition to the free food and drinks in the evenings which I thought was a nice touch. The evening entertainment was great with the European Football Championship (which was being held in Austria). On the days there were no football games we had live entertainment including a lady from the German X factor who came and sang (thankfully all in English!). I actually celebrated my 31s birthday on the last day of the regatta watching the European cup final. All the Austrians were very pleased to see Germany beaten (by Spain) so there was a wonderful party mood. Unfortunately we managed to race only one day, on day two, with the rest of the days suffering from no wind. Fortunately we went on the water on only one of the days we did not race. My time however was well spent as I sold lots of my book: Be Your Own Sailing Coach and made many contacts so I will certainly not have to look for coaching in the winter, as I will be in the nice position of being able to pick and choose the jobs I want! The day we did race there was a shifty breeze (not really surprising considering the lake is surrounded by mountains) and good hiking conditions. My starts were quite poor but I did well to pick through the fleet finishing third in the first race and winning the next two comfortably, giving me the event win. I had a leisurely drive up to Germany, taking two days to get up there before meeting up with a large British team in Warnemunde, most of whom had been racing in Kiel the week before. I joined the Radial development squad for a couple of days training before taking a day off before the regatta. The first day of racing was extremely light and we sailed just one race which I was very pleased to win after a frustrating day of general recalls, black flags, people starting in the wrong starts and over six hours on the water. It was a good job I had brought out lots of food and water! Day two was somewhat better with two more light wind races. The first I won comfortably but I was pushed hard in the second one. Usually when you are winning a race you can pull away from the chasing fleet as you have clean wind and lots of options. However I sailed into the fleet which had started five minutes in front, meaning I had lots of dirty wind and boats to overtake, allowing those behind a chance to close the gap. By the third day things were looking much better with enough breeze to hike and three races sailed. I scored a second in the first race and then got two more first places. With two discards allowed in the eight race series, it meant I was counting five firsts and a second. I had won the regatta with a day to spare. However the strongest wind of the event was forecast for the final day so I thought I should go out. After all it is all good training. Despite the first race finishing by half twelve we had only one race on the last day as they were not allowed to start a race after two o‘clock and they did not manage to get a race off by then. I finished third, not quite the way I wanted to finish the regatta, but fine considering I went the wrong way up the first beat and had to retie my toe strap half way through the race! So overall I win the Europa Cup series with wins in Holland, Denmark, Austria and Germany. I feel this has been excellent practice, having raced in most sea states (flat water to big waves) in shifty and constant winds and in light to strong breezes! I am now feeling well prepared as I travel to Belgium for the Radial European Championships. Lastly, I must also say a big thank you to Matt Larkin from Weir Wood, Sailing Club. Whilst in Austria my laptop charger broke (my Dell XPS needs a very powerful charger, so I could not simply borrow someone else’s…). Matt who is racing the International 14 World Championships on the same race course as the Radials used in Warnemunde, the following week, very kindly brought me out a new charger, although I did have fun trying to find him as he was in the East Marina and I was in the West! Anyway all sorted now and I am finally back on the Internet. Funny, I never realised what a slave to technology I was until I tried to survive two weeks without my laptop!
I arrived back in the UK on bank holiday Monday at 6:30 (with a 5:30 wake up call giving me plenty of time to take full of advantage of the all you can eat breakfast) and had to try very hard not to drive straight up to Weir Wood and go sailing again! However I decided it was more useful to go to the gym and do some stretching work to try and remove the muscle spasm which built up after a hard week’s racing. Tuesday started with pilates and then I did an interview with Southern counties radio. I was glad the wind was light or there would have been a real danger of me losing the interviewer, Katherine, off the front of my Laser. In the evening I did some light aerobic work and another marathon stretching session. I have decided it is wise to stay off the heavy weights until my neck has properly relaxed again. I then drove up to visit an old University friend, Paul Hyde and his wife Tab for a curry and a catch up. Unfortunately I missed their wedding due to my operation, so it was the first time I had seen Paul since his stag do. Wednesday morning and I travelled up to Grafham to do some one to one coaching (I have got to pay for these trips away somehow) and then hot footed it to Wembley sailing club in time for their evening race! Fortunately I won comfortably, otherwise they may have decided that they did not want me to coach them! Thursday and Friday I coached at Wembley with Ed Sibson. On the first day we worked on boat handling and then we ran a team racing competition. On the second day which was hard work but a lot of fun, we just managed to get all the races done before the wind completely disappeared. In the evening I managed to meet up with another old Uni friend, Ian Drew. It is really hard work to keep in contact with old friends but absolutely worth it. Funny how in many ways not much has changed since I was at Loughborough University! The weekend saw me doing a couple of opens, first at Oxford then at Lancing sailing club, both really friendly clubs, although through no fault of their own there was little wind. However I did manage to win all the races (3 at Oxford and 4 at Lancing) which has been a real confidence boost. On Monday I finally made it back to Weymouth (to do some more one to one coaching) and make my final preparations. I now have a few physio sessions (and quite a few evenings of ice) to get me in the best possible shape for my next trip away… I think I had better start packing! After the Hoorn Europa cup I drove north to Medemblik for the Delta Lloyd regatta, Holland’s grade 1 international event. It has been eight months since I last raced the Tornado, which I have done only once anyway, at the UK Nationals held at Weston Sailing Club. So this was always going to be a learning experience and the timing could not have been more perfect. There was a small but very high quality fleet of Tornados in Holland, basically fifteen of the seventeen teams who are going to the Olympics and who are now in their final stages of preparation for the most important regatta in the four year cycle, a couple of local (Dutch teams) and us. So we were never really going to be in a medal winning position! The sheet loads in the Tornado are huge (I felt convinced a couple of times my arms may have been ripped out of their sockets) but I always realised after having major surgery last year it was going to take a little while to get back up to full fitness, and after all the 2012 Olympics are a looooong way away! I also decided it was best to be cautious in this regatta. The Tornado is the fastest Olympic boat, reaching speeds of over 30 knots. The problem with this is when you suddenly stop, the crew continues at the speed the boat was going, which means when you hit the boat it really hurts! As a result we decided to sit out some of the windier races, so as not to damage the boat, or more importantly me! At the end of the regatta I am now feeling somewhat battered and bruised but still very much looking forward to my next Tornado sail. I am now catching the overnight ferry from Hook of Holland back to the UK to spend a week coaching before heading back to the continent again.
After finishing the spring Qualifiers (and thereby qualifying to represent the UK at the Radial Europeans in Nieuwpoort, Belgium, 12-19 July) I headed off to Holland for the Europa cup in Hoorn.
This year’s qualification for the Europeans was based on four of the last six Qualifiers. I won the first two held at Pwllheli (Wales) and Paignton (South West) before having my neck surgery and taking six months off to recover. During this time I missed events at Hastings (South coast) and Stokes Bay (South coast). My first Qualifier back was once again at Pwllheli and going into the last race I was leading the event. However as the wind rose my lack of weight (I lost over a stone during my time out) showed and I slipped into second place overall. However this was not a bad result considering the small amount of time I had spent in the boat, and since the event was won by an American I was still top Brit! The final Qualifier was at Weymouth (South West) where I do much of my training (as it is the venue for the 2012 Olympics). With light shifty winds it was always going to be a difficult regatta and since the National ranking was based on four events, whatever result I got I had to count. The first race I won the pin end of the line. However a large shift to the right on the first beat saw me only able to recover to sixth place. However I managed to win the next two races, to win the event by the skin of my teeth. I am therefore first on the Radial Ladder counting three firsts and one second place, eleven points clear of second place, thus gaining a place for the Europeans to be held in July. My aim now is to get up to weight and be as prepared as I can be. With only a couple of months to go this is a tall order, but it is achievable. Today I saw strength and conditioning coach, Dan Temple, who gave me my training programme for the summer. Between mid-May and the end of August I shall be away racing most of time and I shall only be “home” for three weeks, mainly coaching to get some pennies to keep me sailing! Therefore it is vital that I can get some effective training, especially to strengthen my spine and to continue to improve my aerobic fitness when I can not get to a gym, and making the most of the time when I can get into a gym. Before I head off to continental Europe for the Europa cup circuit I have two National ranking events, the first in Pwllheli, Wales, on the first weekend of May. So I will be training hard over the next couple of weeks! This will be my first “Qualifier” event for over seven months and I am really looking forward to it. The following weekend I am racing in Weymouth, leaving me just a couple of days to pack before catching the ferry to Holland, for the start of my travels.
My first weekend back coaching after more than seven months off was eventful to say the least. I was working with nearly twenty Lasers of varied abilities as part of the UKLA Southern regional training programme at Pagham Yacht Club (Chichester). It was a lot of fun even if the weather was something to be desired! We had 3 knots and at points nearly 30, and sometimes body crushing hail whilst at others lovely sunshine. It was like nothing I have ever experienced! I certainly found my video camera work was a little rusty as the first three minutes of filming were mostly of the sky, but in my defence it was a bit of a bumpy ride in the rib! However everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and they certainly learned a great deal… I also sold a few copies of Be Your Own Sailing Coach! My next coaching weekend is at Weston (Southampton) on April 19/20. I now finally feel I am getting back to normality!
After a successful launch at the Dinghy exhibition in Alexandra Palace at the beginning of the month, my first local book signing was at the East Grinstead Bookshop in the High Street this weekend. I started the day with two back to back live interviews for Southern counties radio. Several reporters from the local papers attended. There was an enthusiastic response to Be Your Own Sailing Coach which will also be published in America and Australia from next month. My next book signing will be in Weymouth WHSmiths on Saturday April 5th from 11am. I have already been interviewed by Wessex FM and hopefully there will be a piece in the Dorset Echo as well.
The Weston Grand Slam is a four day event (held at Weston Sailing Club on Southampton Water) over the Easter Holiday. I had a rest day on Thursday, and then set off from Weymouth around seven on Friday. I felt the wind on my van all the way there. Things did not start well with the wind already blowing 30 knots by the time I arrived and pretty much as soon as I got out of the van it had started to hail. However I managed to get the boat rigged in a small weather window before it started to sleet. The race committee decided to postpone the 11:00 race for an hour due to the weather. At 11:00 the wind moderated and the sun came out; things were looking good! At midday the wind was once again honking, but the race was started. After much swimming I made my way to the front of the Laser fleet, grabbing the lead down the top reach and after a close tussle establishing a clear lead up the second beat. I probably did more swimming on this one day then I did in all of 2007. Upon completion of the first lap I came inshore to the flatter water on the right hand side of the beat. Only to notice the postponement flag was flying, Doh! All that effort for no result… Upon returning ashore I found all racing for the day had been abandoned, but despite this I am sure the cameraman who came down from ITV to film me got some great footage. The forecast for Saturday was much the same as Friday, so I was not surprised when there was no racing for the day. So I took the time to go to the gym and do some exercises to help improve my spine stability plus some light aerobic work so I could do some developmental stretches. I still have a long way to go with my fitness, but with time and effort I know I will get there. In the evening the club did an excellent hog roast, which was enjoyed by all. This also gave me a chance to show some of the club members my book: Be Your Own Sailing Coach, and I was delighted when the first person I spoke to had already bought a copy from the local chandlery that morning! Sunday, and the wind was slightly lighter and finally we got some races in! The morning was cold (I had to break some ice off my boat) and the windy gusty. At one point after completing a tack I thought I was holding my tiller but I wasn’t (my hands were numb) and the boat headed back up head to wind. After a six month wait to return to sailing, this was not really what I had hoped for but as they say, every little helps. I comfortably won both races in my class (Laser Radial) however on handicap things were very tight in the fleet. I found it very hard to concentrate, having been out of racing for some time but I am sure as with the physical skills this will come with time. The final day of racing saw lighter winds and I once again managed to comfortably win my class but on handicap I was forced into second place in the final race leaving me to count 1,1,1,2 in my score. My prize was a great big Easter egg! Today I finally got back on the water after taking six months out due to injury, and I must say I was very nervous, waking a good hour before I needed to get up, just as I would at a World Championship. Preparation as always started the night before when I found out I had actually sold my kicking strap (and I had to re-rig one which is normally something I would not have to think about, but somehow seemed so alien). I also found I could barely open my sailing bags where the salt had made a good job of sealing the zips shut! I have just returned from "The Dinghy Show" held at Alexandra Palace on March 1/2 where my book "Be Your Own Sailing Coach" was launched. The show really marks the start of the sailing season in the UK and is a great chance to meet people and find out what they are up to this season. I split my time between the Laser Class Association stand in my role as training officer for the class and the Kelvin Hughes stand where I did a session of book signings each day. The signings were great fun as it gave me an opportunity to meet some of the sailors who will be reading my book! I am currently very excited about the official launch of Be Your Own Sailing Coach which will be at Alexandra Palace this weekend (March 1/ 2). I will be running book signing sessions on the Kelvin Hughes stand both days which I am really looking forward to!: Saturday 11:30-12:30 The rest of the time I shall be on the Laser stand in my role as Training Officer for the UK Class Association. I have sailed Lasers for over 15 years and I really enjoy welcoming new people to the class and passing on those top tips to help people get the most out of their sailing. So all in all it is going to be a busy weekend! When I sat down to write Be Your Own Sailing Coach, I wanted a book which would be easy to read and therefore broke racing down into bite sized pieces. Having divided up twenty topics (some huge like tactics and some much smaller like sponsorship) it seemed the best way to review them was on a dartboard, so by drawing a picture (or you can just photocopy it from the back of the book) you can easily compare the different aspects of your sailing. The contents of the chapters are really based on the questions which I have been frequently asked in over a decade of coaching. The key ideas apply just as much to an Optimist as an America’s cup boat. It is designed to help anyone advance their racing skills. Just pick out the bits which apply to you now!
We are all now leading increasingly busy lives, and although we always make time for the things that are really important to us it can be hard sometimes to make the opportunity to sail. At the time you have set aside there may be either too much or no wind, or the amount of time you can spend on the water may be restricted by finances. Perhaps To really improve your performance you need to address your weakest areas. Be Your Own Sailing Coach (published by Wiley) is the book for you. It shows you how to set your own overall sailing goals, and breaks them down into manageable - yet stretching - mini-goals.
Today I have had my final consultation with my neurosurgeon and I am now able to return to training in preparation for the 2012 Olympics. Having taken six months off to recover after surgery to remove two prolapsed discs in my neck (with the bottom three vertebrae in my neck being fused) it seems like a very long time since I have been on the water. 2007 was a difficult year and although I maintained my number one rank in the Radial class and posted a top five result at the World championship, the injury and the anxiety about the forthcoming surgery affected me physically, mentally and emotionally in a way I can only now appreciate. This is without doubt the hardest thing I have been through in my life. I have never had such a break from physical activity which is my main stress relief, and during the first six weeks after surgery I was not allowed to lift anything heavier than a spoon with food on it. I felt I would go mad with boredom and frustration. After this I was allowed to start walking, and getting out of the house made things much easier, but as an incredibly hard working chap, not being able to do very much made be feel I was going somewhat mad. In order to get through the days pre-surgery I tried hard not to think about what was going on in my neck. I concentrated on the day to day tasks (it is amazing how much you have to do if you know you are not allowed to do any heavy lifting for six months) and on getting things in order for my time off. Even now I find it very difficult to think of the consequences if the surgery had not been successful, but fortunately that was a reality I did not have to cope with. Two days before the surgery I competed in my final National Ranking event at Paignton sailing club. I had a perfect score with four race wins, and for me this was hard as it really made me question whether having surgery was the correct thing to do, considering the risks involved. I now believe without a doubt I made the right choice, but at the time I found it very confusing. They say that overcoming challenges makes you who you are. Well this has been a huge challenge for me and I feel I have grown much stronger as a person as a result and it has highlighted the things that are really important to me. I am full of enthusiasm for my sailing and can not wait to get back on the water. An Olympic campaign demands dedication, but after what I have been through the last few months I absolutely know I have what it takes to keep going when the chips are down. I am now working hard on my fitness with an aim to be back on the water racing by Easter… I will keep you posted!
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