Cast your mind back to when you first learned how to sail.
A lot of us would've started in the trusty optimist. Normally sailed by younger kids, under 12.
Today, we're going to do the 10 year sailing challenge
Jack and Sam, from the British Sailing Team. They normally sail Lasers but today we're going to put them in the optimists
and put them to the test.
I've heard you've got a little bit of experience in these boats.
Yeah, I used to sail them when I was a kid, when I used to live in Portugal.
And how long ago was that?
About 10 years ago.
So you normally sail a Laser?
Yeah.
We're pushing 35 knots here. Would you normally go out in these conditions in your Laser?
No.
Okay, cool.
Right Sam, come to you. Have you go any experience in these boats?
Err, no. I've never actually sailed an Oppy apart from 3 months ago when I went in for the first time and I sunk.
Okay, good start. So how are you going to take Jack down?
Well, he's a bit of a wimp to be honest. He doesn't like these kind of conditions, this much wind.
So I'm hoping using my strong wind experience I can out smart him on the water.
Okay, so you told me earlier that you are best friends, team mates but you also hate each other.
Is that true?
Umm, slightly. We go through phases.
Okay, in your last event who won?
Ahh, Jack.
Okay!
Jack who normally wins
Probably me.
Probably you? Is that right?
No, that's very unlikely.
Okay so, it's very very windy. Is it going to be total carnage out there?
Umm, who knows. I've never sailed these so I don't know what will happen but it's looking a bit of a fruity day out there.
So should be fun.
Okay Jack, you've got the experience. Pressure is on. What is your tactic going to be to beat Sam?
Err, not capsize. Not sink and sit on his face up wind the whole time.
Okay
So race one. Talk us through it.
Sam started ahead of me. Had a good start.
And then I headed out covering Jack
Came in to windward mark but unfortunately some pesky RIB wake meant that I hit the windward mark so that wasn't ideal.
So we had to do spins and I overtook him.
And who won?
Me
So because you hit the mark, its basically breaking the rules.
Yeah, so you have to do a 360 at that point.
What do you mean when you say covering Jack?
I wasn't sure on my speed or strategy really because it was very few shifts so i thought i just need
to stick near him and try and position against him well.
To lead into the wind on mark.
But that pesky RIB.
Yeah, pesky RIB got me.
So, you're down one. Talk us through race 2.
Well, I just thought, try not to panic, keep things cool and simple.
I could see Jack was lining up for port flyer so that's where he just starts the port end and just goes.
So I thought I'll starboard him and tack immediately which is pretty much what I did.
Had a good tack and managed to carry a lot of speed through.
So he was ahead of me as soon as the race started.
I then hit him on the lay line.
So he ended up winning the race by miles.
Just so some people might not know, what do you mean by lay line?
That's the imaginary line on which you'd tack on to get round the windward mark.
The perfect line.
Okay, so it's one a piece. So its all tense. What happened in race 3?
Umm, unfortunately I was at the wrong end of the line at go.
And Sam had a very good start. With our 20 second count down I spotted an opportunity to do a port flyer
So, I went to the port end and did a nice port flyer and carried on all the way to the starboard lay line
on the other side and came in the windward mark leading and then went down wind and didn't hit the windward mark this time.
Yay! So ahead of him the whole race and you won it. So overall you are the winner!
So, Sam won 2-1. How does it feel to lose?
It feel pretty great. No, I'm joking obviously. Quite disappointed, obviously my life's been leading u to this moment.
To have lost it at this stage is pretty upsetting.
But you can get him back on the Lasers.
Yeah, exactly. I'll let him take the Optimists and I'll have the Lasers.