Rawlinson sisters set sights on Yngling Olympic Gold.

18th December, 2006

Yngling sailing in Miami

The last couple of months have gone by in a blur - there's been so much going on! The most important change has been to the team - the Sail for Gold regatta flagged up some issues within the team that couldn't be resolved, hence we've had to hold another trial. Fortunately that job was made easy, as we knew the moment we saw Sue Monson (24) that we were on to a winner - a fellow red-head! A few days out on the water made up our minds - this girl was talented, motivated and a calming influence in the boat. With three seasons experience on Bear of Britain and an extensive international racing background she was just what the team needed.

We wasted no time in getting to work on the water together. This last week we have been training at Hayling Island at the Olympic Squad Training Camp - a great opportunity for some quality coaching with Mark Nicholls. The wind howled and the rain poured! But we were out in all of it and managed to achieve all the goals we set for ourselves over the week - including a few unexpected achievements, such as wiping out down wind in 30 knots! I guess that's when you find out how a team is going to cope with pressure and I'm happy to say we worked through it really well - backing each other up, communicating well - even if it's simply a raised eyebrow and a "do you reckon we're going to make it down this next wave" look!!

Yngling sailing in Miami

Emma is now breaking from sailing for a couple of weeks to take accountancy exams. We'll then have a couple more weeks on the water before heading out to the clear waters and dazzling sunshine of Miami! We're looking forward to being able to spend long days on the water again. There's so much still to learn and so many areas to advance in. It will be great to have some other Ynglings to race and check our speed against. Meanwhile, until we leave, the hunt for sponsorship continues! Keep an eye on our website for more information on the team and the campaign. We'll keep it updated while we're out training and competing in Miami.

Victoria Rawlinson

Here you will find a more personal report from the team and what they are doing to prepare for their Olympic Yngling journey to Beijing.