420 Stars

The Daily Sail talks to the top British 420 team

The 420 Class has been one of the most actively campaigned youth classes over the winter with two major prizes up for grabs in 2003. Firstly the 420 World Championships are to be held at Hayling Island, which means plenty of slots up for grabs for British sailors. Secondly the boat is the Boys and Girls doublehanded class at the ISAF Youth Worlds. The two events clash, but the Youth World’s slot has been the one most fought over.

The hottest ticket (for the Youth Worlds) was recently handed to the Scottish boys pairing of Callum MacDonald and Haakon Karlson following their five point win at the RYA Youth Trials. The Daily Sail recently cornered them at the Trials and started of by asking Callum what the focus was on, “I think people are trying just as hard to win this event and get to the ISAF Youth Worlds, they are definitely the thing to go for. People are more focused on this event.”

The pair have been sailing together since August last year and are both from the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club. Callum, who’s 18, has the longer track record in the 420. He finished second at last years Junior European Championship, crewed by Andrew Greer, and the year previously he came in 23rd. Haakon, 16, by contrast, nearly chucked his sailing in, as he explains: “I started off in Oppies when I was quite young, but I didn’t really like Oppies, well I didn’t really like sailing actually. Then I stopped for a while, but got back into it when my brother needed a crew for his 405 and then I went into 420s.”

You quickly get the impression that these two are a good match. Callum seems to be clearly focused and analytical, Haakon slightly more relaxed and philosophical. The 420 remains in their plans until a potential trip to the Melbourne Worlds in January 2004, Callum then has to leave the Youth Squad. Then they have their sights squarely on the 470. “We’ll see how it goes in a 470 and whether it is worth trying an Olympic campaign,” says Callum.

With British sailing strongly focused on the South coast, the pair have put in a lot of time travelling from their Scottish base. “We have a very good fleet of about 12 420s at out local club, so we have good regular racing there”, says Callum. He can now drive so things have become much more manageable, Haakon explains life on the road; “We do share quite a lot, with the two boat trailers. This year has been harder though with more weekend sailing. Coming down on a Friday after school then travelling back up on the Sunday gets a bit hard.”

The Trials proved to be a close run event in a range of conditions, from strong breezy days to lighter more shifty conditions. One of the strengths the two have shown is to dig themselves out of bad positions. In the big fleet starts they were cautious not to throw the event away with any OCS situations, this did mean though that on occasions they had some places to make up off the start line. “Sometimes we haven’t often got away on the best start, it’s too big a risk to take early on in a regatta, so I think we’ve done well there getting out from a shaky start” explained Haakon.



For Callum their success has been down to a consistent set of results (they discarded a 14 and 10 in the 46 boat fleet), “The wind has been quite light and shifty, I felt we have played the shifts quite well and just kept on top of things really.” Callum is also quick to praise the raise committee who “haven’t made us race in stupid conditions.”

The two are mentored by top British 470 sailor Joe Glanfield, who they obviously have a huge amount of respect for. “Joe has been through the same process as we are doing,” says Haakon, “he’s done the Youth Trials and so is a big help when it comes to the questions that we face as we move on, he’s already done it all.” When asked about their other sailing interests, it’s almost if nothing other than 420 sailing exists, “I don’t really follow it, the Americas Cup and other such events”, notes Callum.

For them life only really revolves around the 420 and 470. When it comes to the fast asymmetric classes the two aren’t interested. For Callum life isn’t just about boatspeed: “I just prefer the 470, it’s a different style of racing. It’s not just about boatspeed, but very technical and you have to think a lot tactically.” Haakon has tried some 29er sailing also prefers the tactical side, “I did look at the 29er with my bother but I am glad I stuck with the 420. And now 470 sailing really appeals to me over the 49er, because of the tactical element to the racing.”

Whatever the outcome of the Youth Worlds in July, Callum and Haakon are clearly a talented and focused pairing. The prospect of an Olympic campaign in the 470 is very real and there’s no doubt that these two look the part. A case of watch this space, which we will do with interest.