Team GBR update - 4

Peter Bentley surveys Britain's chances in the keelboats for the coming season and 2004

Yngling


Shirley Robertson, Inga Leask and Sam Davies

Having taken a long time to decide that she was going to put herself through the mill again, Shirley Robertson has now settled into her Yngling campaign with the vigour and determination she showed to win Gold in the Europe. Inga Leask brings past Olympic campaign experience from the 470 while Sam Davies provide a whole host of skills - not least keeping the boat up and running - from her short handed sailing. A fourth place at Miami, their first grade one regatta marks this crew out as serious competitors.

Though a stalwart of the match racing scene for a few years, Robertson is the first to admit that a full-on Olympic campaign in a three man boat is a whole new ball game. In Olympic terms, the Yngling is almost totally undeveloped and there is a huge amount of technical work to do. In developing the fastest Europe rig in the world Shirley showed that she has both the skills and the ability to manage the necessary technical team. Transferring those skills to a bigger boat and three sails will be one of the biggest challenges she faces between now and 2004.

Lizzie Edwards, Vicky Symmers and Nicola Muller are also in the WCP squad but with no track record in other classes at Olympic level they will need to get some good results in sharpish to stay in the team. Conscious of the need to develop some depth in the squad the RYA have also included Nicole Johnson, Jane Norris and Roz Bulmer in the development group. Mark Nicholls has been appointed class coach, though as usual, Robertson is off doing her own thing. Early season training has focussed on Miami where she has been training with some of the American crews, including Dawn Riley. Ed Baird and David Howlett have been sharing the coaching duties.

Although the class has already raced for one season in the five ring circus, this year probably marks the beginning of the serious competition. As of yet there is no established pecking order. In addition to Robertson there are several other top contenders from Sydney mounting serious challenges, Sydney 470 silver medallist, Pease Glaser amongst them. Though to some extent the class is currently topped by crews from nations with a strong history of Yngling sailing, expect this to change as the top crews from other Olympic classes get to grips with the boat.