Team Draper and Mark Asquith at SPA

Continuing their 49er campaign, Mark talks us through the racing

Following the high of winning Stokes Bay Open meeting we made our way to the next Olympic class regatta at Medemblik in Holland.
A turnout of 34 boats meant some close racing and an all new grand prix scoring system meant points mean prizes.

On the first day of racing SPA failed to live up to its reputation of horrible weather. Beautiful sunshine and an eight to ten knot breeze promised some very close and hot racing. Tricky, shifty conditions meant big gains and big losses were easy so our aim was to put some points on the board in every race. Get a good first beat, consolidate and pick off one at a time - no big gambles. The plan paid off, with us getting points in every race, even if it was only one in the first race.

In the second race we found our feet a little more, slowly getting used to the conditions and finding ourselves in the top ten. We had an awesome start in the last race of the day. Top five round the windward mark, and a little gap on the others. Big bands of pressure made the calls all the more crucial. All five boats got to the leeward gate together; two went one way, three the other. We were one of the three, clear lanes being the priority. We found ourselves third at the windward mark, and now in a race to the leeward gate and onto the harbour finish. Still third by the leeward gate and a 400 metre two sail reach into the harbour secured our best result of the series.

The second day saw very similar racing to the first. Same bright sunshine, same wind strength and same direction. Three races saw us putting in three consistent top ten results - a fourth, sixth and a ninth. The third day much the same, scoring a fourth, ninth and a seventh, finding the conditions an ideal training ground for improving both upwind and downwind speed and picking out windshifts. Overnight we found ourselves in with the big boys, lying fourth overall which put a little smile on our faces.

The fourth day brought a 180 degree windshift, and now with the wind coming off the land we had 40 degree shifts the whole way through the racing. With no general pattern, it was a bit of a mind boggle and we saw people hitting the corners either coming out looking sweet or down the pan. We played a conservative game. Not looking to drop out of the top 15 we tried to stay away from the corners and avoid extremes, scoring a ninth in the first, eleventh in the second.