America's Cup diary

GBR Challenge's Andy Beadsworth reveals all

Boy does it rain in Auckland!! How a Kiwi can come to Britain and complain about the weather I really don’t know. We have had rain, gales, more rain and more gales. Especially, it would seem, on our rare days off when we would like to go to the beach to relax with the girls and families.
Despite the weather, we are living in one of the most beautiful countries in the world with loads on offer.

On weekends off, nearly everyone plans to get away, to enjoy the environment and to make the most of the opportunity of being here. From exploring the vineyards to scuba diving and mountain biking or just enjoying the company of team mates socially. However, it can be an amazingly hard choice between this and getting some extra sleep and recuperation before that alarm goes again at 05.50 Monday morning for the start of another week and another day in the life of GBR Challenge.

I could never have imagined how physical the life is in an America's Cup campaign, even after doing an Olympic campaign. The big difference is that everything we do is physically hard. Sailing the boat is physically demanding, not only for the grinders but for everyone.

Arriving at the base at 08.30, after having already been to the gym and eaten breakfast, we debrief for an hour discussing techniques and situations from the day before, analysing the edited video footage and then discussing plans for the day.

Next we prepare the boat, pack the sails and load them onto the boat, along with spares for the support boat. Assuming there are no problems or maintenances issues, we aim to leave the dock by 10.15 and are then towed to the sailing area, the Hauraki Gulf. This gives us a chance for a rest and a bite to eat (it is maybe 4pm before we next see some food), before doing warm up exercises and then hoisting the sails. Now the real work and concentration starts.

Our early program centred around doing some start drills, time and distance, followed by four laps around an America's Cup length course (3 mile legs approx) fitting in all the major manoeuvres likely to be used. These included peeling spinnakers that rip and changing ripped headsails on the run with only one halyard and single groove foil (a well practiced manoeuvre!).

If everyone commits 100 %, it is an exhausting day when it all goes to plan, never mind when we make a mistake and even more effort is required to put it right. Worst of all, we sometimes break something and then have to spend long hours fixing it when we get back to shore. As a small team we do not have the luxury of a large shore team who take over when we come ashore. Generally if we break it, we fix it.

When the time on the water is over, the sails are dropped and packed and the rest of lunch is rapidly consumed during a general debrief. Sailing checks are carried out on the tow in to identify any potential breakages or areas requiring further attention. These are completed ashore when the boat is emptied and sails are unpacked and hung to dry or sorted for repair.

The boat is hauled, washed and put to bed ready for sailing the next day. The after guard write notes and diaries while Bill Edgerton, our coach, looks through all the video footage and compiles an edited debrief tape for the following morning's briefing. It is unusual to be home before 7pm.

Now we have started two boat training the work load is even higher. The sessions are longer and more intense, the debriefs longer and the breakages more numerous. But, it is so much more fun! Competition runs high within the team and every race is close with some unusual incidents and manoeuvres, causing excited discussions in the debriefs. Fortunately, a night's sleep takes a little of the passion out of it all and we can discuss the outcomes the next day more calmly.

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