From match racing to 49ers

We talk to Paul Campbell-James about his change of tack

For the last few years Paul Campbell-James has been attempting to carve a niche for himself on the international match racing circuit. However earlier this season the younger C-J decided he would have a change of discipline by embarking on a 49er campaign.

"I was always match racing with the intention of going towards the America’s Cup with that as the long term goal," he says. "With GBR Challenge not going, I did try a little bit to get on some foreign teams, but I’m sure I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as if it was with GBR. So I’ve had a change of tack to go more towards the Olympic stuff and I got an offer from Mark Asquith, Paul Brotherton’s old crew who got fourth in the worlds and second in the Olympic trials and is obviously a very very good crew, to come sailing in the 49er with him. I thought I’d snap up the opportunity because it sounded like a pretty good option. I’d always had it in the back of my mind to sail 49ers but that was kind of the perfect opportunity for me to get in and really good timing."

Match racing to fleet racing in the Olympic skiff is a fairly extreme leap within our sport Paul admits. "The races are about the same length, but that is about the only likeness. I am really enjoying it. I was a little bit hesitant about going back into dinghies and back into fleet racing from the match racing stuff but now I am actually really enjoying it."

So far this season he has in fact carried out a majority of his sailing with Johnny Clegg, since Asquith has broken a leg. Sailing with Clegg they finished fourth in the silver fleet or 34th overall at Kiel Week, came 11th in the silver fleet at the Europeans recently and and are presently a more promising 37th in the Worlds in Moscow, a place behind National Champion Phil Kennard and Tom Smedley.

So why the 49er? "The tactics are similar…okay, they not really similar to match racing. I don’t know really. And there’s Chris and Simon in the 49er who are pretty flash. I guess I thought it would be really good fun. I’m too big for a 470 helm, I am too small for a Star helm and I can’t sail a Yngling because I’m not a girl and that is about it. The 49er is really good fun and sailing in a straight line is good fun, so it fits in the pretty well."

As regards his future in match racing, he says he will keep his options open. "I haven’t done any since I started 49ering and I haven’t got any plans. Maybe now and then I’ll do a couple of the cooler events like Bermuda, as a bit of fun more than anything. Your ranking stays up nice and high and I am still 30 something in the rankings, so it gets me into the feeders to the grade one events."

Aside from this he has been sailing alongside his elder brother Mark on board Kit Hobday and Tim Louis' Farr 52 Bear of Britain. "I kind of agreed with Mark that I would do the year with them. It is good fun. I am tactician, but he drives. I am surprised he listens to me - but he does what I say. When I started I didn’t think he would tack when I said tack, being the elder brother but he does, which is good."

The problem will be that the 49er is becoming as fiercely competitive among UK Olympic potentials as other classes such as the Finn or Laser. Despite lying in 37th spot overall they are the eighth team GBR boat.