We just love this video of a Laser sailing in Southern Ocean waves! Well, not exactly Southern Ocean, more South of England. But pretty awesome all the same...
It’s been a lean patch in recent years for Philipp Buhl, Germany’s leading light in the Laser class. After a disappointing Olympic result of 14th place for a sailor who was considered among the favourites for a medal at Rio 2016, Buhl has ploughed on with his campaign for Tokyo 2020 and now seems to be rediscovering some of the old magic that brought him podium places at Laser World Championships back in 2013 and 2015. A gold medal in June’s Sailing World Cup Finals in Marseille was a welcome return to form. “I think it's the first gold medal after my World Cup win in 2016.... When you look at the different regattas and the different winners, it shows how intense the racing is. And I think the more intense the races, the more important are the little things such as mental strength, how long are you able to maintain your highest level of ability?”
In the tradition of strong wind Finn racing that transcends and inspires generation after generation of young sailors, the on-board videos that have been published from the medal race at the 2018 Finn European Championships in Cádiz have held viewers mesmerised and awestruck.
The dreaded Rule 42 - the rule that governs kinetics like ooching, pumping and rocking - is the bane of sailors' lives in some conditions, particularly light air. So the Finn Class released a video to help define what is legal and what is illegal. It's a horrible grey area, but at least this video tries to help understand where the line is...
Finn sailors might have been fat in the past. So were the pack in most rugby teams. But not today. Just as body shapes have changed in rugby with the professionalisation of the sport, so too have Finn sailors turned into lean, mean fighting machines. Class expert Robert Deaves takes a detailed look at the body composition and fitness of the modern Finn athlete...
The Finn has been in the Olympic Games since Paul Elvstrom won in Helsinki 1952. With the Finn's Olympic future under debate at the moment, could Tokyo 2020 be the swan song for the legendary Men's singlehander. Class guru Robert Deaves reminds us that the Finn remains vibrant with a lot to look forward to in the coming season....
If you can hike it, Steve Cockerill has probably sailed it. And he’s probably won in it too. His cabinet is stuffed with victories from a long and illustrious career in singlehanded dinghies, and a few doublehanders too. Steve has analysed what it takes to make a small boat go fast, and there are quite a few things that will surprise you, but then make immediate sense once you hear Steve explain it all...
Getting the bow down and going fast upwind...with Olympic gold medal winning coach and Radial Masters World Champion Jon Emmett. Although Jon is sailing a Laser Radial in the clip, the same principles apply to almost any dinghy...
