DAY 1 – DESTROYED
The ferry across is just 3 hours, but with a very early start and having only just finished the Pozo contest, I was pretty punished. I rigged a 6.2, which is normally my favourite size and hit the water to see how my speed was against the big boys. The results were very disappointing. I got killed. My magic trim that worked so well in the waters of Gran Canaria gave me zero control and I could barely sheet in. Add to that the sudden change from 4.2 and wave board to 6.2 and slalom board and I immediately had considerably more respect for the guys that do it all. How Ross [Williams] can jump from winning the Formula Worlds, finishing top 10 in the waves, then jumping on the slalom gear and win finals? I already had respect for him, but now it has just multiplied. Anyway, a few tweaks to the trim, by dropping the boom and moving the lines forward a touch and at least I could now sail in a straight line. My speed was a long way off though.
DAY 2 – CONFIDENCE GROWS
The second day dawned much lighter and gave me a chance to test the bigger gear. Starting on 7.8 everything felt much better. I was still a little off the speed of the top guys, but at least I could keep up for a bit. A quick test of the 7.0 in the afternoon and I was starting to get a bit of confidence.
DAY 3 – PUNISHED
I woke up the following day completely punished. Slalom sailing is pretty hard work on the body compared to the waves. After wave sailing a lot I get tired and covered in bruises. After two full-on days of slalom practice in Fuerte my legs and back were killing. I made the wise decision to take a day off and recover a bit. If we were going to have a full week of racing, I would need all the energy I could muster!
