Jackie Gay

Biscayne Bay, Miami, 22-26 January 2007

Whimsically, over Christmas, I said to my brother, ‘one day I’ll be able to go to a regatta and just enjoy it, without any pressure…’ After Miami I have ditched that idea! I did enjoy it (blue skies, clear water, palm trees, a dip in the sea after training – why wouldn’t I?) but it was also a lesson in handling the ups and downs of international racing.

This was serious competition. At least four of the boats in the Skud fleet will be at the 2008 Paralympics and everyone knew how important it was to perform. I had never sailed in a regatta at that level and suffered terribly from nerves. However on the first day we did brilliantly, winning both races, again completely unexpected and tremendously exciting. Unfortunately this high was followed by some serious lows. We struggled for the next two days in the light winds – we’ve had very little experience of them (Weymouth is blowy!) and the boat handles completely differently; and then when the wind did pick up we made a couple of mistakes which probably lost us a medal. I was devastated but Harvey and Allan more sanguine. ‘Would you have learned as much if you’d kept winning?’ said Harvey and it’s true, that day is forever burned into my consciousness. We also know exactly what areas we need to address in our sailing. Thankfully on the final day we picked up, had another win, a second and a fifth, and in the final results were just one point behind Gustaf. We were still the top British boat.

When I got home I felt as if my brain had been fried – so many experiences in such a short time. But now I understand much better the reality of competition at this level and how to handle it. It was fantastic to be out on the water in such fabulous conditions, seeing all the Olympic classes racing and being in the company of sailors from all over the World. We managed to have some fun, too – driving over the Rickenbacker Causeway with Miami City lit up behind us, balmy nights out in Coconut Grove, early morning swims and the inspiration of meeting all the other paralympic sailors. Never has a pontoon hosted so many empty wheelchairs – the drivers had all gone out sailing!