Jesse and Zander Kirkland are at the Olympic Test Event in Weymouth ("Sail for Gold") that is set to get underway August 9th-14th.
Zander said, “We had a great first day of practice here in Weymouth on the Coast of England today. It was West-North-West breeze (any element of westerly breeze is offshore in Weymouth), anywhere from 10-18kts. In the morning we did some boat handling and starting exercises in the harbor. This was a great way to warm up to the boat after our 3 week break since Poland.”
“In the afternoon, we ventured out into Weymouth Bay, just beyond the large breakwater (think Dockyard times 4!) where our 49er course is located. The breeze built and we had a great practice sailing in 12-18kts. The sailing area is still pretty flat water because it is in the lee of the breakwater, making for good skiff conditions. We did a practice race with the fleet and then sailed by ourselves working our tacks and gybes. It was great practice and we both feel like we are figuring out our footwork better. It hardly felt like we skipped a beat from our sailing in Poland and we feel fresh and ready to move forward - we must always remember to plan time away from the boat to let the learning soak in and to stay fresh. We will be practicing until the event starts on Monday,” concluded Zander Kirkland.
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