by captain Matt Goacher
Sailing at Roses 2012 is set to be highly competitive with the winner decided by a best-of-5 races showdown. Team racing is made up of 3 boats and 6 sailors with the aim of securing a better finishing combination than the opposition. 1 point is awarded for first, 2 points for second etc, and the team with the least points total wins the race. This exciting format almost always comes down to the wire, with positions and the lead frantically changing until the finish.
After a long period of dominance, York was disappointed to lose at home last year. An incident in the final race combined with a controversial judging decision meant that 2 of the 3 York boats crossed the start line early leading to a penalty. This unfortunate and narrow defeat has inspired the current team to exact revenge!
Since last year, the team has undergone some major changes and has been steadily improving throughout the season. York achieved its best results of the year at a recent event in Liverpool, finishing as 5th University team. The team put in some fantastic performances against several of the countries’ best, providing confidence which can be taken forward to Roses.
Players to watch: Sam Edom and Grace Redhead
This fresher and final year duo gelled very early in the year and this was shown by them being on the pace instantly. Sam’s previous match racing knowledge combined with Grace’s experience as a team racing crew mean they are a formidable pairing for the opposition to deal with. Sam and Grace’s intelligent sailing mean that they can always be relied upon to make the best tactical decisions, often directly resulting in a win for the team. It will be exciting to watch Sam and Grace rip apart Lancaster in the starting battle.
Predicted score: York 3 – Lancaster 2
All indications suggest that the competition is going to be extremely close and the sailors are ready for the tense final race if needed. The teams have only met once this year at the BUCS National finals Northern qualifier. On that occasion, Lancaster came away with the win but conditions were not to York’s strengths. Everyone is looking forward to this year’s event and to helping York rack up the points.