Gibraltar sailors navigate changing conditions on day three in Orkney

The rain poured down on Tuesday morning and, as the clouds lifted, the calmer conditions made it a completely different day for Team Gibraltar sailors in their third day of competition in both the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 categories.

ILCA is the International Laser Class Association and usually the boards are called lasers.

There are three different sail sizes, ILCA 5, 6 and 7, also known as 4.7, radial, full/standard rig.

In big races men usually sail ILCA 7s and women the ILCA 6s. However, there is a mix in the ILCA 6 category in Orkney.

Out on the water first were Brian Brophy and Owen Sparkes in the ILCA 7 race.

Brian took 13th place with 57 net points while Owen came in 17th with 75 net points at the end of the day. To put that into perspective, the competition they are against on 7 points at the end of the day is Arthur Farley, the British sailing squad 21-year old European, world and national champion.

Speaking to the Chronicle post event Brian said: “Good conditions today. Yesterday was very challenging. So better all-round results but unfortunately nothing to write home about.”

“We have now completed seven races in both the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 classes.”

“The weather is looking light over the next few days so we’re unsure when we will be able to squeeze in the remaining three races.”

Both Aron Gaskin and Emily Hignett sailed in the afternoon in the ILCA 6 category.

Ahead of getting into the water both spoke to the Chronicle about their first time at the Island Games but in a race outside Gibraltar.

Emily started sailing about seven or eight years ago and has been racing in Gibraltar for six months.

This is her first major competition and she said she was impressed by both the professional atmosphere and race organisation.

“It's been an amazing experience. I mean, the competition is really, really good. It's been great to see how a proper professional race is run. And the atmosphere has been great,” she said.

Conditions out on the water have varied, with light winds on the first day, strong winds on the second, and conditions for the third yet to be assessed for her.

The strong winds on Monday caused her to capsize plunging her into the cold water twice.

She explained that each race lasts about 45 minutes to an hour, with two races per day usually, but there were three on Tuesday.

That is a long time to be out on the water and she focuses on keeping up her energy using snacks and drinks that are in her buoyancy aid.

And while the race may be long, she said it flies by as competitors are “so focused on what is going on and the atmosphere you are in.”

Later that day she finished 22nd with net points of 103 by the end of the day.

Aron was also out on the water in the afternoon in the ILCA 6 race.

He chose this class for the Island Games due to stronger winds, despite being accustomed to the ILCA 7.

In a bid to compete the best he could, he lost about 8kg to optimise his weight for the category.
However, currently at 73kg, he is a few kilograms over the recommended weight for the boat.

One aspect he loves about sailing is “there's a lot going on. So your mind can completely forget about any daily life and you just concentrate on what you're doing.”

Like Emily, this is his first big event and he too has only raced on the Rock before.

“It's really good. There are some very professional sailors here from all around the islands, and a British champion,” he said.

“I only learnt to sail a year ago, and in this class, about just under a year, so I'm doing pretty well to be mid pack.”

He enjoys being out there amongst the other sailor and admits that the phrase “swearing like a sailor” is ringing through.

“There are a few language differences with the different islands. There's a lot of cursing going on,” he said.

“People are so competitive. If they want an inch, they will shout at you as they want that inch, and you've got to be just as dominant and say no.”

“It can get really aggressive.”

“It's a no contact sport, but contact does happen, and we have to deal with that with penalties.”

His favourite aspect of the sport is catching a wave, going downwind, just surfing the wave and getting top speed. On Monday he managed to get just shy of 10 knots [18kmph].

He thanked Tony Segovia at the Royal Gibraltar Yacht Club and the USSC for organising and hosting the races in Gibraltar on Wednesday evenings, which give him the opportunity to hone his skills and compete against others.

Aron finished the day in 13th position with a net point of 63.