Kirklands learn from tough week at Olympic venue

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Jesse and Zander Kirkland reckon they learned valuable lessons at this week’s Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta at the Olympic sailing venue in Weymouth, England.

The siblings’ main priority heading into the regatta was to get reacquainted to heavy air racing and they probably received more than they bargained for as strong gales and tall seas wreaked havoc on the 49er fleet.

The Kirklands only managed to get in three days of competitive sailing as the unsuitable conditions prevented them from completing a full quota of races.

Still, crewman Zander believes there were positives to take away from the final dress rehearsal for next month’s Olympic Games.

“The takeaway from this event is that it has refocused us on what exactly to work on for these final three weeks here before we show up for the Games,” he said. “With strong winds we need to continue to refine our rig settings so we are up to speed with the top guys.

“We will also be working on our boat handling and fitness to make sure we are sailing the boat as hard as possible in tough conditions. We will also be purchasing some warmer gear.”

Chilly winds reached as much as 50 knots in Weymouth earlier this week, forcing organisers to reshuffle, postpone and in some cases cancel races.

Weather permitting, the Kirklands intend to go back on the waters today to get in some more practice, now that their Skandia regatta campaign is over.

Next week will see the duo continue their Olympic preparations under the watchful gaze of coach and former top British 49er sailor Mark Asquith.

The Kirklands qualified for the upcoming Games after finishing ninth at last month’s 49er World Championships in Croatia.

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