Helena Lucas

Miami Training and OCR

hlucas@stephenthomasdesign.com (Helena Lucas) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:24:21 GMT

Arrived home from 3 weeks of Miami Sunshine and some great warm weather sailing.
The Goals for the period were to have a look at some new kit and get back in to racing after the Winter break. Although the overall result in the OCR was not great having an OCS and Black flag, It was a successful training regatta, nailing down a few areas I have wanted to work on and improve.
The next regatta is Princess Sophia at the end of March, so until then will continue to work with the new kit and try out some ideas we had in Miami.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

hlucas@stephenthomasdesign.com (Helena Lucas) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:36:17 GMT

I can’t believe it’s 2010 already, this year has gone by so fast!
It ended well with a really enjoyable skiing holiday in Val d’sere, with my friend Wendy, the Knowles family and friends. It was great skiing, even though most days it was -16 or below. Xanthi entertained us all with her perfomance on the T bar. Defintely worthy of the £250 on you have been framed, if any of us could have stopped laughing for long enough to film it. Olly (Richardson) and Josh impressed us with throwing themsleves off various outcrops and rocks, something they were trying to encourage me and Olly (Knowles) to do. Olly managed to get the job of oficial photographer and I did a good dissapearing act.
Anyway a big thankyou to everyone for an enjoyable holiday, to Claire our Chalet Maid for being and excellent hostess and cook and to Dave for some great ski hosting days!

Christmas was spent at home in Southampton, just Steve and myself, which suited me fine as I had picked up a virus at the end of skiing so had the perfect excuse to curl up on the couch and watch all the Christmas movies. We caught up with the family on boxing day and spent most of the day playing with the scalextric set we had bought my niece. New Year was spent with my parents and Wendy in our local Pub before flying out to Turkey. I’m here only for a few days and then it’s off to warmer climates for some training in Miami and the Olympic Classes Regatta.

OPEN 2.4mR WORLDS FORT MYERS

hlucas@stephenthomasdesign.com (Helena Lucas) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:20:11 GMT

It’s been a really busy past two months, and I must admit I am feeling the effects now. However I’m out in Turkey where the weather is still warm, enjoying a week off, catching up with sleep and basically not really doing anything. Fantastic!

I went in to the worlds with realistic expectations. I had sent all my best kit to Athens targeting it as my performance regatta, where I needed to deliver and did. I had sent my Games boat to Fort Myers and knew I would be sailing with 7kg less lead than I normally do at the Open Worlds and probably more compared to the rest of the fleet. This makes a big difference to the righting moment and therefore the speed and height of the boat in a breeze, and I suffered the consequence when it breezed up for the last 3 days.
Under Paralympic rule to keep the boats as close to One Design as possible we are restricted to a limit of 176kg of lead and a max boat weight of 254kg, however under the Open 2.4 rule there is no restriction on the amount of lead as long as the boat still weighs 254kg. So everyone strips out as much weight out of the boat that they can so they can put in more lead. With the boat I sent to Athens I can easily do this and gain 7 kg of lead, but unfortunately my Games boat was heavy and we had done everything we could just to get it to weight so I could carry the 176kg for Pralympics, hence the difference.
The first two days were light and things were going o.k. , I was lying 9th overall. Then the conditions changed and it breezed up to 15-18 knots and a nasty chop, and I just didn’t have the speed or height to stay in the top 10. I finished 19th overall, which I was disappointed with, as a top 10 at the Open Worlds would have been achievable if the conditions had stayed light.

However I really enjoyed the regatta, despite the result. The weather, Halloween party, great accommodation and fantastic hospitality made up for it. I must admit I got very excited about the Halloween party the club organised. I think partly because we don’t really celebrate it here and I love an excuse to dress up, especially when I know there is a good chance I’m going to fit in to a kids costume so my Choice of outfit was huge. I decided on a Star Wars theme as I had been given instructions from Bjørnar’s (The Norwegian paralympic sailor) mum to get him a costume too. So we had to go as double act!

It’s back to the cold next week for a squad camp in Hayling and some sailing in Weymouth the following week. We also have the Accenture awards evening which is always great fun and will be even more so this year as I will get an award for my bronze at the IFDS Worlds. I have also got an invite to the BBC sports personality of the year awards on the 13th December, but I’m off skiing that day, which means I am probably going to have to pass up the opportunity to rub shoulders with some famous, fit, good looking athletes. Oh well I’m sure skiing will be great and really get me in the mood for Christmas!

BRONZE MEDAL AT IFDS WORLDS ATHENS

hlucas@stephenthomasdesign.com (Helena Lucas) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:59:26 GMT

Wow it’s been non stop since the 27th of September that this is the first time I have been able to sit down and reflect on the past week and my achievement at the Worlds. I must admit I feel mentally exhausted, it was a tricky regatta with shifty fluky winds, and long postponements “Not the normal conditions for Athens” as the locals kept telling us.
Luckily I had gone out a couple of weeks early to do some training and enjoyed the typical Athens conditions of beautiful sunshine and lovely sea breezes. As soon as the regatta started the rain fell and the wind died away.

I had a great start to the Championships lying second after the first day, which gave me the confidence to sail my own regatta and keep it together in the tricky conditions. All week I stayed in the top three, and was lying third going in to the final day, but was only two points ahead of Bjørnar from Norway in fourth.

The first race on the last day I found myself down the fleet at the first windward mark, but luckily Bjørnar had a worst first beat and was behind. Things got interesting however when there was some confusion over the course to be sailed. Bjørnar being further behind benefitted the most from the confusion and moved in to first, I was lying fifth, but managed to take a couple of boats just before the finish to cross the line third.
This put us on equal points going in to the last race and only three points off Heiko in silver. I needed to beat Bjørnar and finish in the top eight to secure bronze. At the first windward mark I was ahead but outside the top eight, I knew I had to pull something out of the bag on the second beat. I took advantage of a right shift and moved in to sixth at the windward mark and was still ahead of Bjørnar. After a nerve racking run, where Adam my coach lost a bit more hair, I crossed in sixth with Bjørnar in tenth and took Bronze. Heiko finished one place ahead securing silver, with Thierry from Holland sailing a superb regatta to take Gold.

There was little time to celebrate, as we had to load the boats up that night, ready to catch a flight back to the U.K before getting a connecting flight out to Miami and Fort Myers for the 2.4mR Open Worlds.
I’m not complaining though, enjoying a day off sitting by our pool in the Florida Sunshine!

A WIN IN NORWAY

hlucas@stephenthomasdesign.com (Helena Lucas) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:01:00 GMT

It’s been a busy month, starting with the Delta Lloyd regatta in Holland and finishing with Round The Island Race, I also managed to squeeze in a regatta in Norway too.

The Delta Lloyd regatta was a bit of a disappointment, firstly only 6 boats entered (3 Dutch, 2 British and a Frenchman) and secondly our race course was so close in conditions were really shifty. I was using the event to try out some new sails, but it was not the right venue to do it and my focus needed to be on the tactics and conditions. It was not one of my better regattas and I finished a disappointing 4th.

I then drove straight to Weymouth for a week of Training before jumping on a plane to Norway for a regatta out there. It was part of Oslo Race week, which happened to be sponsored by Volvo, and was called the integrated cup. It was different to normal regattas as the boats (2.4mR’s) and equipment were supplied, all you had to do was bring yourself.

There were around 30 sailors competing, some were 2.4mR sailors, some from the other Olympic classes and some from the bigger boat scene, like Melges and the Volvo Ocean race. Some of the sailors had also raced with the King of Norway, so it was a real mix bag, but of a high calibre. Each day we were split in to heats, with the last four in each heat knocked out of the regatta, until only eight boats were left. We then raced as one fleet with the last two in each race knocked out, until only four sailors were left for the final. The winner was the first sailor to win two races. I won the first race, so was in a good position going in to the second race. The shifty light winds played in to my hands on the last run down to the finish. I rounded the windward mark in a different breeze to my competitors ahead and whilst they became becalmed in no wind, sailed past to clinch first place and win the regatta.
It was great feeling to win my first regatta of the year especially after a disappointing result in Holland. Also to hold up the winners check on the Volvo stand added an extra something to the occasion and has given me a great confidence boost, for Sail For Gold and the IFDS worlds in the autumn.

Another nice touch to the regatta was the first three sailors were given the opportunity to take part in the Faerder race on board the Kings previously owned Farr 50. The race was a 90 nautical mile course down the Oslo Fjord around a light house and back to a place called Hutton. It was a great experience partly because the only language on board was Norwegian, but especially as I got the opportunity to helm. I got the idea to what was going on, if there was a lot of activity on board it generally meant a tack or a gybe.

It was great practice for Round The Island race the following weekend which I was onboard a Farr 52, with Jo Glandfield, Nick and Duncan from Volvo, the UKSA youth keel boat squad and some corporate guests from various motoring magazines. We had a great time and a great race finishing 6th in our class.
A big thank you to Chippy and his keel boat squad, who got everyone involved and made us, feel part of the team.

In terms of regattas I have a quite time now until Sail For Gold in September, which is shortly followed by the IFDS Worlds and then the 2.4 Open Worlds in Florida in November. We have planned a two week holiday cruising in the South of Turkey, but the rest of my time will be spent training hard in preparation for those regattas.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE EXTREM 40 KIND

hlucas@stephenthomasdesign.com (Helena Lucas) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:08:00 GMT

On Friday we decided to spice up our training a little, and trade in the 2.4’s for a ride on the Extreme 40 which Shirley and her team were doing some training on in Hyeres Bay. It was a fair trade, our coach and his rib for a ride and a go at the helm on one of the fastest multi Hulls around.

Adam clocked us doing over 20 knots, in about 12 knots of breeze. It was the first time I have ever sailed on let alone helmed a multi hull, why start small on a Hobie Cat when you can go straight to the top on an Extreme 40.

There was a tense moment when I was on the helm with kite up trying to thread my way through 30 lasers coming up wind squeezing through a gap at the last minute.
It was a great afternoon sailing and will go down in my book as one of the best sails I have had.

Many thanks to Shirley for inviting us on board!

TURKISH TURMOIL

hlucas@stephenthomasdesign.com (Helena Lucas) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:55:32 GMT

It has been another couple of frustrating weeks back out in Turkey. I arrived back here after a great week skiing with my family, excited about finally getting out on Turkish water.

That afternoon we wandered down to the boat to fix a goose neck fitting to my mast, as we got near the boat, I realised some thing was missing, the Crane! Steve just burst out laughing. It was one of those moments where you had to laugh or cry. It turns out the Turks had decided the crane needed to be bigger, so had taken it away to sort it out! There is no other way to launch my boat so I have been marooned on the shore!

So for the last two weeks each day I have wandered down to see if it’s back and today it arrived! The only downside is I fly back to the U.K tomorrow and not back for a month!

On the plus side the weather has been awful, cold and wet, so maybe they were doing me a favour. Today the sun came out and it looks like they have actually replaced the dodgy old crane with a brand new one so things are really looking up!

So I fly home tomorrow but I’m not back in the U.K for long, only a couple of days to sort things out before driving to Palma and then Hyeres for The Princess Sophia Regatta and Hyeres regatta. This is the first time the 2.4’s have been invited to compete out in Palma and I’m really looking forward to it. It was always one of my favourite venues when I used to compete in the 470, so it will be great to be back. Also it’s my first regatta since the Games and I’m really fired up about getting back on the water racing!

I’m hoping for warm sunshine, great winds and a good start to the season!

UPDATE

hlucas@stephenthomasdesign.com (Helena Lucas) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:02:00 GMT

This last month has been a little frustrating as I have been waiting for my 2.4 to arrive in Turkey. It actually arrived at customs 3 weeks ago, but I have been having a battle trying to clear it through all the red tape, even though the paper work was done and in order. It has been a rather stressful and costly exercise, but I did have the good news that it had arrived safe and sound, and I can’t wait to get back to Turkey and go sailing. I have found a great place to launch and train from, its right next door to where we live. I reckon it will take me all of 2 minutes to get to my boat each day; it’s almost like sailing from the bottom of your garden. Perfect!

The last ten days I have been back in the U.K and sailing in Weymouth. The training has been going really well, and we had the privilege of Paul Goodison joining in our session on Friday. It was his first time back in his laser since Sail for Gold, so he joined in some of our starting practice and certainly helped to mix things up. We also did a boat swop which was hilarious, lucky for me it was light winds; otherwise I might have had a bit on sailing a full rig laser only weighing 48kg.

Last night I spent sipping Champagne with the Queen at her house………O.K along with all the other GB Paralympic athletes. The Beijing Paralympic team had an invitation to a reception with the Queen at Buckingham Palace. It was fantastic experience! One of the highlights was pushing through the tourists peering through the railings and walking straight through the main Gates and in the front door. Obviously they thought you must be famous or some one highly important. I also got to talk to the Queen which has to be the highlight!

I flew back to Turkey this morning, but i’m only here a week, before flying back for the dinghy show and then a skiing holiday with my family. My goal this week is to get my boat rigged up and a couple of training sessions in before going on holiday.

UPDATE

hlucas@stephenthomasdesign.com (Helena Lucas) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:25:29 GMT

Since arriving back from China, I have been trying to spend as much time in Istanbul with with partner Stephen Thomas who is currently working out there, project managing the build of two composite super yachts for Oyster.
Last year wasa tough year for us spending many months apart, so we are trying to make up for lost time and enjoying each others company.
I have been occupying myself out here, windsurfing, cycling and taking the oportunity to learn some new design software and refresh my memory on the subject of my degree. My degree was in Yacht and power craft design, and I hope to be able to give some design support to Steve when I am out in Turkey.

I have been back to the U.K a couple of times mainly to attend some sponsoship functions with Volvo and Charles Russell LLP. One of which was a fund raiser at the Weymouth and Portland acadmy for Children in Need. It’s also been great to catch up with friends and family and finally relax in our newly renovated house in Southampton.

Between now and Christmas most of my time will be spent out here in Istanbul, but we are back home for Christmas, with all my family coming to us for Christmas day, Steve’s doing the cooking! We are then entertaining his family in Turkey for New Year, so it’s be a busy time.

I have also spent the last couple of months pondering my options and what to do next. I am very keen to get back into Olympic sailing, maybe trying my hand at match racing in the Elliot 6m or going back in to the 470. I have also really enjoyed sailing the 2.4mR as well. So I am keeping all my options open for the time being with a view to making some decisions in the New Year. One thing for sure is that I definatly want to be competing in Weymouth in 2012 and standing on the Podium this time.

2008 PARALYMPIC EXPERIENCE

hlucas@stephenthomasdesign.com (Helena Lucas) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 17:35:14 GMT

I am sitting in my room in the village in Beijing, reflecting over events that have happened in the last month. It seems like years ago that we arrived in Qingdao full of confidence and determination to follow in the footsteps of the Olympic team. We certainly had a few curve balls thrown at us along the way, but checked in to the village in high spirits and full of anticipation for the start of the regatta.
I knew things were going to be tough in the 2.4mR, being such a competitive fleet and everyone ramping up their training in the months before. Unfortunately my training had not gone quite according to plan due to some issues with the boat, but I went out for the first race with the confidence, if I sailed well I would be in the medals.

It was a tough week, with such close racing that one mistake could cost you 5 places not the normal one or two. It was also evident that some of the other countries initially not considered to be in the medal zone had really raised their Game and were very much in the mix.

All week I stayed within contention of the medals and still had a good chance going into the last day. Unfortunately it did not go my way. However I am really pleased for Paul Tingley from Canda who won Gold putting in a fantastic performance on the water and John Ruff from the USA who won the Bronze. Both sailors rose to the occasion and probably sailed the best regattas of their lives. Damien Seguin from France just clinched the silver in the last race.

It has taken a few days for the disappointment to really sink in as we have been so busy, but I must admit it’s hard now that I am in Beijing reunited with the rest of the British Paralympic team who have had a great Games and know that I did not manage to contribute to it. But I have learnt some valuable lessons from my experience in China which I will certainly take with me to 2012 where hopefully I will be standing on the podium in front of my home crowd!