Less than 100 Days to Go – SailGP heads back to Portsmouth!

 

Less than 100 Days to Go – SailGP heads back to Portsmouth!

“100 Days to Go – Will I Be Ready for SailGP in Portsmouth?”

There are moments in sailing when everything feels just a little bit… faster.

This is one of them.

In 100 days, the high-speed, heart-in-mouth spectacle that is SailGP returns to Portsmouth for Season 6 — and if you’ve never seen these boats fly, you’re in for something rather special.

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🚀 Not Your Average Sunday Sail

Now, I sail on the Thames.

We worry about:

• Wind (or lack of it… usually lack of it)
• Current (always in the wrong direction)
• And whether we’ll finish before the next race starts

SailGP teams?

They worry about:

• Hitting 100 km/h
• Keeping control while flying above the water
• And not capsizing on live international television

Slight difference.

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⛵ The Boats That Fly

These aren’t your typical sailing boats. The F50 catamarans lift clean out of the water on hydrofoils — more aircraft than boat.

Watching them is like seeing:

• A Formula 1 car
• On water
• With no brakes
• And the occasional splashy reminder that physics is still in charge

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 Why Portsmouth Matters

There’s something quite fitting about SailGP returning to Portsmouth:

• Historic naval city
• Packed spectator views
• And (hopefully) just enough wind to keep things interesting

For those of us learning to sail “the traditional way,” it’s a reminder of just how far the sport has evolved.

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🤔 Will It Help My Sailing?

That’s the real question.

Will watching the world’s best sailors:

• Improve my tacking?
• Stop me from finishing last?
• Help me understand wind shifts better?

Probably not.

But it will remind me why I started:
👉 The thrill
👉 The challenge
👉 And the occasional moment when everything just works

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🎥 The Plan?

Between now and race day:

• More practice on the Thames
• More filming for pmrsailing
• And possibly… slightly fewer last-place finishes

(We can dream.)

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⏳ Countdown Begins

So here we are.

100 days to go.

Time to:

• Check the kit
• Charge the cameras
• And maybe… just maybe… learn to sail a bit faster

 

1 Day to go – Departure Eve

“Tomorrow It Begins…”

Well…

This is it

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The Journey So Far

From:

• River sailing on the Thames
  to
• Preparing for a week in Croatia

It’s been:
Quite a journey already

I have been to Croatia before in the summer. I remember getting on the plane in England in the cool rain and then arriving in the heat of Croatia. Perhaps not this time.

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How Do I Feel?

• Excited ✔
• Slightly nervous ✔
• Wondering what I’ve forgotten ✔

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What Comes Next

• New skills
• New experiences
• New mistakes

A few days in Croatia before our trip on the yacht, and then three days of exploring after the trip. before we return on Monday night.

Final Thought

This isn’t just about sailing.

It’s about:
Trying something new
Stepping outside our comfort zones
Enjoying the journey and knowing I'm taking thousands of photographs and hours of video, hopefully all backed up.

 

2 Days to go – Final Checks

“Last Minute Panic – What Have I Forgotten?”

This is the stage where:
You realise you’ve probably forgotten something

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Documents

• Passport ✔
• Insurance ✔
• Booking ✔
• Course details ✔
• All documents in one Folder ✔

(Check again… just in case)

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Money

• Cash ✔
• Credit Card ✔

Because:
Boats don’t accept IOUs

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Charging Chaos

• Phones
• Cameras
• Batteries
• Cables

There are:
A lot of cables

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Wifes Clothes

Sorted. Enough stuff for a few months. I will pack around this.

Hopefully:
 3 T-shirts / shorts packed and a pair of trousers to go out to a restaurant in.

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Salopettes?

I looked at the weather forecast

Packed

Final Thought

Everything is:
Probably fine

But I’ll still:
Check again

 

3 Days to go – The Unknowns

“What Am I Most Worried About?”

It’s not the sailing.

It’s everything else.

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Seasickness?

I don’t normally get seasick.

But:
 I’ve never really tested that properly

This could be:
A discovery

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Night Sailing?

In the dark:

• Everything changes
• Everything looks different

And:
I like seeing where I’m going

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Embarrassing Mistakes?

Almost guaranteed.

Examples may include:

• Wrong rope
• Wrong direction
• Wrong moment

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Final Thought

Worrying is:
Part of the process

So is: Getting over it

 

4 Days to go – Catamaran vs Monohull

“Two Hulls or One – Which is Better?”

This is a debate as old as sailing itself.

And now:
I get to see both

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The Monohull (my home)

• Heels over
• Feels alive
• Lets you know what’s happening

Also:
Occasionally feels like it’s trying to throw you off

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The Catamaran

• Flat
• Stable
• Spacious

Also:
Slightly less dramatic Steve and Judy and their guests will be on this boat sailing with us for some of the way.

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The Twist

Judy and Steve are:
Learning to move from monohull → catamaran

While I:
Am just trying to stay upright

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So which is better?

Answer:

It depends

(Helpful, I know)

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Final Thought

I suspect I’ll enjoy:
The stability of the cat

But love:
The feel of the monohull

5 Days to go– From River to Sea

 

Day 5 – From River to Sea

“River Sailing vs Sea Sailing – Am I Ready?”

I’ve done quite a bit of sailing on the Thames.

But this…

This is the sea. It has waves.

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The River Thames vs the Adriatic Sea

Space

• Thames: narrow, bendy, busy
• Adriatic: open, wide, slightly intimidating

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Current vs Tides

Open Sea Map

• Thames: strong current
• Sea: tides, wind, and waves

Different challenges:
Same opportunity to get it wrong

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Navigation

• Thames: follow the river
• Sea: actually navigate

This feels like:
A significant upgrade

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Am I Ready?

Honestly:

Not entirely

But that’s the point.

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Final Thought

You don’t learn by:
Staying where it’s easy

So here we go…

 

6 Days to go – Weather & Conditions

 “What Will Croatia Be Like in April?”

The big unknown:

What will the weather actually do?

Because sailing is:
Entirely dependent on it

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Wind (the important bit)

In the Adriatic Sea, April can bring:

• Light winds (lovely)
• Moderate winds (ideal)
• Strong winds (character building)

Local winds like:

• Bora – cold, strong, and not your friend
• Jugo – warmer, but can build waves

So:
It could be anything

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Temperature

Typically:

• 15–20°C

Which sounds pleasant…

Until you add:
Wind + spray

Then it feels:
Much colder

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Sea State

From:

• Flat calm
  to
• “Why am I doing this?”

Depends entirely on:
Wind + fetch + timing

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Final Thought

The weather will:
Do what it wants

My job is to:
Dress for it and deal with it