he has to carefully define with his suppliers exactly what kind of changes in bend characteristics he desires. Jablonski also suggests that the DN class is coming to a critical point in its development, to a per- formance plateau, where only changes in the class technical rules, especially regard- ing weight correctors in the mast, will allow any further (small) gains in speed. Karol remains a perfectionist. He con- cedes, ‘I never go ice sailing just to practise when my stuff is not 100 per cent ready. Before sailing I work out the plan for the day and determine which mast, plank, sail, runners and other equipment I am going to use and what changes I may want to try.’ The mast and sail are still the most criti- cal factors for speed, assuming that ‘the runners and other stuff are more or less correct’. He refers to the mast/sail combi- nation as the DN’s engine. Additionally, Jablonski always makes sure he has a com- plete spare boat ready to go at major regat- tas… DN contact is rarely inconsequential. When it comes to speed the nine-time DN world champion, who is clearly very comfortable with apparent wind sailing, says, ‘I am more worried about controlling my iceboat than about the speed. Some- times you feel comfortable sailing very fast because your set-up is right, your runners have just enough grip, and sometimes you sail much slower and you have problems.’
Older and wiser
As he has matured, so has Jablonski’s philosophy on sailing and on life. For many
goals. You have to build our own road… you will hit many obstacles, but you have to predict and try to avoid them. ‘In many cases it might take years to get there, but you should never lose focus on your goal… Never give up. Never stop thinking of the way you are going. And if you don’t achieve it you can always tell yourself that you have tried your best.’
Competition
Left: Jablonski (above) steers for Desafío in Valencia in 2007; the Spanish team finished third in the Louis Vuitton Cup. ‘You can’t say enough about the job that Desafío did, I think we were the only ones who believed that they were going to take races off us,’ recalls Terry Hutchinson, tactician of Emirates Team New Zealand
years he focused on making sure his equip- ment was right and sailing as fast and as well as he possibly could. ‘If that’s enough to win, great, if not, try to learn why and get better.’ He now reflects, ‘I try hard to under- stand sailing better and how it works. This has become a big part of my life… ‘The game about being successful in life and in sport starts in your head. You have to come up with a kind of plan, strategies about how best you will achieve your
There’s no question DN sailors are an accomplished lot and most are strong at making tactical decisions. All of the best DN sailors race competitively year round, whether on ice or water. Without a doubt the guys at the top are good sailors and also tacticians whichever discipline they are competing in on the day.
Sizing up his competition, Jablonski says, ‘I don’t fear anyone, but I have big respect for all sailors, all competitors. And I never underestimate the young guys who pretty often are on their way to the top.’ Despite the growing popularity of apparent wind sailing in general, more and more participants at the major DN regat- tas are now cresting 50. The Iceman is not invincible, he will be beaten. But in the meantime few in the sport will surely ever come close to amassing and analysing as much information and experience as has the Polish-born Jablonski… over a span of nearly half a century. The prodigy seems to be staying true to the course that he was probably always predestined to navigate. Lynn Fitzpatrick
SEAHORSE 35
OSKAR KIHLBORG
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76