For the social side, Tom rates the Scorpion fleet particularly highly. “It’s a really good atmosphere, a fun group of people who make the newcomers feel really welcome, and everyone shares what they know about how to make the boat go fast,” says Tom.
Sailing with his crews, Andy Thompson in the Fireball and Rachael Gray in the Scorpion and Merlin Rocket, Tom highlights the importance of clear communication and mutual understanding of the boatspeed and tactical goals. Tom admits he can get highly strung during racing. “Rachael doesn’t flip out as much as I do. When something’s going wrong she sort of knows what I’m doing before I do it. We practise a lot of tacking and gybing until we can pretty much do it blindfolded, and we’ve reached the point where we’re really in tune with each other.”
Tom would love for 2023 to be as event-packed and successful as 2022, but believes there will be too many calendar clashes for a proper repeat. “COVID effectively moved all of the dates so that they didn’t coincide. I don’t think it’s ever going to quite happen like that again, but I’m still looking forward to doing as much
as I can on the dinghy scene this season.”
Tom and Championship-winning crew Rachael Gray will be sharing the secrets of their success in ‘The Winning Streak’ at 13:15 on both days in the Knowledge Zone.
A Class of Your Own
There’s a world of dinghy possibilities to explore at the Show, with over 50 Class Associations on hand to help you find your tribe.
Among them are the Osprey Class Association (G21), celebrating its 70th anniversary at the Show, and the Dart 15 Class Association (C34) marking its 45th anniversary and officially relaunching the Dart 15 name.
RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2023 Show Guide 13
Credit David Henshall
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