RYA SPRING 2021


RACING UPDATES British Sailing Team / BUSA


58


Winter training under Covid


The British Sailing Team have faced a range of challenges during the pandemic. Here, Dylan Fletcher explains how 49er winter training has been affected…


W


inter training is the UK is never easy – the low temperatures and lack of daylight mean we can’t sail


in our usual lightweight 49er ‘marginal gains’ clothing. In a normal year we’d go to Europe to train. And with restrictions on the use of our team gym at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, we had to do a lot of work in short spaces of time. This year my 49er partner, Stu Bithell, and I decided to work on our fitness and, with the help of our sports science team, went on a three-week boot camp. We were joined by our teammates Charlotte Dobson and Sas Tidey. It was an intense session with a lot of physical and problem-solving exercises. The team set some interesting mental challenges –


we never knew what was coming until the last minute.


new challenges


We took part in fun activities such as a bike ‘treasure hunt’, but also brutal stuff like strapping on weights and pulling huge loads along Chesil Beach, which is hard enough just to walk along. We did some activities as individuals, some as a boat team and some mixed. At the end we were able to see everyone’s strengths based on who performed well or won different challenges. After such an intense period you


need to take time out, and Christmas was a perfect for that, although it wasn’t the normal Christmas for anyone. As Charlotte and I are engaged and live


together, and Charlotte sails with Sas, we had a nice quiet Christmas dinner together with the three of us and Rhos Hawes, Saskia’s boyfriend.


Indoor training has helped Dylan and the team boost their fitness.


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