We have a winner! Give it up for Jamie Hancock.......
What was your preparation for this event?
None on the water that’s for sure! I tore my medial knee ligament playing indoor football in the first week home from Cape Town and didn’t sail until I got to Ireland a week before the contest. Luckily we had 3 to 4 days of typical Brandon Bay conditions for me to get back into my wave riding.
What were your expectations of the competition?
I went into it thinking I want to win it or at the worst be in the top 3. I’d been to Cape Town training for two months, that was a big commitment for me to take so much ‘time off’ and then the injury that followed – I really wanted to go to Ireland and win.
What specific training in Cape Town contributed to your win in Ireland?
Getting to grips with my boards out in CT made a massive difference to my sailing. The (Quatro) twin fin concepts open up lots more style avenues on the waves and I really tried to analyse my style and change it to suit the boards. Then of course on the massive day at Stradbally on my 3.3m sail, port tack, I could have been at Platboom on the Cape Peninsula (except for the cold) so I was used to that wind strength in those size of waves.
Also, when I was injured back home I watched so much windsurfing action, particular of the top guys like Kauli Seadi and Josh Angulo watching their style and trying to visualize me on the wave. Once on the water in Ireland I went back to basics; trying to move my hand further down the boom, staying sheeted in on the bottom turn – simple stuff but it worked!
Talk us through your highlights from the single elimination in Ireland
My first killer heat was against local bus driver but absolute ripper Rob Jones, Phil Horrocks and the very much improved Mikey Clancy. I thought ‘here we go’. I was fully on it, fired up and wanted to punish Phil! The top two went through to the next heat and I got the highest scores and that was a reassurance that I could go all the way.
In the next heat Andy King won outright but it was close between myself and Timo Mullen. After the heat I was declared the second man through but Timo protested claiming the judges hadn’t seen his goita back onto the wave – they hadn’t! Therefore a re-sail was run. I honestly didn’t mind this. I knew the judges weren’t idiots and if they’d missed Timo’s move then fair enough. But I was also confident that I could beat him again and that is what I focused on especially after seeing my name on the heat board in the final and having it scrubbed off again just before the re-sail. That place was mine! I caught a lot of waves to guarantee some high wave scores and got through.
The Final!
At the last event in Tiree (Oct '08) I was in the last four in the single and I came fourth. It totally snapped me! It really is a big task to work your way up the ladder in the double elimination so I thought this is the time to go for it, stick to your heat plan and get into that top position. I had a good wave at the beginning of the heat. It wasn’t the biggest which is why I guess the other three carried on looking for bigger but I saw the wave had good shape with a little peak in the middle and two sides to it so I knew I could chuck in an aerial. It turned out to be the only decent wave of the heat and I scored an 8.5/10. The single elimination was mine and I got to sit in warmth and comfort watching my opposition wear themselves out in the double.
Big Thursday: there must have been huge pressure on you that day to maintain your number one spot, oh and deal with the mast high plus rollers and gales force winds?!
I decided to stay away from the beach until the very last minute. All that mattered was that I watched John Skye’s heat against whoever made their way up the ladder so I could analyse what he was doing on the water. It was pretty clear the only sail I would need was my smallest and because they had long breaks between each heat to allow sailors to recover, I knew they wouldn’t start the final without me.
I didn’t go onto the water at all until my heat. I could see it was absolutely howling and also that the margins between doing well and swimming for your whole heat were very small.
Out on the water, I couldn’t see Skyeboy at all, I wouldn’t have known if he was even out windsurfing. The waves, the spray engulfed everything. The first two minutes of the final I found myself swimming for my kit – a bad start. But in the end I believe we both had a good heat, Skyeboy a touch ahead of me so therefore we had to sail again (he has to beat my twice in the double elimination final).
This time I went for my hood! The water was really cold and with so much white water around I was a bit anxious about getting ice cream head, getting punished and really getting into some trouble. I think the hood psychologically helped in that second heat! However, I thought I’d not had the best heat and as I hadn’t seen Skyeboy and the result was withheld until the evening I really wasn’t sure I had won.
At the pub that evening, Duncan announced the result and I was stoked, so pleased. I rang all my family – it really meant so much to me and to them. To beat Skyeboy, who is such a strong heat sailor, and in those conditions was a great achievement. It wasn’t about landing goitas, connecting waves, showing off etc. On that day it was about controlling the conditions and making something out of what was very tough sailing. I won’t forget that day for a long time.
Finally, why were you late for the prize giving?!
I was celebrating with my team manager, Murray Saunders in front of a nice sunset and a hot BBQ. I lost track of time and would like to officially apologize to Louise who gave me a fair bollocking on arrival at Spillanes Bar!
