We haven’t heard from Connor since January and boy has he been busy! The competition season started in March with the Junior Windsurfing European Championship in Italy where Connor represented Team GBR. Then it was to Pwllheli in North Wales for the all important RYA Youth Trials. We asked Connor to keep a diary during these events.

European Junior, Youth & Masters Championships 2008, Civitavecchia, Italy (20-24 March).

Tues 18th March

After a manic Monday of packing, shopping and weighing and re-weighing suitcases to ensure they were under 15kilos, I got three hours of sleep and was woken up at 11.30pm to drive down to Stansted Airport a mere 190 miles away. Departures at Stansted saw a very weary and bleary eyed looking group of National Squad sailors and parents, and with our coaches Isy Hutchinson and Alex Griffiths we boarded our 6am flight for Roma. Sitting waiting for our transfer bus to Civitavecchia in gorgeous sunshine at the airport looked promising for the coming week and an hour later we were at the hotel. Hotel Miramare was right on the front overlooking the sea and the sailing club where the race would be held.

All windsurfers need pasta so after bolognaise lunch, we got to check if our kit was all safe after its trek from Southampton courtesy of sailors’ Dads; Mr.Sills and Mr.Plumber. Then we scouted around to make a Team GBR encampment on the tennis court. Making up one of the ribs was about the limit of our activities as we were all wiped out from travelling.

Wed 19th March

A blissful late wake up of 0830 to look out from our balcony to find minimal wind and sunshine. Off down to the race site to venture out on the ribs and to get a feel for the tide and compass bearings. The nerves set in a bit then as the sheer scale of what I was about to be involved in hit home. After a quick lunch we had 20mins to rig up and get changed finally able to go out onto the water where I like being most. Light wind training followed (which given what happened later in the week seems quite funny now) more pasta and early to bed ready for kit check on Thursday.

Thurs 20th March

Another late wake up, off to warm up with Alex while poor Isy had the horrendous task of getting us all registered. Note to my mother: even though everything is emailed to competition please print off all forms and insurance and RYA card for all events and put them in a wallet for your son to take! Then all down to the Camp GBR for kit check by Ceri Williams. I was first up, slightly nervous that it might not pass only because it was my first ever kit check not because my kit was dodgy! Ceri looked at my board, race fin and my two sails, all were stamped and signed and I breathed again. All rigged then off to lunch. Training on the water was brilliant, my nerves all under control and we did lots of group tuning runs and were out way past 4pm; one of the last squads on the water.

6.00pm Role Call

We all had to be dressed smart with our yellow event T-shirt and our squad jackets to be down at the sailing club for the opening parade. We were down by two sailors as they had caught a sickness bug and were kept in quarantine away from the rest of the squad. We were handed a Union Jack and a Great Britain sign and fell into line behind the brass band and the Polish team with the other squads behind. Walking along the promenade into Civitavecchia town centre with chants from all the different country teams, it felt amazing to be part of the squad and be representing Great Britain and that whole buzz of all the sailors around. D day tomorrow, trying not to think about it too much.

Fri 21st March

The first day of racing. A 7.30 start, breakfast was a very quiet and subdued affair, down to the race site, rigged up all looked promising with a 10 – 12 knot breeze and flat water, all out on the water at 11.00am. It was like an obstacle course actually getting down to the miniature beach and launch site; so many people, so much kit, so many languages, yet very little got damaged and everyone was really helpful. The nerves were really picking up more than I’ve felt before at an event. Alex said that this was good, the adrenaline crucial to competing, I just felt a bit sick. Once on the water the nerves eased a bit as everyone sailed out of the harbour in a steady stream on 6.8’s, 7.8’s and race boards. 173 sailors were registered to sail though not all went out. The most amount of windsurfers I’ve ever been around, it felt really exciting once out in the ocean.

The excitement was short lived. The race committee boat couldn’t hold anchor so was moving around trying to find a place, whilst I was checking the start line, up wind and down wind bias and waiting to hear what the course was going to be, getting a little more nervous with so many people around but trying to get into zone preparation. Next thing the sound signal went off to instruct everyone to go in and wait for further instructions in shore. George Bowles and I were in first and had no idea why we had been sent in but then we looked back and saw the mega weather front coming in. So we moved our kit and started to help all the others to get in with their kit and make sure everyone signed back in as the swell started to increase and the ribs were busy rescuing people.

The MC was as chilled as ever and told us all that a Pasta party was about to start in the big tent whilst they decided what would happen for the rest of the day. Yes pasta is great news for the ears of a windsurfer but I felt really deflated that our first race hadn’t happened. Come 2.00pm the official cancellation flag for racing for the day went up. I felt really empty. So we and the French team were the only ones that de-rigged and went back to the hotel praying that the wind direction would change for tomorrow to SE and the swell would decrease.

The competition zone (click map to zoom)

"The nerves set in a bit then as the sheer scale of what I was about to be involved in hit home."

A brave new world .

"As I am now 6ft tall and weigh in at 68 kilos it takes a bit more to shift me around a course."

New rules and a busy start line.

"It was windy, cold and the swell was massive. Where was my short board?"

The rigging up areas.

Connor coming to shore

Team GBR rigging area.

The event site.

Come rain or shine, the action must continue

"There seems to be a pattern in all this, we do a lot of eating"

Flying the flag

"As I have only one boom this meant a mad dash pit stop to the shore and a four minute turnaround Lewis Hamilton would have been impressed with."

Changeable weather.

A packed start line.

The finish line and success.

Sat 22nd March

Saturday up early as a 10.00am call to race start, hoping to get races in before the weather picked up as it did yesterday, however my first look out of the balcony did not promise great things and little did I know that the race committee who were staying at my mum’s hotel were saying the same thing. It was cold (the Israeli team couldn’t believe that it made your breath smoky in the cold) the swell was massive. Where was my short board?

Next thing the postponement flag went up again and the GBR squad were off on the train to Roma with the aim to see the Coliseum and the Trevi Fountain. It was pouring with rain, full of tourists and we were a gaggle of 15 kids and 10 adults wandering through Rome getting a bit lost and I realized that I am not a great one for historical attractions, well not when I had my head space in windsurfing. It was interesting just not ideal. By the time we got to the fountain to throw money in we were as bedraggled as the fountain creatures so were glad to get back on the Metro.

Sun 23rd March

Sunday - will we race, won’t we? If we don’t get three races in its not an official contest the organizers were praying to the wind gods and that the Italian Air Force forecast was right.

11.00am start, the swell and wind were high so only 7.8’s were going out, Isy had recommended that we all go out on our 6.8’s as it looked like Friday’s mad weather. But by the time we got out the wind had dropped and I realized that I desperately needed to change sails. As I have only one boom this meant a mad dash pit stop to the shore with a 4min turnaround Lewis Hamilton would have been impressed with. I was out and was just three minutes late for start line so wasn’t disqualified. As I was sailing out of the harbour I was beating myself up about being late but somehow managed to get it back together and make for the start line and concentrate on my sailing and crawled back the places from 50 th to 36 th. Not a great way to start my international career but all good learning I suppose.

The race committee were eager to get us racing again, my nerves were actually worse this time maybe because I couldn’t think about them during the first race. I had a fairly good start, was in top 10 off the line, going well until I tacked off too early, so had to tack back and got run into on the down wind mark, bad news for places. So still not showing what I can do. We then hung around our boat whilst the 6.8’s raced and the weather was constantly changing. Back at shore the parents weren’t sure why we hadn’t been sent back in after two races as the Sailing Instructions say that only two races can be done back to back but apparently they had rewritten it so that the event would count.

Third race the weather had really swung around so the course was re-laid and the buoy was miles out, which was funny as Isy had said in training that it was unlikely we would go out that far. It was a real shock to be going so far out and it looked really far away for the spectators. Off the start line in top 10 again but oddly had an out of body thought of looking around and saying wow I’m in top 10; note to self just concentrate on what I have to do not what everyone else is doing- duh!

The wind was my kind of wind as I am now 6ft tall and weigh in at 68 kilos it takes a bit more to shift me around a course, so I made most of it and came in at 13 th. Much better for the confidence, hoping we get some races tomorrow so I can get that dodgy race discarded. The other squad members were really stoked that they had had some good races however having felt quite positive after my last race the reality of my overall performance sunk in and I felt well disappointed.

Mon 24th March

The last day in Italy and I had to be up really early at 6.30. However it did not look as if we were going anywhere as the wind had been howling all night and the swell was back to Saturday’s level but at least it had stopped raining so our very soggy kit could dry out, great relief for those whose kit was going back on the plane. The temporary postponement flag went up at 9.00 and we were laying out our kit to dry and sitting around finishing off food waiting in the sun to see what would happen. The Italian team was playing football in the kit tent which looked kind of reckless; glad my kit wasn’t there. Suddenly the French were rigging up kit so we were worried that we were going to race but they were just bored and wanted a blast. The full postponement flag went up and our kit got safely packed away and put on the RYA van.

So then it was down to the last bit of the event the prize giving, which was brilliant to see two of the squad on the podium, Sam Sills in 2nd 7.8 and Kieran Martin in 3rd 6.8, brought home to me again that I need to really work hard and conquer my nerves so that I can be on the podium one day soon.

I had an amazing time in Italy and that was down to the coaches, house parents and the rest of the squad. I really hope I get to do more international events as they are a great experience and I have learnt loads from this first trip. I hope to put it all to good effect next week when I get my first experience of racing RS:X at the Youth Trials in Pwlleli, my size seems to be changing my board direction earlier than hoped for.

Connor is sponsored by RRD, Ezzy, Streamlined, Atan, Scorpion, Flying Objects, Surfstore, Grasshopper Porridge & Red Nemesis Dog and is an sSs Team Rider.

He is personally mentored by Jem Hall.