Skandia Team GBR's sailors are out in Qingdao at the 2008 IFDS Qingdao International Regatta - the Test Event for the Paralympic Classes ahead of the 2008 Paralympic Games in September.

Read all about their China experiences throughout the event here in our blog....

Posted by John Robertson on 15 May 2008:

The pontoon had the scent of rich mahogany and leather bound books, but it turns out that was just Niki Birrell s feet...!

Joking aside... the air of confidence within the Skandia Team GBR camp made for a very warm fuzzy feeling today. With one race remaining and all of the sailors with a chance of a medal the day was going to be a very good one considering this is our test event so results of any kind would be a huge bonus and would give us a lot of momentum to take forward for the rest of the summer.

It would seem that our fantastic coaching and support team of Adam, Mark, Harvey and of course Super Sue have given us the sailors a platform on which to build, and that the other teams seem to be very jealous of the banter and our team dynamic, we are in a good place right now and so we headed out today onto the waters of Fushan Bay with all stickers re-applied with the gift of double sided sticky tape and very shiny bottoms (and clean boats also) we are ready for the racing to begin.

First out of the blocks was the Birrelmeister and Rickham in the SKUD, with one minute to go it looked shocking but then the devils that they are had a blinder and stuffed the loony Americans (trying to port tack the fleet .fools) and forced them to tack so they could not lay the pin boat which left him spinning like Magic roundabout ha haaa! So after that the guys showed a clean pair of heels and stormed to the finish to clinch their gold medal.

In the 2.4mR Helena and Megan were in fourth and third respectively, both had good starts with Helena just behind Damian (FRA) but as they rounded the weather mark it leapt like a gazelle and Helena unfortunately ended up doing turns after clipping a few microns of PVC oh dear. After a few post race protests it was yet again very tight in the overall standings and Helena just missed out on bronze.

In the Sonar race Stevo, H and Johnboy had a seven point cushion over the rest of the fleet so had to sail a very clean race to avoid being spat out at the last moment. Good news though we managed to get off the startline like a stealthy cougar and kept our noses clean all the way up the beat to round first phew. On the downwind it all got a wee bit close with the French dudes so we let him sneak past as any conflict would have been rather silly at this point. Up the next beat it was a case of doing a sterling job and keeping in the game as the Israeli and French teams were only separated by one point. They then started playing around and messing each other up so it was at this point we started getting excited as this left only us and the Australian team rounding at the top with the French struggling behind, so we only had the last run to go from second to tenth to make us lose gold

As it happened, being Qingdao the wind went all freaky and we ended up fourth at the line but not to worry as Skandia Team GBR got their second gold of the day .absolutely fantastic results by all the guys and we could not done that without the able assistance of the best support team Scotsmen can buy not cheap I can tell you!

So now its time to pack the containers tidy up the blood, sweat and tears and relax for a few days until we get back on the treadmill of destiny down in old Weymouth town.

Until the next episode of Skandia Team GBR s antics, ciao for now...


Posted by Alex Rickham on 14 May 2008:

Well hello ladies and gents...

All was wild in the Skandia Team GBR camp today. The main focus outside of the job at hand was the introduction of a new piece of furniture into our lives, and by this I don t mean a rich sweet smelling mahogany desk, but instead a couch (pictured above with Adam May, Harvey Hillary, Ella Hope and Megan Pascoe). Although this sounds none too exciting, nothing could be further from the truth as this couch is so very, very good looking and scenically placed at the end of our pontoon. Yes, that is correct we are the envy of all the other teams. Not only is the view of the Olympic Village perfect from this vantage point but it is also a fantastic place to wind down with that leather bound copy of Tactics (as available in all good book shops).

On the sailing front, day four presented itself with all three classes having medal contention opportunities.

The Sonar team had a storming day bagging two thirds, securing them a seven point lead and a definite medal with the final race to go tomorrow. In order to spice things up the team have now got the members of the Committee boat to join in with their daily sail by sing-a-long, with the tune of choice being Old Macdonald .

Niki and I started this morning over the moon about holding the lead for a second day. However, we also were really nervous knowing we had to step up to the plate and like David versus Goliath (or maybe a termite versus an aardvark), we still had a battle on our hands. This was certainly the case. Our first race began with a bad start but we clawed back up the fleet to finish in second behind our main rivals the USA. The second race was a sixth place finish, leaving us with a definite silver medal but with a chance to sail for gold tomorrow in the final race. We have definitely aged our coach Harvey over this week but without his unwavering belief in us we would never have got to this point.

The 2.4s saw Megan holding on to her overall third place and Helena only one point behind in fourth, having moved up the ranks with two 2nds. The big shifts played both for and against both boats and tomorrow will see both ladies battling it out for bronze or better.

Having finally had an incident free day meant that the coaching support staff in the form of Sue and Ella got to enjoy the sun whilst perched on the couch , to view our racing from the media tower and a chance to try on dresses ordered on our lay day earlier in the week. Sue s greatest dilemma today was purely how to put on a dress the right way round one which I hear quite frankly overwhelmed her.

The reception here has been amazing and though we know we are very much in a westernised bubble it really is a privilege to sail out each day to the Chinese drums and cymbals and the waving crowd, celebrating our forthcoming participation in the Games. This country is so excited about hosting this event that the euphoria is infectious.

We are truly grateful for our host s hospitality especially in light of the grieving the nation is doing as a result of the recent earthquake. Our thoughts and condolences are with the whole country.

Posted by Steve Thomas on 13 May 2008:

Day three of the Qingdao International Regatta the test event for the Paralympic Games. We are now at the business end of the trip and day three of racing has just finished. It was a good day for the GB camp. Megan remains in third, whilst Helena is vacuuming places back up the ladder!

Niki and Alex had an eventful day bagging a second in the first race, then having to drop their mast on the water before the next race, they went on to secure another bullet to keep them top of the Skud leaderboard. The Sonars also had a second and first keeping them at the top of their leaderboard. However, one thing is for sure that every sailor in the team is taking nothing for granted. With the middle left paying 60% of the time, all the time - every decision the sailors make affects the outcome of every race.

On a personal note, our Sonar team bounced back well today after losing a protest and being disqualified from securing their third bullet of the event. Trimming the Union Jack on our mainsail really brings home what this event is all about. It s great to be doing well here and to show our rivals that we are back in form. However all this is about preparing for 8 September at 1pm when we cross the start line of race one at the 2008 Paralympic Games.

We are using this event as familiarisation, the weather, the venue, the different cultural aspects and also being away from home with different people. This trip is also about the worst case scenarios or what we like to call them the WHAT IF s . It s engrained into us that sailing is about minimising the uncontrollables and taking control of the controllables and the team has certainly explored that dark alley. We have had minor hand surgery, mast breakages on the water, coaches sharing RIBs, upset tummies. With such expert support from our coaches and Sue (the physio) the team have conquered every problem we have encountered.

The team have formed a cohesive adhesive unit. Eating together, DVD nights and helping each other out as best we can when the others need boat work accomplishing. There is a great camaraderie and friendship in the camp. It s like I ve been going to the same party for 12 years with the same people and the same great mates, in no way does it depress me.

So still three races to go and three more opportunities to learn everything we possibly can about the venue before we head home on the 17 May. I m looking forward to sitting back next week, evaluating this trip and whetting my appetite for the next three months of hard work before we head out to the Paralympic Games.

(read previous entries - 9-12 May)