Abu Dhabi Sailing

From October 12th to the 20th I was in Abu Dhabi for the International Abu Dhabi Open Regatta. There were over 30 countries attending, and me and 20 other Sri Lankan sailors represented Sri Lanka in this event. The event consisted of first some training for 3 days, and then races for the next 3 days. We arrived a day early, so we did have one free day where we explored the city and went shopping in malls. We even went on a desert safari, where we jumped across sand dunes in jeeps, rode camels and went sand boarding, which was all very fun.

Day 1

Today was the first day of the training. The training is in place so that all the sailors can get used to sailing in the Abu Dhabi ocean. We need to get to know how the waves feel, which direction the wind is coming and where the wind is strong or weak. On the first day of training we had to first rig our boats. We had the whole morning to do this as it does take time to rig boats, and we had to bring some parts from our own boat because they didn’t provide everything. This took time as some people forgot parts, or some parts didn’t fit properly. Eventually we were done rigging by lunch, and were ready to sail in the afternoon.

Training (I am boat number 215431)

In the ocean we sailed some simple practice races to get to know the wind, and also the skill levels of all the sailors. In my class, which is Laser 4.7, I was sailing up against a mix of kids and adults. Some of the adults have been sailing for their whole life, and their was even one sailor who was in the 2016 Rio Olympics for sailing. Meanwhile I was 16 and had only been sailing Laser for 6 months. I knew I wasn’t going to win a prize, so I set my goal to just do the best I can, and not come last.

Day 2

The next day was again more training. Since we didn’t have to rig any boats, the morning was just us chilling and playing card games at the club.

After having lunch we went to the ocean and did some more basic training. This time all the teams sailed separately to train so that we could get one-one feedback from our coaches. We did some more practice races and training until 5:00, which is when we came back to shore and went back to the hotel to get ready for the next day.

Day 3

Today was the day of the opening ceremony, but we were going to sail during the morning because the opening ceremony was going to be in the afternoon. However in the morning there was little to no wind so we couldn’t launch. Because of that we just stayed at the club. For the opening ceremony all the countries were announced onto the stage, we took pictures and went off. Sri Lanka, U.A.E and Oman had the biggest teams, with around 20 sailors.

The opening ceremony

After the opening ceremony we had an Arabian Night dinner with traditional Arabian food, dancing and activities.

Day 4

Day 4 was the first day of competitions. My Laser class didn’t have any races today, but it was the younger optimist class which had competitions. They had team racing and Sri Lanka would be going against Oman and U.A.E. They lost against Oman, however they won against U.A.E, which meant they could move to the next round and go against Russia. Sadly, they did lose against Russia and were knocked out of the competition. For my class the training was just the same as always with practice races and we were out of the water by 4:30.

Day 5

Today was the first day of competition for my Laser class. In sailing races are done by having marks set around the ocean and we have to go around them in a specific way, and this is the race course. The results are by who crosses the finish line first. The course we were given was around 45 minutes long, which is the usual length of a Laser course. There were going to be 3 races today, however we could only do 2 as the wind drastically decreased, so we didn’t have time to do a third race.

Waiting in the ocean for the races to start

My races today were good. I came in 22nd and 24th which was pretty good for me.

Day 6

Today was the final day of the competition. We had 3 races today and I performed equally as I did the previous day. The course was different as it was made shorter to compensate for the less wind. In these races I came 22nd, 23rd and 20th. This meant that my overall position in the entire competition was 22nd. I was happy with this position and feel like I did well.

After the races it was time for the closing ceremony. The winners were awarded their prizes, trophies and medals. The winning country was Oman, 2nd was India and 3rd was Singapore. I am not sure of which position Sri Lanka came but it was somewhere in the middle of the field, which is a good result for our small island in the big leagues with big sailing countries like USA and Australia.

Learning Outcomes

From this trip I have developed my learning outcomes. One of the main learning outcomes I have developed is “demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process”. This was my first ever international event, and it was a competition so it was a big challenge and I have undertaken it, and I think I have been successful in undertaking this challenge. I have also developed new skills. The big skill I learnt was sailing in the ocean, as the training helped me get better in this. I haven’t sailed in the ocean that much, so the training sessions really helped me develop my skills of sailing in the ocean.

My CAS Goal

One of my goals for CAS was to attend this regatta and represent Sri Lanka. I have done this and therefore have completed my another CAS goal for this year. The 2 goals I have completed are quick goals in which I have to finish one thing, both being completing the UN Day presentation and now this goal. These 2 goals are the only goals in which I have to finish one thing, so the next few goals I will have to work on throughout the year.

Overall

In conclusion, this entire sailing competition has been a great experience for me. I have learned a lot like new sailing skills, and I am very happy and proud to have represented Sri Lanka in a competition. I hope to do this again in another competition for sailing.