TEAM OYSTER

Final Goodbye

2008-08-18T18:28:00.007Z

So here it is, that time is upon us, we are finally in the last stretch of our journey to the Paralympic Games in Beijing.
We are leaving for the airport on Wednesday night, for our flight on thursday morning.
It's all getting a bit tense in the Team Oyster camp, as we get nearer and nearer to the ever daunting first race! We are ready though, and I can tell you that we have done everything that we could have possibly done in the time that we have had, and that's the best we can hope for. Now all we have to do is give it everything we have got....
So a huge Thank you to everyone that has helped us to get this far, it's been a fantastic journey, and the end is now in sight.
Sadly we are unsure whether we are going to be able to update the website whilst we are away due to our contract terms, especially during the regatta, but we will try our best. You can, however, follow our progress please on:

RYA Beijing 2008 Page

Bye for now, and hopefully I'll be in touch soon!

H x

Final Tune up crew announced for Beijing

2008-07-29T19:52:00.003Z

After an exhaustive 2 weeks here at Hayling, we have finally come to a decision as to which three lucky people will be joining us on our trip to Beijing. These 3 guys will be responsible helping unload the containers, and generally help with the venue setup, as well as sailing Chimera against Tantrum for some final tweaks!
Martin Boatman takes the helm, bringing his keelboat driving and extensive racing knowledge to the team. Gary Ireson is joining Team Oyster for the first time, but adds a touch of style to the tune up boat! Finally long time shore crew Jon Waite takes up the final position on the bow.

Thank you guys for all your work so far, and we look forward to the final push for the Games!

Hx

Irish 2 Sail Open Regatta

2008-07-29T19:44:00.000Z

Following suit from our regatta in Cowes, the Irish team decided to host a similar event in Kinsale, Cork. Loading up 2 boats 6 sailors and 1 coach Team Oyster took the road once more. A special thank you must go to our driver, Steve Wood for the 2 trips all the way from our warehouse in Colchester to Ireland- it’s a pretty long way, and we really appreciate how much effort it is to get 2 boats and all the kit that we carry around to the various venues!

We welcomed Martin Boatman to the team for the first time, taking over from Dan on the helm. Joining Martin on Dolphin, kindly lent to us by Andy Cassels, were Jon Waite and Dan- taking to an unusual role of mainsheet for a change!
All in all it was a great regatta with the Australians making the long journey over, also the Norwegians and of course the Irish! 9 boats total took to the water from the stunning Kinsale Yacht Club and made for some incredibly tight racing in conditions not that dissimilar to those we might see in Qingdao.
With 9 races scheduled over 3 days we had some very long days on the water, but that said it was well worth all the effort.
Martin and the boys must be congratulated on their brilliant sailing- they came away to take the title and gave us some well deserved grief around the race course!
We finished in a credible 2nd, 16 points clear of the next boat, the Norwegians!

It sent a great message to all the foreigners as effectively it was the British that came out on top once again. Things are certainly looking up, and finally all those long hours on the water are starting to stick! We are now looking forward to 2 weeks in Hayling with both boats and also hopefully, the final member of the tuning crew will be selected to travel with us to Beijing for the games.

Thanks to everyone that has helped us to get this far, we really are living the dream!

Cowes European Regatta

2008-07-29T19:43:00.000Z

With so little racing scheduled between now and the games, in fact none, Team Oyster decided to create their own regatta out of Cowes.
Enlisting the help of long time sonar sailor, Andy Cassels and the Cowes Corinthian Yacht club, we set to work. As you can imagine sorting out an event at short notice poses several difficulties. Despite these, we managed to get a fleet of 7 boats including the Irish, Norwegian and the current Paralympic Gold medallists, the Israelis. We also invited some able bodied sailors, including our long time tuning crew of Dan Parsons, Jon Waite and Joe Erskine.
All in all, we had 4 days of great racing, with some really competitive foreigners! In the end it came down to the last race between Team Oyster A boat and the Norwegian team. Going into the last race on equal points has been something we have been discussing recently as a possible scenario for the Games so to have it arise in Cowes was brilliant. Following a text book start, we covered the Norwegians all the way for 2 laps of the course putting us last and last but one. Then on the final lap we sailed them to the wrong side of the course and split with them to what we knew was the favoured side. In the end we took the last race win, leaving the Norwegians fighting it out at the back. So Team oyster took the title away with our tuning crew coming in a very credible 4th. It must be noted that the guys have had nearly a year away from us so they themselves gave had very little time on the water as they finished their degrees. So congratulations Dan on your First class degree and Jon and Joe on your 2:1’s- Great job boys!
So finally a huge thank you to the Cowes Corinthian Yacht club, especially Debbie Macdonald for all your help with the organisation!
Finally thank you to Andy Cassels and your foundation for the loan of charter boats and the fantastic prize-giving dinner!

Hx

Team Oyster heading for Cowes

2008-06-11T12:45:00.002Z

Having just returned from a busy time in China, we are now looking to the next stage of our training...
We are currently in Lomdon attending the Sail for Gold Ball, which is a huge fundraiser for the Olympic and Paralympic teams heading out to China in a couple of months!
Following that we will be bsaed in Cowes with our tuning boat, welcoming back Dan, Jon and Joe from their exams! We will be testing our final sail choices as well as putting Tantrum and Riposte through their paces in speed testing.
After a weeks training with the final sail choices starting on the 16th, we will be hosting the Sonar Europeans and the Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club. The event starts on the 23rd and continues until the 26th.
As always Team Oyster are looking for sailors to compete in our training boats. If you are interested, no matter what level of sailing please get in touch!
teamoyster@gmail.com
Thanks must go to Andy Cassels for the financial support he is providing to the event in order to get it off the ground, and also to Debbie at the CCYC for the endless help with the preparations. Without your help, the event wouldn't be able to go ahead!

Finally our time in Cowes comes to and end with the Round the Island Race. Keep your eyes peeled for the 2 Oyster spinnakers fighting out in the sports boat class!

That's all for now,
Happy Sailing,

H x

GOLD at the Paralympic Test Event, Qingdao, China

2008-05-15T16:49:00.001Z

After the team’s recent success in Hyeres at the French Olympic Sailing week, there is once again gold on the cards for Team Oyster, this time in China. With a mixture of conditions to contend with, including large swells and 4 to 22 knot breezes, the team battled hard to sail a consistent regatta.

Despite a disqualification in the third race of the nine race series, Team Oyster went all out to secure victory, some 6 points clear of the French team in second place.

John had these comments:
“It’s pretty special being here in the Paralympic venue, and staying in the Olympic Village – it’s a full dress rehearsal for the Games so we’re really pleased to have done well, and we’ve learned a lot by being here.
“The whole team has just got on really well and has had a great time, enjoying the experience – I think some of the other teams have been a bit intimidated by it all.”
Robertson continued, “The next three months are going to be very interesting. The other teams have been asking some searching questions of us – how old our boat is, how much we weigh! I think we’ve just been sailing consistently well as a team, Hannah’s been making some good calls and we’ve got good speed.”

The team return to the UK in the next couple of days for a well-earned rest, before further training kicks off on the south coast in the coming weeks.

GOLD in Hyeres. "Just another stepping stone", our very own John Robertson tells reporter, Lindsey Bell

2008-04-25T09:13:00.005Z

John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Stephen Thomas have claimed Great Britain’s first medal at the French Olympic Sailing Week in Hyeres, clinching gold with a day to spare in the Paralympic Sonar class on Thursday (24 April).

The trio, whose selection for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games was confirmed earlier this month, have led the three-person keelboat fleet since the start of the regatta, clinching eight race wins out of nine races so far, to notch up a seven point lead with one race still to go on Friday.

The Skandia Team GBR trio have found good speed in their new boat, being raced competitively for the first time in Hyeres.

But helmsman Robertson, although pleased with the team’s performance, remains focussed on the main prize.

“It’s a good result and really pleasing that we’ve been sailing well, but this week’s really been about the getting new boat all ready.

“It’s not about this event – that’s just a stepping stone along the way to making sure we’re in the best shape we can be for Beijing.”

Full report on the Y&Y HOMEPAGE

Sonars stay strong on day four- A Y&Y Report, by Lindsey Bell, RYA

2008-04-24T07:10:00.003Z

...Racing resumed at the French Olympic Sailing Week in Hyeres on Wednesday (23 April), with Skandia Team GBR’s sailors holding on to five podium spots with two days left to run.

John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Stephen Thomas continue their superb run of form in the Paralympic Sonar class, with three more race wins from their three races on Wednesday to extend their lead to eight points at the top of the leaderboard. The Beijing-bound trio are finding good pace in their new boat which is racing in its first regatta on the French Riviera this week, and now count six races wins from their seven races so far.

“The Norwegians and the French teams here are usually pretty strong contenders, so this week’s been a really good testing ground for the new boat,” Stodel explained. But the 22-year-old is remaining grounded about their performance. “We’re pretty pleased with how it’s going so far, but there are still a couple more days, potentially four races to go, so we’re taking things as they come and hopefully things will keep going as well as they have so far,” she said.....

Full report available on Yachts and Yachting

All the action from the week can be found on the Hyeres Olympic Regatta Site

Results from the week can be found HERE

Hyeres Olympic Regatta

2008-04-18T15:59:00.003Z

Well its that time again, we are back here in the not so sunny south of France. The Olympic regatta hosted here is shaping up to me another mad event, hundreds of competitors, gear, coaches and all the rest of it!
So far we have been here three days and we have been on the water for 2! Tantrum is holding her own against the other teams and so far its looking promising.
More to follow, so watch this space!

H x

Team Oyster Announcement

2008-04-02T14:30:00.002Z

Team Oyster are pleased to announce the latest addition to the team "Tantrum". Tantrum is the latest in the line of sonars. She has been successfully launched in Cowes and is now on her way to Weymouth for some tuning with Riposte to shake things up a bit.
More news and hopefully some pictures of Tantrum to follow.

H x

Team Oyster New Boat Launch

2008-03-18T10:44:00.002Z

Team Oyster are proud to announce the launch of our new boat "unamed". She will be hitting the water in Cowes this coming Friday.
stay tuned for more information and hopefully some pictures...

H x

Disabled Midwinter's Day 3

2008-03-04T03:18:00.004Z

Team Oyster had a pretty tough day on the water today, and I believe the total of 9 weeks solid training has taken its toll on every member of the team. Despite that we all gave 100% on the water today, but it just wasn't enough to secure us a place in the medals. 10th, 7th and 5th were added to the board leaving us with a grand total of 32 points, just 5 behind the bronze medal.

Its not all sad though, being here has helped us tremendously and I thank all those people that have put their time and effort into this tour to make it worthwhile. There are too many to mention all of you, but here are a few:
Jon Waite, Joe Erskine, Tom Pygall and Jack Kilburn, thank you so much for joining us out here in the states and taking the time out from your other commitments to put time into our campaign. Without people like yourselves we wouldn't be able to train at the level we do.
Mark Rushall and Colin Merritt- Thank you both so much for your coaching. You both bring so much to the campaign and we thank you for all your time, effort and supportive words.
Abi, my sister- thanks for the endless sandwiches, we really appreciate the effort it takes to feed 8 sailors for 9 weeks solid!
Finally last but by no means least, Paul Davis. Not only have you taken the time out to sail our tune up boat, but you have also put in the endless hours behind the scenes to keep both boats on the water and for that we are always grateful.

So that's it the US Tour for 2008 is now officially over and we plough onwards towards Beijing....

Watch this space!

H x

Disabled Midwinter's Day 2

2008-03-02T03:07:00.002Z

Well its been another one of those days where nothing really plays out as you imagine it in the morning! Team Oyster awoke to find a forecast that would scare even the most strong minded. 6 knots and dropping all day with a slight chop and very cold air temperature meant that we would be facing a tough day.
The race committee managed to get a race underway despite the difficult conditions, and all credit to them. Team Oyster fought all the way around the course to round the top mark inside the top three chasing the Germans and the Americans down the run. Sadly the breeze disappeared and the team were left fighting it out for positions. A Decision to clear the fleet and head for the inside line towards the mark saw team oyster rise to 2nd place before the shortened course signal was displayed. One last beat to go and a fleet splitting on either side of the race course meant the team had to decide which way to go very quickly. Choosing to stay with the leader and head towards the left and side of the course, the team looked really good until a lucky bunch on the right hand side got a puff of breeze and managed to close the gap. Team Oyster added a credible 4th to the scoreboard before racing was abandoned for the day.

Lets hope we have better luck tomorrow and we manage to get some more races in!

More to follow!

H x

New Team Oyster Contact E-mail

2008-03-01T03:32:00.002Z

For anyone interested Team Oyster have a new email address. Please use this address for any sponsorship queries, crewing opportunities and to buy any of the kit listed for sale.

teamoyster@gmail.com

H x

Disabled Midwinter's Day 1

2008-03-01T03:02:00.002Z

Well its not very Florida-like out here at the moment. With the temperatures plummeting to that of the UK, Team Oyster are up for a tough time in the final stages of the US tour!
With delays in Miami due to shipping arrangements, we have only had 2 days training here in St Petersburg, Florida. That being said I think that the 8 weeks prior to this event should put us in good stead. With many of the contenders heading to the Paralympics joining us here, the event promises to be a brilliant opportunity to see what they are all up to.

Today saw 12 knots on the race course with the forecasted wind set to drop throughout the day. Shifty conditions amongst the teams favorite saw us getting off to a good start despite the fact that we are all nearing exhaustion. The first race saw us leading most of the way until one corner banging Norwegian team sneaked into the lead, thats just sailing, there are only so many boats you can cover on the race course!
The second race didn't start quite as well with us getting caught up in some Start line chaos putting us on the back foot from the start. That being said we fought all the way round and managed to scrabble our way back up to a credible 4th place.
THe last race of the day saw a pile up at the Pin end, leaving many of the fleet in a pickle. We tacked early and tried to get away to what we believed to be the favored side of the course. Sadly it wasn't meant to be and the fleet started gaining. With some rule breaking action to follow we were left to finish in a very disappointing 10th place. That being said though the fleet remains as ever pretty inconsistent and all is still to play for.
I honestly don't know where we are placed overall, as this is a process regatta for us. We are here simply to see what the opposition are up to as well as testing some new sails amongst other things. Mad as it may sound, the result doesn't matter, this is all another step in the ladder towards the Paralympic Games in Beijing!

That's it for now, watch this space!

H x

Able-Bodied Midwinter's

2008-02-25T05:06:00.002Z

Well all in all, the Able-bodied midwinter's was a fantastic regatta for us and Thanks must go to Colin Merritt for all his help and support. We achieved many things and met most of our objectives, and although the results didn't always echo that, we still finished in a credible 4th place against some very strong able-bodied sailors as well as some of the top Paralympic Teams. .
We have been testing some new sails out here as well as working on starting at the Pin end of the line in pressure situations. Out of the 10 starts that we did, we believe with all honesty that we won 8 out of the 10 starts!
Now we are training for the Disabled midwinter's, the last event in our US tour. With only 2 weeks left here in the states, it makes you realize that we are now only 6 months away from the Beijing Paralympics!

Watch this space!

H x

Just in case you are wondering what's going on!

2008-02-20T00:39:00.005Z

Just in case you are wondering what's going on!
This is just a small explanation of the results at the able-bodied midwinter's in case anyone is wondering what is going on. We are not losing the plot!

We have been joined here by Colin Merritt a former coach of the RYA. Colin has years of experience yacht racing and coaching, and brings to the team his expertise with rig and sail set up as well as looking at some of our most difficult starts.
This is merely a process regatta for us, we are not worrying about the result, we are only looking at using the event to tidy up some of our more difficult skills around the race course.

There is method in our madness!

H

NOOD Regatta Day 3

2008-02-20T00:19:00.004Z

So the final day of the NOOD has been and gone, and it was a pretty interesting one! Team Oyster arrived at the dock to see a bizarre weather front approaching, promising to cause chaos on the race course. Sailing out we had a steady 12 knots but that wasn't going to last too long.

By the start of the first race the breeze was already shifting through 20 degrees and varying in strength from 10 to under 5 knots. Chimera added a 3rd to the board despite the difficult conditions, whilst Riposte struggling added a disappointing 10th to the board.

The second race of the day saw the lead change 4 times, demonstrating the difficult nature of sailing! Fighting all the way round, Chimera and Riposte stuck together, although in the end, Riposte managed to catch an awesome left shift allowing them to squeak into the lead, leaving Chimera in 4th.

The final race of the day saw the breeze increasing. Chimera was now solidly in 2nd place with a small chance of catching the American Team lead by Paul Callahan, although it meant putting 5 boats between them. It was decided to just go and race and take it as it comes!

Chimera added a slightly disappointing 5th to the board and Riposte a 10th.

Final standings saw Chimera taking the silver medal and the team aboard Riposte finishing in 6th.

All in all it has been a very good regatta for both the teams aboard Chimera and Riposte. It has been a fantastic opportunity to see what the American teams are up to as well as racing against some top able-bodied sailors.

Thanks must go to the sailors that make up the teams: Abi, Jack, Paul and Joe for constantly pushing us around the course as well as keeping us occupied in the run up to the competition. Of course Thanks must go to our amazing bowman Jon, without him we just wouldn't work!

Sadly we have to say goodbye to Jack, Joe and Jon as they are returning home to carry on with their studies, but we are still continuing on.

Now its that time again. We are off to the Able-bodied midwinter's hosted by the Key Biscayne Yacht Club. 2 boats, 8 people and a lot of gear is about to make the move the 300 miles back to Miami and we only have one day in which to complete this- racing starts on the 19th. Stepping up to the bow in Jon's absence is Paul Davis. You can check out his profile, or in fact any of the guys that have joined us this year on the training crew page of the website.

That's it for now.

H x

NOOD Regatta Day 2

2008-02-18T12:56:00.002Z

Well another interesting day on the water had by all. Shifty, light winds were again on the cards this morning as Team Oyster left the dock at the St Petersburg Yacht club here in Florida. At least it's not raining!

Chimera had a pretty consistent day's sailing just slogging away, slotting the results onto the board and trying to minimize the risks. We have mainly been working on starting here at the NOOD regatta due to the fact that this is not a performance target regatta. Don't get me wrong it would be nice to finish inside the top three, but the outcome is not as important as the processes. That said Chimera posted 2, 2 and a 5th to the board.

Riposte posted 3, 5 and a 9th.

Overnight standings left Riposte fighting in 6th and Chimera in a solid 2nd.

Stay tuned!

H x

NOOD Regatta Day 1

2008-02-16T00:35:00.009Z

Day One here at the NOOD Regatta in St Petersburg, Florida started off with a chill in the air and some funny weather systems fast approaching. On leaving the dock the Teams consisting of John, Steve, Jon and myself onboard Chimera and Abi, Paul, Jack and Joe onboard Riposte, found a freshening 10 knot breeze.

Sadly it wasn't to be and the weather systems coming in started messing up the gradient on shore leaving us with 2 fighting breezes and not a lot of wind in between! That said the Race Committee did an amazing job getting 2 races onto the board. Chimera started well in both races but lacked first beat style, leaving us fighting for numbers around the race course.

Despite that we managed to add a 3 and a 2 to the score-board leaving us in 2nd place overnight. Riposte has some tricky racing today as well but added an 8th and a 4th to the board leaving them in joint 5th overnight.

All in all not a bad day at the office!

For results please check out the day one RESULTS PAGE

H x

Team Oyster Moving On

2008-02-12T14:09:00.007Z

It's now been over a week since the end of the Miami OCR. The addition of three extra crew and spinnakers has certainly livened the atmosphere. Based out of the Shake a Leg sailing club here in Coconut Grove, we have been busy perfecting some basic boat handling skills with the kites as well as some match racing.

Now its that time and today's the day that we move 8 people, 2 boats and a shed load of kit to the St Petersburg Yacht club, for the National Offshore One Design Regatta or the NOOD for short. With 12 sonars expected on the race course and some strong breeze on the way, we are in for some fun racing!

Having won this event last year there's a lot to play for, so keep watching the NOOD Regatta Event Website

Bye for now!
H x

Miami OCR Day 5

2008-02-03T04:14:00.000Z

Well its been just one of those events where not everything falls into place just as we would like it, at this point it's understandable having not raced together as a team since the Worlds in Rochester in August last year.
The last day of racing was yet another one where we were forced to wait around on the shore while the race officer paced the dock waiting for the breeze.
It did finally fill in, but light and fluky just wouldn't cover it! We started well in the first race of the day, but struggled with some of our downwind speed as well as some of the tactical calls. Our courses were now only stretching 0.5 nautical miles, thats well under half of what we normally race on, so you can imagine there's not much room for errors and plenty of room for luck. A well earned 4th was added to the board despite the tricky sailing.
THe lat and final race of the day just wasn't meant to be. The German, French and American teams decided to have a pile up at the pin end of the line distracting us from the race and causing a lack in focus on the start. It just got worse from there on with people banging corners in desperation to score much needed points. Still we plugged away and managed to salvage a 6th from the race. Sadly it wasn't enough to see us in the medals, narrowly missing out by 2 points.

So with a 4th overall at the Miami OCR, we leave ourselves firmly in the hands of the Paralympic Selection Committee to see whether we continue on our dream towards Beijing.
We hope to receive the news by the end of next week, so please watch this space and keep everything crossed for us!

H x

Miami OCR Day 4

2008-02-01T01:48:00.000Z

We woke up this morning to find a very pleasant 8 knots freshening sea breeze and plenty of sunshine, no doubt a great day to be on the water!
Again not the best start to the first race left us fighting to get into the top pack. Some very tricky downwind calls and some fluke shifts saw the race change hands 4 times. In the end we scraped together a 6th to add to the board.
The last race of the day started really well with Team Oyster clearly winning the start despite a number of the fleet being over the line. A clean first beat saw us rounding the top mark in 2nd. A bad decision on my part saw us going to wrong way with the Australian leaders allowing the German and Irish teams to get through down the other side of the run. Sadly the race was only going to get worse from there onwards. With short beats due to course sharing with the 2.4Mr class, you are not left with much runway in which to play. Fighting all the way up the 2nd beat, it was not meant to be, and with some corner banging by countries that shall remain nameless, we slipped further down the fleet, finally finishing with an 8th.
That said everyone has a bad day every now and then and we are still well within sight of a medal with only 6 points separating the 2nd to 6th place. Tomorrow the plan is to just go sailing and not think about the result, whatever happens you can bet we'll still be fighting to the end!

H x

Miami OCR Day 3

2008-02-01T01:43:00.000Z

Well another day of sitting around on the shore waiting for the breeze to fill in never does anyone any good. We have been preparing for day's like this because this is pretty much what we can expect in Beijing. Armed with books and a cool-box full of sandwiches we prepared ourselves for a long wait. With racing scheduled to start at 10am we were lucky to get onto the water for 2pm and even then it was to shifty patchy conditions- our favorites!
A good start to the day saw us rounding the top mark in the top 5 and fighting it out for the rest of the race, to finish a credible 4th and add another counter to the board.
The 2nd race of the day didn't get off to such a great start with a massively port biased line seeing Team Oyster at the wrong end with a lot to pull back. Rounding the windward mark with a lot to do, we fought back and never gave up managing to scrape together a 7th.
At this stage you can see how up and down the entire fleet is so even results like a 7th may still be counters, all to play for!

Hx

Miami OCR Day 2

2008-01-29T23:39:00.000Z

Wow what a start to the day, nothing like sitting around on the shore waiting for breeze to get you in the mood for racing! Eventually though we did get on the water to a freshening sea breeze and very sunny skies!
A good clean start and a perfect first beat left us tailing the German team in a very close 2nd. The key to close racing is just to stay in touch and not to panic and drift off into the corners of the race course. We just stayed in touch with the Germans and waited for the right time to pounce! Leaving it to the last run, we were neck and neck, with not much runway left in which to grind them down. 2 fast paced gybes, as we have been practicing for the last few weeks here in Miami and we pulled away to take the race, and add another score to the board.
The second race didn't get off to such a good start, but we are always fighting and we left the first beat in the lead, sadly with a few others hot on our tail. A little pressure difference down the run meant we lost one place, but it was dead close. Sadly it was not meant to be and we ended the race in 4th.
It's not all bad though we are putting consistent scores on the board and thats the main aim- you can't win them all!

H x