Sailing and the wind complement each other beautifully yet the wind is such a determining element that it makes or breaks sailing and sailors' aspirations.
In fact, it was a 'break' sentiment for Sebastian Ripard and Benji Borg, teamSeb&Ben, when on April 17 they tried to sail their 49er dinghy around Malta in a bid to break the current record of 4hrs 50mins, currently held by the J125 boat, Strait Dealer.
Unfortunately, the weather turned out to be a lot lighter than expected.
"We even postponed our start by a few hours in the hope of the wind picking up to what it was forecast to but to no avail. Well, we hope for better luck the next time around," declared Ripard.
But, certainly, there was no time for the young sailors to mull over their round-Malta experience for the racing schedule ahead was demanding and, overall, highly important in their intense training programme that stretches from April to August taking them to France, Italy, Holland, Germany, Poland and England.
There could be some other events in Finland, Hungary, Italy and even the UK Nationals. These venues, however, are not confirmed yet.
In fact, teamSeb&Ben left for France immediately after their round-Malta attempt to get to Hyeres for the Semaine Olympique (April 25-30).
They also figured in the Expert Olympic Regatta in Garda, Italy (May 12-16) before the Delta Lloyd, in Medemblik, Holland (May 26-30), Kiel Week, in Kiel, Germany (June 19-23), European Championships in Gdynia, Poland (July 5-10) and the Sail 4 Gold in Weymouth, England (August 9-14).
Definitely a professional approach by Malta's young sailors who are intensely applying at great depth the three main ingredients which bring about a successful campaign:
i) Equipment;
ii) time on the water; and
iii) coaching.
Ripard and Borg are travelling from event to event in their 2005 Iveco 'Daily' van with the 49er dinghy in tow and plan to arrive at their destination at least a week before the event.
Incidentally, while on this European campaign their means of transport is also serving as their living quarters - the youngsters converted the van into a camper and are living out of the van which they equipped with the basic needs; fridge, two hobs, beds... well comfortable enough.
Challenging route
On arrival at an event's venue, they follow six days of intensive training - starting at eight in the morning with a warm-up (30 minutes bike plus stretch), at 10 a.m. they start two hours of training on the water and again at 3 p.m. another two hours of training with foreign teams.
Then, they take one or two days of rest before the event depending on weather conditions.
A challenging and strenuous programme yet crucial to the Maltese sailors to compete on all the European World Cup events and the European Championships, a route to qualify for the Olympic Games.
Regattas consist of five days of racing with four one-hour races daily reaching a maximum of 16.
On the last day, in order to decide the medalists, the top ten go head-to-head in a single race, an encounter which counts for double points.
There are normally between 50 and 100 49ers competing at these events besides participants in the other nine Olympic classes.
Thus, at each event there could be around 600 teams from most nations.
"This season we are not expecting any glorious results, namely because we are very inexperienced in this boat. Most of the top teams have been campaigning for between five to 10 years," Ripard said.
However, these events are very important for the Maltese boys who are using such events to gauge their progress which at the moment is considered "quite satisfactory".
Before the event, teamSeb&Ben normally identify the teams that they expect to beat, the teams on a par with them which they will battle to outsmart, and those which are out of their league and would signify a vast improvement if they have to beat them.
Presently, teamSeb&Ben are using a boat which is seven years old and is some 7kg heavier than the weight limit (74kg). But, as they go through the races on the continent, Ripard and Borg are assessing their standard and identifying those areas they need to work on more.
However, with adequate sponsorship secured, new equipment has now been purchased and will eventually be delivered in the first week of June.
In fact, at the end of their racing in Medemblik, Holland, Ripard and Borg will fly home for a few days to sort out their new gear further to meeting and announcing their main sponsors so indispensable for their massive ambition.