Anna Tunnicliffe- Alinghi - Day 2- Extreme Sailing Series, Sydney

by Anna Tunnicliffe on 12 Dec 2014 These days, twice Rolex Sailor of the Year and Olympic Gold medalist, Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) alternates between sailing aboard Alinghi in the Extreme Sailing Series, and chasing a serious ranking in the world of CrossFit.

She reports in from Sydney, Australia, after the second day of the Extreme Sailing Series, sailing as tactician aboard Alinghi.

December 11, 2014, Sydney, Australia

December 11, 2014
Sydney, Australia

Windy! That's how today is summed up. The rain wasn't even that bad most of the time, it was just very windy. And at times, very, very windy. So consequently, that led to racing being cancelled for the day. It is only the third time in the history of the series that racing has been cancelled for a day.

Racing was called around 2pm. It seemed odd at first, yes, the wind was up, but we had sailed in that before. Then about an hour and a half later, it was obvious as to why the decision was made. All of a sudden, winds hitting 35-40kts blew through the area as forecasted. It was a safe and smart call on the race committee's part, keeping the sailors and boats safe, especially considering it was only the first day of scheduled racing. As Nathan Wilmot of GAC Pindar put it, 'We would have looked a bit silly if we went out there and capsized and broke masts and no-one was able to go out tomorrow.'

So with racing cancelled, we had the rest of the afternoon to do, well, whatever we wanted. I spent the time working on my new venture, Destiny by Design, after taking a short run up to the grocery store for snacks. It felt good to jog again, even if it was against 40kt puffs!

When situations like this arise, part of the game is staying mentally in it. It's tough when you are leading a series and then days like this come around, especially on the first day.

You want to get the racing underway so that you can get as many races in as possible to help average out the scores. But then, on the other hand, you are happy that it's one less day of racing that your competitors have to catch up. However, if you begin to overthink strategies etc, it starts messing with your head and thinking clearly becomes difficult. If you just stay relaxed and accept tomorrow as the first day of the event, go sailing and do your thing, then nothing has really changed. We start many regattas with light winds and don't get in a whole series of races but it doesn't change our mindset. We have to not let this 'blip' affect us; it is now a 3-day regatta rather than a 4-day.

We all just want to get racing. Once that first gun goes off, then everything is back to normal. Nerves subside, other distractions fade away, adrenaline kicks in and all there is to focus on is the present moment and what is needed at that precise moment in time. We all love that moment, the moment when there is nothing else in the world except what is happening right there. And that's what we try to hold on to during delays such as this.

Fortunately for our team, we are all on the same page when it comes to this philosophy. Today was what it was; tomorrow the regatta begins. We are looking forward to the racing and when that first gun goes off, everyone will be focused on what needs to be done right then and there, and not be worrying about anything else.

I'm excited to watch Team Alinghi race tomorrow. They are ready; you can tell! It's going to be exciting.

You can follow along with the racing live at the event website with text commentary and live video commentary starting tomorrow. http://www.extremesailingseries.com

As always, I would like to say a huge thank you to my sponsors for providing me with the best products on the market:

Inov-8, Skins, NormaTec, SpiderTech, Theromega Sports, RxSmartGear and FitAid.

Sail Hard,

Anna


For final results, video replays and pictures, check out the event website at the event website: click here


As always, I would like to say a huge thank you to my sponsors for providing me with the best products on the market:

Inov-8, Skins, NormaTec, SpiderTech, Theromega Sports, RxSmartGear and FitAid.
My sponsors:Inov-8, Skins, NormaTec, SpiderTech, Theromega Sports, RxSmartGear and FitAid.

4D's: Dream;Desire;Dedication;Determination SM
3P's: Passion...Progression…Perfection SM

You can follow Anna on her blog www.annatunnicliffe.com