Sailing World Cup Hyeres - Kosinska flies out in RS-X Olympic bid

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com on 18 Apr 2016 Women's RS:X Windsurfer sailor, Natalia Kosinska (NZL) flew out of Auckland today for the Sailing World Cup Hyeres, in her final attempt to gain NZ Olympic selection.

She qualified New Zealand 12th country in the 2014 World Championships in Santander Spain and is the only one of the 14 competitors from the Santander qualification round who has not been confirmed for Rio 2016 by their national authority.

Kosinska has been training in her own program in New Zealand with the 2015 Women's World Champion, Chen Peina (CHN) in the RS:X Windsurfer, and Zhichao Zhang the Men's #4 at the 2015 Worlds in Oman (China did not compete in the 2016 RS:X Worlds in Israel).

Over the past two weeks Kosinska has benefitted from working with Tom Ashley (NZL) 2008 Gold medalist who is now coaching the Chinese.

JP Tobin, who was the 2012 NZL Olympic representative in the Men's RS:X and qualified New Zealand in 10th place at Santander. But after a series of spats with Yachting New Zealand pulled the pin on his 2016 Olympic campaign and now is coaching the Brazilian Olympic representative Patricia Freitas.

As with Laser Radial sailor Sara Winther, Natalia Kosinska is competing in France without financial support from Yachting NZ and both are self-funded campaigns.

'I have nine days before the racing starts,' Kosinska told Sail-World from Auckland airport. 'That is enough to get over jet lag and just get into it.'

'I have been training with the Chinese and Brazilians off Takapuna. There are two Chinese girls and one guy and a girl from Brazil. JP Tobin has been out in the coach boat with either Tom Ashley or Dave Robertson.

'It has been quite light for the last couple of weeks, and it has only been in the last few days that we have got into the wind. But even this light weather has been good, because the Chinese are really good in the light, and I have got a lot out of her.

'I have bought two new sails and was able to test those out in the breeze. One is a bit faster - so I have taken that one with me.'

Over the past two weeks Kosinska says they have managed 12 sailing days - sailing a routine of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

She says it has been a good learning experience. 'It is so different when you have four good people around who are all close. You are just pushing each other the whole time, and it is close all of the time.

'All the time you have to work on the small details.'

After arriving in France, Kosinska says she will do a couple of sessions with the Polish team, and then will hook up with JP Tobin and Patricia Freitas (BRA) after they arrive two days later, and will sail with them up until the World Cup.

'We usually have some practice racing in the final two days before the start of the World Cup, where other competitors just join in,' she adds.

'I don't have a coach, but JP Tobin will be helping me out over the regatta,' she added.