P&B Musto Race Team Profile - Andy Smith
by Dave Wade & Richard Sault, P&B 24 Mar 2007 18:34 AEDT
P&B Race Team Member, Fireball star Andy Smith © P&B
As part of the P&B Musto Race Team tenth anniversary P&B will be profiling one of our top sailors each week with a weekly offers on there favourite products.
This week profiling P&B Race Team Member, Fireball Star Andy Smith
Which is your most important piece of Musto equipment and why?
My spray top, because it’s close fitting, gives good manoeuvrability and is really light.
How satisfied have you been with P&B sails?
Very Satisfied.
How has being a member of the Race Team helped your sailing?
P&B have always made very consistent sails, which allows you to focus on all the other variables and gives confidence with the kit. This means you know the rest is down to you and helps you know where to look if things go wrong.
Has being a member helped you to achieve your goals? How?
Definitely. Being able to discuss the latest ideas and trends with the best in the business really helps to keep you at the sharp end of the fleet, not to mention the benefit of always having newish sails cut the same as the last ones.
Have your goals changed since being a member of the Race Team?
Not really, I have always wanted to be able to win championships. That was always the goal and each year I set achievable milestones until the final goals became reality. Being with P&B has really helped.
What is your most memorable moment of the last sailing year?
Getting knocked out by a 505-spinnaker pole – it hurt. No - seriously, for completely different reasons, winning the Fireball Europeans for the second time was a great moment.
Do you have confidence in changing your sails and still achieving consistent performance?
Yes – because I know the new sails will be the same shape as the last ones, only the cloth will be better.
What are the main differences in sailing as part of the Race Team rather than as an individual?
The result isn’t just for you, so there is probably a bit more pressure but that can be good.
What tips have you picked up from other Race Team members?
Dave has always been proactive in looking at better ways of making the boat work better. I have received endless bits of tuning advice, particularly from Ian in the early days and I think both Jonny & me, Dave & Richard learned a tremendous amount from our boat tuning leading up to Teigmouth.
If you could improve one thing about your sailing what would it be? Could P&B, Musto or other members of the Race Team help with that improvement?
Finding out how to go quicker! There are definitely guys in P&B who have the experience and talent to match the best and help anyone improve.
P&B Musto Race Team Weekly Offers:
Musto - Breathable One Design Smock
Normal Price: £69.95 SAVE £7.95 (11.4% OFF) NOW: £62.00
Pinnell and Bax - Race Team Long Fingered Gloves
Normal Price: £13.95 SAVE £2.45 (17.6% OFF) NOW: £11.50