Meet the 29er fleet #8 - Sara and Isabel Momplet Baixauli, Spain
by International 29er Class 30 Jun 2023 02:13 AEST
Women's European Champions 2022, Spanish 29er sibling team of Sara and Isabel Momplet Baixauli © Royal Danish Yacht Club
How old are you both?
Sara is the helm, and earlier this year she turned 18 years old. As for me, Isabel, I'm the crew and I just turned 20 years old last month.
How long have you sailed the 29er?
We started sailing 29er the summer of 2019, which means we've been sailing the 29er for 4 years.
What do you love about sailing the 29er and the racing?
One of the things I love about sailing the 29er is that I get the chance to meet people from different countries and make friends. I love the most, the feeling you get when you know that you are sailing at 100% of your speed and the boat is super stable and you feel like you are one with the boat. I like the speed, the spinnaker and more. As for Sara, she is more into the rush of making decisions during a race.
What are your strengths as a team? Who does which jobs in the boat and what are you both good at?
Some of our strengths as a team is that we know each other very well and we know how to communicate the boat's needs. We are also confident in our speed in light wind and downwind. Sara as the helm takes care of the tactics in the race and at the starting line, she also takes care of the jib and the main sail downwind. Myself (Isabel) as the crew, I take care of the boat's maintenance, the trimming, speed and stability. We are both able to prepare the boat for sailing on our own, while the other is doing other things.
Why do you think you've been so successful in the 29er and what are your future goals in the class?
We believe we've been successful in the 29er because we have been sailing and training in this class for 4 years which has given us plenty of experience. Our future goals in the class are to keep sailing and keep being competitive.
Who/what has inspired you and your successes?
I believe many things inspire us and every sports person to keep competing and to win. But the truth is I believe that what has inspired us to keep training and competing is the desire and need to push ourselves to do the best we can, to sail and get to know the boat the best we can.
Do you have any top tips for people just starting in the 29er and those looking to improve their performance for next year?
For sailing in teams or pair boats I believe that the most important is to know your companion so that together you can get through any problems or hardships. After that you must train very hard on controlling the boat; gybes, tacks, going backwards, starting fast... it's also very important to trim your boat to your needs and learn to go sail fast.
What are your future sailing goals, dreams and ambitions?
We want to keep sailing in the 29er or any other boat - we don't plan to give up sailing anytime. I'm (Isabel) studying industrial design and one of the branches I'm interested in is sails design.