Please select your home edition
Edition
Allen Dynamic 40 Leaderboard

So near and yet so far

by Mark Jardine & Andi Robertson 6 Aug 2024 12:01 PDT 6 August 2024
Vita Heathcote/Chris Grube - GBR - Mixed 470 - Day 8 - Marseille - Paris2024 Olympic Regatta - August 4, 2024 © World Sailing / Lloyd Images

In dinghy sailing at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the first target is to make the top ten, so that you can compete in the double points Medal Race. Every point counts... literally.

For the British Mixed Dinghy 470 team of Vita Heathcote and Chris Grube it was just one point that separated them from that goal, and they were inched out by the Brazilian team of Henrique Duarte Haddad and Isabel Swan, who won what was to be the final race of the Open Series.

Crew Chris 'Twiggy; Grube, who is competing in his third Olympics, and campaigned a 470 with Veta's uncle Nick Rogers back in 2012, summed up his feelings:

"It is always a horrible thing when you don't quite achieve what you wanted to at the Games, which doesn't mean we did not fight all the way, but we are proud of what we have done, second at the Worlds and then putting in our best efforts."

For helm Vita Heathcote this is her first Games:

"I think it has been such a hard week and has kind of numbed it a bit just now. There is a certain acceptance, but we did all that we could. I would not have changed anything that we did in terms of preparation. But right now it is kind of numbed, I don't feel the emotion of it all. You can't knock what we did in terms of preparation, but I'm thinking right now we did all we could, and it was not our week."

Finding and managing emotions, and going through the 'what if' scenarios is always difficult straight after disappointment, but Grube kept things in perspective:

"If there had been some breeze it could have been a very different story, but I think we put our best foot forwards and unfortunately it was not enough.

"I said before there would not be another 470 campaign and so probably there won't be another."

Heathcote is proud of everything they've done and what they've achieved:

"I think my biggest takeaway is the mindset of having gone into [the Games] being happy with what we had done, we enjoyed it and stayed together as a team. I am proud of what we did."

For the USA's Stu McNay, who is competing at his fifth Olympics, a disappointing final day with 18th and 12th place finishes meant they finished in 13th overall, just 6 points off the top ten:

"It was tough out there. We kind of lost track of the wind shifts at times. This is the end of our condensed campaign. We had a good year and a half run and made it to the Games. We had greater hopes in terms of results. Probably on a personal level we both feel like we could have performed better, but we have some great takeaways. Usually tricky sailing works out just fine for me, but this week we just did not really find our rhythm and that happens."

Crew Lara Dallman-Weiss added:

"Oh man, it is kind of like that is what we find in our sport. You work your heart out, you give everything to the campaign, and now you are emotional."

The margins are so fine at this level, and sport can be so cruel, but just getting to the Games is a monumental achievement.

Once an Olympian, always an Olympian.

Related Articles

The most important job in sailing
How Nick Scott is delivering radical change to competitive sailing pathways in the UK I am putting forward that falls to Nick Scott and his team. Namely to secure its competitive future by addressing challenges and delivering radical change while bringing people on that journey with him. Posted on 31 Mar
Going to publish the 'F' word – Again!
Clearly, there are lots of young sailors out there looking to add a load of fun to their sailing Now we published the first one back in June last year. It did really well, thank you. Very much appreciated. Clearly, there are lots of young sailors out there looking to add a load of fun to their sailing, and are keen to get into the foiling world. Posted on 23 Mar
No more excuses
2025 is all about the club sailors, the weekend warriors, the open meeting stalwarts I was wondering if things were going to slow down in sailing after the huge events of 2024, namely the Olympics, America's Cup and Vendée Globe but, if anything, they've speeded up. Posted on 17 Mar
Two boats. Same Direction.
You know the deal… It means there's a race on. You know the deal… It means there's a race on. So, the second South Pacific Superyacht Rendezvous is set for August 26 to 29, 2025. If it is even half as much fun and interesting as the first one, then it will bolster its burgeoning reputation. Posted on 9 Mar
The 600 Sweet Spot
The world of offshore racing is booming around the world The world of offshore racing is booming around the world. Record entries, some of the world's fastest yachts and highest profile campaigns, and a plethora of Corinthian teams have the 'classics' on their bucket list. Posted on 4 Mar
Foggy sailing on Puget Sound
East Coast fog and West Coast whales The biennial Marblehead to Halifax Race, which celebrates its 40th edition this summer, is a 361 nautical mile race that's often characterized by light upwind sailing in fog. Last Saturday on Puget Sound felt like a return to these storied waters. Posted on 4 Mar
Battle for the Bar
The unofficial name for the Capel Sound Invitational, from the stellar waters and the drinks By their own admission, this is the unofficial name for the Capel Sound Invitational. Yes, it pays reference to the location where they serve drinks, but it is also for the stretch of water it is named after. Posted on 24 Feb
The engine room
Without them we are lost. This is about the things aloft both ahead and behind the stick. Without them we are lost. This is not about the tiny little room under the companionway stairs. Rather, it is about the things aloft both ahead and behind the stick.Yes. The rags. Only, they are anything but for wiping up spills. They are supreme tech. Posted on 9 Feb
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
If ever I needed a reminder of how varied the sport of sailing is, the past fortnight provided it If ever I needed a reminder of how varied the sport of sailing is, the past fortnight has provided it. We've seen the whole spectrum of goings on, from the superb in the Vendée Globe, to the baffling with the British America's Cup team. Posted on 4 Feb
Freight Train Running
Checking in with Cole Brauer and ZaZa Tucker in the Southern Ocean Back at the beginning of November 2024 in 'When diminutive is massive' we warned fellow mariners in the Atlantic and Southern Oceans, then the Tasman Sea that First Light may resemble more of a freight train on her delivery to Australia than a Class 40. Posted on 27 Jan
Doyle_SailWorld_728X90px-02 BOTTOMLloyd Stevenson - AC INEOS 1456x180px BOTTOMMaritimo 2023 M600 FOOTER