We borrowed a well-used 50-year-old hull (29) from local legends Jeremy and Suzanne Hawkins, now six-time National Champions. We had a fantastic Nationals together, showing excellent pace both upwind and downwind. Our Achilles heel was the reach legs, where in one race we went from challenging for the lead to slipping back to eighth in just two short legs. My fiercely competitive sister wasn't impressed, but I reminded her that we were racing against Tasar royalty and had only sailed the boat together for the first time that year at the Nationals. To be mixing it with the front of the fleet at times exceeded all our expectations.
The Nigel Pusinelli Trophy at Felpham was the perfect reintroduction to the Solo class. A huge thank you to the Solo Class Association for trusting me with the demo boat, and to Paul Davis for making it all happen. What a way to return to the fleet: 15 knots of breeze and 30°C heat on the Saturday! I was immediately reminded why I'd missed the class so much. The racing was incredibly close, and once I'd pulled the de-raker pin out before Race 2, the boat suddenly came alive. I rounded the first windward mark in second place in both Races 2 and 3, and my upwind pace felt as strong as anyone's in the fleet. The key was finding a rhythm through the awkward chop, stabbing the tiller through the shorter waves, then bearing away two or three degrees when a bigger set approached, punching through with speed before carrying the height back through the flatter water behind. It was immensely satisfying when it all came together.
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