Team Black Tidey Sailing 49erFX

Staying in the Loop- November 2022

The winter wetsuits are out!

We have been in complete denial that autumn has turned to winter! As it does every November the weather windows for sailing in the UK get smaller and smaller. With shorter days and the occasional day under 20 knots we have to be very patient and ready to take any opportunity we can to get out training. In saying that, we have been filling our days with plenty of other performance gains!

Off the water…

The winter months give us the opportunity to review
and plan before packing up and heading south to
Portugal & Lanzarote. We check in on the goals we set
this time last year and review against them to give us a
honest report. Boat handling is an ongoing topic in the 49er class. A subject which is never ending and always needs work. Off season is a perfect time to strip boat handling back to basics and generate some fun and fitness intense sessions for when we are on the water.

Fitness and conditioning is another area we have continued to work on beyond the Autumn. With some big training blocks ahead in Dec & Jan it is vital for us to be robust to endure hours on the water in big wave sea state. Freya has been working on her endurance and Sas has been targeting explosive power in the gym… There has been a lot of sweat!

We have an exciting opportunity with British Sailing Team media team and GRP Boat Repairs over the next few weeks! We will be shooting some fresh new content of behind the scenes with Freya and Sas on our campaign towards Paris 2024. Watch out on our Instagram accounts @saskiatidey @freya.blackk for sneak peak previews and the real deal! You heard it here first!

Boats Boats Boats!

Slowly but surely we are getting comfy with the new 49er FX kit for this Olympic Games cycle. Trimming these new North 3Di sails which are subtly different and at times more difficult then previous kit has been a main focus. It has been fun to learn new skills and problem solve how to sail the boat at new top speeds. We have had some snazzy new big and bold GRP graphics made for our mainsail thanks to @Generationgraphics.
Our GRP Boat Repairs racing hull built in New Zealand has been tucked up away for the winter until next season. We spent solid hours on her (Ginny) in Marseille, France where the games will be held in 2024.
This winter we will spend most of our time tuning with other nations and figuring out best to sail the boat super fast! Stay tuned!

GRP Boat Repairs & Black Tidey Racing 2023!

We felt so proud coming home from the World Championships with a top 10 finish as a new team to share with our GRP Boat Repairs family. Thanks to Julian and his superstar team we were able to prepare for the World Championships exactly how we wanted to and add the marginal gains needed to execute this season.

We are very pleased to announce that GRP Boat Repairs will continue to support us in 2023. Next year is a major year for us on the International circuit. Not only do we need to qualify Great Britain for the Olympic Games at the World championships in Den Hague Netherlands in July ( Top 10 ) but we will battle it out to be selected for Team GB in the 49er FX class.

This week the RYA British Sailing team unveiled the Paris 2024 Selection Policy:

“The RYA has released its selection policy for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.As Britain’s national governing body (NGB) for sailing, the RYA works with the British Olympic Association (BOA) to determine the athletes who will represent Team GB at the Olympics.The selection policy sets out the criteria for athletes aspiring to compete for Team GB in the Paris 2024 sailing competition.The policy is confidential, and as such can only be accessed through a secure online portal. It will only be made available to those who are eligible to compete for Team GB.” – Royal Yachting Association.

https://britishsailingteam.rya.org.uk/news/posts/rya-unveils-paris-2024-selection-policy/

With a phenomenal support team in place ahead of next season we look forward to pushing it had this winter training and put some scores on board when racing kicks off again in March 2023.

Stay up to date with us on Instagram or check back in next month to hear what we have been up to in Vilamoura Portugal which will be our first training camp abroad this winter!

Yours in sailing, Freya Black & Saskia Tidey