RS Tera Pro Worlds 2018

Photo’s: Peggy Field

St Aidan’s CE High School girl Beth Miller was the first-placed girl and an impressive second overall at the RS Tera Pro World Championships at RS Games in Weymouth Portland, sailing in the 66-strong RS Tera Pro fleet for older juniors in the class, likewise having to contend with some strong breezes. Over five days and 12 races, Beth’s results included a race win and two seconds, plus a consistent set of top 10 finishes to secure the girls’ title by a clear margin.

Run over 5 days and 12 races Beth took a creditable 1^st place in race 5 and finished 2^nd in two other races. Day 5 was abandoned due to heavy winds leaving Miller a clear second overall and first girl by some margin.

A lesson in consistency on day four in the heavy breeze Secured her title and second overall with Beth finishing 8^th, 8^thand 9^th.

Other YDSC Pro fleet results were Oliver Rayner in 16^th and taking the 1^st position in race 6 and Esme Barraclough in 20 places overall.

Beth was representing Yorkshire Dales Sailing club and sailing under the New Zealand flag, representing her father native country.

In the Sports Fleet Oatlands Schoolboy, soon to be Harrogate Grammer School, William Bailey came fifth overall in a very close run battle for first place overall in the Sports Fleet (80 boats).

Thomas Bates of Ripon Sailing club entered in his first open regatta away from his local club finished a very credible 21^st in the sports fleet.

Miller, Bailey, Bates and all the other Yorkshire Dales competitors have been a part of the youth training scheme at Ripon Sailing Club in Knaresborough and later move to Yorkshire Dales Sailing club to develop their skills on a larger and more challenging training ground.

Beth, who competed under the New Zealand flag (at organizers request to increase nation’s participation) of her dad Martin’s native country

The realisation of becoming the Female RS Tera Pro World Champion and second overall hasn’t yet sunk in. Leading up to the event, I would try to go to Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club as often as possible to practice my sport and perfect the little things such as hiking, tacking and jibing. Achieving something as great as this has given me an amazing feeling but at the same time, it feels like you now have such a high standard to maintain. I’ve been training hard over the past four years and especially this last season. To achieve this means a lot and it shows that anything is possible. Before the start of this regatta, one of the massive things I lacked was self-confidence. I would always doubt my ability and say that I can never beat certain competitors. During the worlds I proved myself wrong and that anything you put your mind and time to is possible. Now that I have become a world class sailor, I have much more self-belief and feel much better about my sailing. I now know I can go out and beat people I never thought I could and that has already benefited me massively.

The RS Tera Pro fleet regatta was very competitive but I think what assisted me in attaining my position were the starts and overall boat handling. My dad has been my main coach over the past four years and he has always taught me to keep my boat flat and rarely try to win the starts. Before the competition, Dad and I would sit down at the computer and watch Laser Olympic races and look at there techniques and then I tried to apply them to my own sailing In the heavy winds, I’ve been taught to play the mainsail through the gusts to keep the boat flat. On the start line, many sailors would compete to win the line but it’s more successful to be on the front row with clear air. I am not as tactical as many of my fellow sailors so before we are given the signal to launch I will find somewhere with my dad where we can look at the race course and its surroundings. I will also look at the forecast and see if it may shift and a roughly what time so I am then able to head up the bias side of the beat. The one thing I will never do is bang corners because if the wind does unexpectedly shift you can lose out massively. If I am ever in doubt about the bias side, I will always sail up the middle of the course and look at the surrounding boats to see which side looks favoured. I’m only as good as the weakest sailor, and the best advice I’ve ever been given is “Go out there, sail your hardest and what happens happens.”
Next season, I would like to go up to the RS Feva. I feel like this would be a good option because it can then improve my sailing in many different ways Hopefully, the Feva will give me more understanding of the science behind sailing and therefore make me understand how to generate more speed and power through the body and controls. Sailing a Feva will then give me experience in both a single and double handed boat. Due to going into Year 10 and starting My GCSE’s, I may have to reduce my time sailing but would still like to enter in competitions and get as far as possible.

2019 – 2020

I hope to sail the RS Feva for about two years before making the decision to either stay in a double-handed boat or go back to single handed.

I have now teamed up with her friend Tilda Brayshay to sail in the RS Feva fleet. We have been selected for the RYA RS Feva XL Zone Squad and will be training over the winter to get ready for the RES Feva Nationals in Abersoch next May 2019.