05/10/2026
Really interesting point from Dom Barnes. We've all been guilty of expecting too much of your body, particularly as we get older. This is something our team did properly for the first time this year going into the RS2000 nationals feeling physically and mentally wrecked, but the adjustments Dom talks about allowed us to pick up some good results early until we'd settled in and were feeling good again, ultimately leading to our best finish yet in the class.
Some race days you wake up feeling great. You've slept well, nothing hurts, the forecast suits you and you're genuinely looking forward to getting on the water.
And sometimes you don't.
Perhaps you've slept badly, you're carrying an injury, you're tired from the week, or nothing is obviously wrong but you simply don't feel right. The temptation is to stick to the plan and expect the same performance you'd get on a good day. That isn't toughness. It's poor race management.
Race the sailor who turned up.
If hiking hard is aggravating an injury, there's little point destroying yourself in the first ten minutes to prove you still can. Settle into a position you can hold for the whole beat and ease the toe strap a notch so your knees carry less of the load. If your reactions are slower because you've barely slept, today isn't the day for the highest-risk start in the fleet. If your concentration is wandering, simplify the decisions: pick a side early, tack less, and put your energy into the things you can still do well.
I've had days when I felt dreadful ashore and sailed surprisingly well, and days when I felt brilliant and was hopeless once the gun went. How you feel matters, but it doesn't decide the result. What you do with the information does.
You already adjust controls, technique and tactics when the wind changes. There's no reason the sailor should be the only part of the boat you refuse to adjust.
Think about your last race day when you were injured, badly rested or simply off it. Did you actually change anything, or did you race exactly as normal and hope nobody, including you, noticed?
