Long Time no talk!!

Hey, I know its been a while since i have been on here but things have been busy tho not in the world of sailing for me. Looks like i may not be doing burton week, national 12 nationals, BUT i will be doing the SB3 nationals and worlds!!! So the long process of getting myself into shape for the events has begun. I am now in the gym 3-5 times a week! oh and guess what my diet has changed too!! Sadly i still havent sailed for 4 months and with the wind on the sound i am too unfit to sail the laser safely, but on the bright side i am working more in website desgin and development( my NITLC course) and doing some freelance work on the side, along with working behind the bar at the theatre royal plymouth (wooo get me!!). So my cash flow has increased which is allways good, but my car, pingu, has started playing up so money i save gets spent just as fast. All that said i am happy in life now and should be back on the water in march, i am also looking at crewing in a merlin. This should hopefully make me a better sailor.
I have recently been looking at Ally martin's sailing and she is doing very well!! And i look at what she is doing and think i could be doing that, so this is my aim this year to get my self into the life style i want, which is to be able to sail like semi pro level and do website design. If i can achieve even half of what Ally has done i will be happy. I believe i have grown up a lot since my days crewing in the 12 with my dad, and its funny that people still live on those days and say that in certin winds we were the very best around! which is i think is a big compliment!!

Oh and there maybe a jimmy whitehead on tour section on utube!!

Some of my thoughts for now, stay tuned and keep sailing!!

Jimmy

Laser sailing on the sound

Well now, since i have been sailing the laser at redesmere for a couple of weeks i thought i would sail a radial rig on the sound over the winter. This will happen, so it looks like i will be super fit by march and the start of proper racing tho i may do a few cheeky laser qualifiers just for some fun!


jimmy

Soggy Moggy Project

OK so i didnt have a moth project but my mother bought soggy moggy and i am determind to get her to the first gill series race. That said she is a heap! So loads to do and i am on a tight budget, so lots to do my self. She will be like bouncer and get a double floor, in carbon of course, and a new deck.

Will post photos as we go!

Jimmy

Bandit Trophy

OK, so this was the day after my birthday party! not ideal and i never made the first race which i later found out ment i could qualify. The bandit trophy is a 100 minute persuite race!! And only two races both to count which sucks ass!! Anyway i rigged the laser, again because my moth had fallen through, and went for a sail to see if i could keep up my good score card of late. The race itself was sailed in a force2 for the majority sometimes dropping to nothing. I lead the laser for most of the beat until i made a wind shift error and was court on port by a starboard boat, 720 time!, this put me a good 200 yards behind wilf who altho being around 70 is still hard to beat when its sub planing, which it was. I court wilf up on the 3rd lap about 50 mins into the race, we also court the race leader at the time, and i very tactical wilf sailed me into another boat so once again a 720 for me. However i now wanted the raced and court wilf up with just 5 mins to go but alas i could not find a way past and had to settle for second only a minute behind wilf..... Was a gud day and i proved that a race can be won even if u have a bad start or make a few mistakes.....

Founders day

Righty, this weekend saw the redesmere 50th anaversire dinner and then the founders day on the Sunday. Race one on Sunday saw jimmy still in bed with a hangover and wondering whether there was any wind..... anyhow jimmy finally got his arse to the club, and saw brian herring sailing very well to win the first race in suzzy wong. Jimmy proceeded to bugger around and nearly miss the start of the second race, tho he was on the line but facing the wrong way! Doh! Anyway race two saw jimmy lead from the front and never really troubled, tho some dodgy maneuvers could of made him look silly! Race 3 kicked off with jimmy getting the best start off everyone, not bad without a watch, and sailed off to a 3 minute lead. Peter Baldwin did eventually catch him up but jimmy jst steaped it up again and finished a minute in front of peter who was 3 minutes in front of tim lowe and wilf ford, with brian in fourth on the water. The last race Saw jimmy and Brian level on points, tho jimmy was unaware of this fact but it soon became obvious to him as brain tried to take him out tho jimmy was just too good. The wind left the course after lap one leaving jimmy and tim with a ten minute lead!!! jimmy followed tim home but taking first overall

All in all it was an awesome weekend

The new Moth

Well now it always seams when i am about to get a moth something comes up and i end up spending the money to buy the boat or the boat is sold before i can put the money down, but this time i was told that the boat i was to buy off andy lang wasnt good enough but with a change of heart i think i shall be buying a skippy one or two and give it to mike cooke, of aardvark, to convert into a foiler and then carry on with my plan of buying a new moth after the worlds next year.......

Best go and earn my money now

Laterz

J