“What went wrong?”

Learning from Setbacks: A, B, C to turn a bad race into a better one.

From the 8th to the 23rd of March, my absence from the club wasn’t due to a typical holiday. Instead, I embarked on a journey to compete in my first world championship in the challenging Etchells class. A design renowned for its competitiveness worldwide, especially in Australia, home to many sailing stars such as John Bertrand, Chris Hampton, Tom Slingsby, Colin Beashel, Mat Belcher, Graeme Taylor, Ian Murray, and more. While I cannot precisely count the number of world champions, Olympic medalists, and America’s Cup sailors present at this championship, we estimate that 70% of the fleet consisted of professionals.

Despite aiming for a respectable ranking between 20th and 25th place, I finished 34th out of 41 boats—a disappointing outcome, to say the least. However, within this apparent failure lies a wealth of positive takeaways and, more importantly, an opportunity for growth.

Looking ahead to the next world championship in Brighton, Melbourne, in January 2025, I invite you to join me in analyzing this challenging experience and in crafting a strategy to improve significantly for the upcoming world championship. Rather than dwelling solely on my missteps, this seminar is about harnessing the power of a self-reflective approach and using it as a catalyst for improvement.

Together, we’ll delve into the analysis of my performance, challenges and poor decisions I faced during the 12 races in Perth. More importantly, I will provide insights into how I intend to address these issues, covering aspects such as rigging, sails, tactics, strategy, physical performance, mental preparation, and more.

This event is open to all passionate members who are eager to elevate their skills in sailing and racing. Admission is free—a small investment in your journey toward excellence.

Cheers,

Philippe Charret