Hebe Dragons Laser Captain report

白沙灣龍隊 Laser 船長報告

by Seb Van Ommeren

My last update was done from Portugal where Daniel Chan, Peter Jessop and I were participating in the ILCA 4.7 Youth Worlds Championships in Vilamoura.

Vilamoura is situated in the Algarve in the South of Portugal so we were sailing on the Atlantic Ocean which gave us different circumstances again with tide, waves and different wind conditions. We were also able to train with the Greek National team and compete with the best sailors in the world. This gave us so much opportunity to learn and become better sailors.

Not to mention meeting a lot of like minded new and old friends – sailors we met last year during the Optimists Worlds or from our other regatta’s this summer.

The event was 6 days with 2 races per day however 2 days were cancelled as there was no wind. There were close to 300 sailors in the 4.7 boys championships from all over the world.

It was such a great experience and we look back with such good memories and learning which we can now share with the other Laser Hebe Dragons. One of the main learnings is that we need to be incredibly fit for Laser sailing: we need weight, stamina and strength to be able to hike out long, complete the races and really be on our best for the entire race. Our focus will now shift more towards fitness and cycling to built up to that level.

我上一次更新近況是在葡萄 牙：Daniel Chan、Peter Jessop 和我當時正在參加於維拉摩拉 (Vilamoura) 舉辦的 ILCA 4.7 型青少 年世界錦標賽。

維拉摩拉位於葡萄牙南部的阿爾加 維(Algarve)，因此我們在大西洋航 行，並再次面對截然不同的環境：包 括潮汐、海浪和不同的風況。除此之 外，我們還能夠與希臘國家隊一起訓 練，與世界頂尖的水手競爭。這為我 們成為更傑出水手提供了許多學習 機會。

更難能可貴的是，我們可以藉此認識 很多志同道合的新舊朋友，比如去年 的樂觀主義世界錦標賽又或是今年 夏天的其他帆船賽所認識的水手。

賽事為期六天，每天有兩場比賽，但 有兩天的比賽因無風而取消。有將 近三百名來自世界各地的水手參加 了 4.7 男子錦標賽。

我們都覺得這次的經驗實在棒極了！ 回想當時，我們不但締造了許多美 好回憶，也學習了不少知識，因此我 們現在才能夠與我們 Hebe Dragons 隊伍內的其他雷射型帆船水手分享。 我們其中一個最深切的體會是，我們 需要有極其強健的身體素質以進行 雷射型帆船運動：我們需要一定的體 重、耐力及力量，才能長期航行及完 成比賽，且在整個賽事中都保持最佳 狀態，做到最好。為達到上述所提及 的身體素質水準，我們現在將會把訓 練重點放到健身及騎自行車上。

Luckily we did have some time off to spend sitting on the beach after dinner with friends and we had a long lunch on our day off at a farm under an old olive tree with a chicken who sat next to us on the bench and tried to steal our food. On our way from Lisbon to Vilamoura I did see some really dramatic coast lines

The Dragons are now preparing for the 24Hour Race where we will compete against the other teams and try to get the most rounds in and off course try to get people to sponsor us to sail fast for a good cause! So please sponsor the Hebe Dragons.

The next big event in HK will be the Sun Hung Kai & CO HK Race week in 2023 where the Dragons will aim for the top spots in the 4.7 ILCA class.

Whilst writing this, Peter, Daniel and myself are packing for Greece as we will train during autumn break with the Greek team in Vouliagmeni. For who does not know where this is (neither did we until 4 days ago when quarantine was lifted and we could travel freely again), Vouliagmeni is about 20km south of Athens on the Greek Riviera. We are very excited to train in Greece with the same coach who coached us in Vilamoura and during the weekend, we can sail with the Greek sailors and experience different circumstances again.

Next stop will be the Asian Championships at the Royal Varuna in Pattaya in Thailand in December so we have some intense training coming our way!

See you all during the 24 Hour Race!

幸運的是，我們在晚餐後確實有一些 休息時間，能與朋友們坐在海灘上度 過。在休息日，我們在農場的老橄欖樹 下享受了悠閒自在的午餐時光，那時 有一隻雞坐在我們旁邊的長椅上，試 圖偷走我們的食物。從里斯本到維拉 摩拉的途中，我看到令人印象深刻的 美麗海岸線。

小龍們（我們的隊員）正為參加二十四 小時耐力賽而努力準備中，我們將會 與其他隊伍競爭，並拼盡全力在更多 比賽中晉級，當然也是為了隊伍能夠「 快速航行」而爭取贊助的充分理由！所 以請贊助我們 Hebe Dragons！

香港的下一個大型活動是在 2023 年 的新鴻基公司香港帆船賽周，屆時隊 伍將力爭在 4.7 ILCA 級別比賽中取得 優異成績。

由於我們將會在秋假期間與希臘隊伍 一起在沃里亞戈米尼 (Vouliagmeni) 訓練，因此在寫這篇文章的同 時，Peter、Daniel 和我正在收拾前往 希臘的行李。給不知道沃里亞戈米尼 在哪裡的讀者一些小資訊（本來我們 也不太清楚，直到四天前解除隔離檢 疫，我們可再次自由地旅行）：它位於 雅典以南二十公里處的沿海地區。我 們十分高興能在希臘跟隨同一位教練 的訓練，他於在維拉摩拉也曾指導我 們。而在周末，我們可以與希臘水手一 同航行，體驗不同環境。

下一站將會是十二月在泰國芭堤雅 (Pattaya) 的皇家瓦魯納帆船俱樂部 舉辦的亞洲錦標賽，因此我們將為此 嚴格訓練！

二十四小時耐力賽期間見！ Day one of pre-world championships event