Here's a little piece on us from a local newspaper near to St Marys College, where Jesse went to school.

http://www.somdnews.com/article/20120704/SPORTS/707049716/1052/setting-sail-in-london&template=southernMaryland

Training in Weymouth Wrap-Up

Our month of training has flown by, with our arrival to Weymouth in late May seeming just like yesterday. The sailing at the Olympic venue has been beneficial yet wearing, as we put in a lot of hours on the water in more than undesirable conditions. England blessed us with munificent rainfall as it goes down as “one of the wettest Junes on record”! Weather aside, the sailing was very productive with training sandwiched between two events, the Sail for Gold and the Coaches Regatta. Our goals heading into this important Pre-Olympic training were to: get acquainted (more like slapped in the face) with sailing in Weymouth, get stronger, and above all, refine our >15kts racing tactics and speed.

In the month we accomplished what we set out to do- we both feel stronger and more confident in the breeze. Weymouth brought forth about every wind speed and direction over the tranche of training. We were fortunate to be granted such a diverse pallet of conditions to get ourselves comfortable and the rig appropriately tuned. It was almost Ground-Hog Day every week, as we were constantly bombarded by low pressure system after low pressure system on the same weekly schedule!...Friday was usually the day when it would blow 40knots+ and we could do nothing but check over the equipment and gym it.

The training culminated with the Coaches Regatta which was attended by everyone but the Aussies and Kiwis. It was a great experience to not only to gauge our abilities against these top-calibre guys, but also to observe and analyze the nuances and tendencies of a quality 20-boat fleet. On evaluation of the racing (which saw several days of 15 + knots, with the last day hitting mid 20s), we are stoked to be able to play with the top players. Looking towards the Games, we are optimistic of our chances of getting quality scores if we get a blustery day.

So, with the Olympic Venue closed for preparations, we are returning home to thaw out and rest before the BIG EVENT. We are excited to experience a little summer, and to recharge the battery! We will have a little reprieve from each other as Zan will head out to Hawaii to be a Groomsman for a friends wedding. On July 17th, we will reunite in London and resume a week of hard training to get to mind and body back in rhythm with the boat before the Regatta starts on the 30th.

Thanks again for all the support that has enabled us to reach this point. Our ultimate goal is not far now!

Sail for Gold Wrap up

Kirklands learn from tough week at Olympic venue
By Colin Thompson




Jesse and Zander Kirkland reckon they learned valuable lessons at this week’s Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta at the Olympic sailing venue in Weymouth, England.

The siblings’ main priority heading into the regatta was to get reacquainted to heavy air racing and they probably received more than they bargained for as strong gales and tall seas wreaked havoc on the 49er fleet.

The Kirklands only managed to get in three days of competitive sailing as the unsuitable conditions prevented them from completing a full quota of races.

Still, crewman Zander believes there were positives to take away from the final dress rehearsal for next month’s Olympic Games.

“The takeaway from this event is that it has refocused us on what exactly to work on for these final three weeks here before we show up for the Games,” he said. “With strong winds we need to continue to refine our rig settings so we are up to speed with the top guys.

“We will also be working on our boat handling and fitness to make sure we are sailing the boat as hard as possible in tough conditions. We will also be purchasing some warmer gear.”

Chilly winds reached as much as 50 knots in Weymouth earlier this week, forcing organisers to reshuffle, postpone and in some cases cancel races.

Weather permitting, the Kirklands intend to go back on the waters today to get in some more practice, now that their Skandia regatta campaign is over.

Next week will see the duo continue their Olympic preparations under the watchful gaze of coach and former top British 49er sailor Mark Asquith.

The Kirklands qualified for the upcoming Games after finishing ninth at last month’s 49er World Championships in Croatia.

Worlds RECAP and Moving Forward

After a couple weeks to regroup after an eventful and draining World Championship (18 races over 6 days), we are keen to get back in the 49er. We did manage to squeeze a few nice days in Rome (easily saturating our history thirst!) with our parents, before heading home. Jesse also pit-stopped at his old college, St Mary’s, to help their team prepare for ICSA Team Race Nationals. On Monday, we continue our push for London as we head to Weymouth for a month of training, which includes the Sail for Gold Regatta and the ‘Coaches Regatta’.

But back to the Worlds! It was a tremendous event for us seeing us stamp our ticket to the Games with a 9th place finish (BER 9!). We were pleased we could continue improving after an incredibly productive month in Palma in March/April that saw its fruition in our 13th place. It was a confidence booster knowing that we have the pace to hang with the Worlds’ elite in <15knots. Also, the Worlds saw us gain our first experience into the Medal Race, which hopefully will benefit us down the road… All in all, we are ecstatic about the Worlds’ finish, but the mission is not over. The goal remains London. There are certain facets of our sailing we can improve upon, and all qualifying did was give us more time. There is no room for contentment or complacency with our current level and we will be hungry to get better. We need to clock some more time in windy conditions between the facts that Weymouth can effortlessly RIP, and that we have been breeze starved most of our time in the Mediterranean this spring. We can also say, that Mark Asquith, ex-49er British Skandia team member has joined Team Bermuda as our coach. We are excited to get him on board with the island nation from Sail for Gold thru the Games! The dream remains alive thanks to all our supporters. Keep posted as we continue our final push for London!

9th at Worlds!

The 18 race World Championship (17 races and 1 Medal race) is in the books after 6 days of tricky sailing in the light to moderate winds off Zadar, Croatia. The 74 boat fleet had sailors from 32 countries. We finished 7th country. It was a huge event for us! - First Gold Fleet qualification at a 49er World Championship (this is our 3rd Worlds) - First Bermuda team in the 49er Class at the Olympics!!!! May this continue - First Medal Race appearance in a 49er event - First Gold Fleet Bullet The other countries that qualified with us here were: Italy, Japan, Canada and Greece. We will reflect more when this has sunk in, but for now we will recharge after a draining, stressful week of sailing. We still have 2 more months before the Games and look to continue the learning as we head into the Olympics. We would like to thank our dedicated friends (both who were here and elsewhere), who have helped make this seemingly giant task a reality for us. We couldn't have done it without you...THANK YOU! Stay tuned and Go BERMUDA!! -Zander

Gold Fleet at Worlds and Olympic Qualification!

more news to follow, but we made it into GOld fleet and have qualifief Bermuda in the 49er class! 3 days of Gold Fleet racing now Thanks for all your support! Couldn't have done it without you! best, Zan and Jess

Just Another Regatta

Everything is ready to go for the upcoming World Championship, our Olympic Qualifier for London. We arrived here in Zadar, Croatia a week early to acquaint ourselves with the local conditions and to make sure our boat and us are primed for the event. After some productive days on the water in different breezes, we feel good about our speed and maneuvers around the course. Ramon joined us a few days into our training, and will remain with us through the event. His insights and thoughts for the week will no doubt be invaluable. So, as this important regatta approaches, our mentality will be to treat it like any other. There is no pedestal for this event. We will not lionize the qualifying side of it unless it is necessary. Our objective here is to sail a good World Championships. To do that, we must stick to the fundamentals that we always apply when racing…sail high percentage moves, good starting, lane management, observe wind patterns etc. We are really excited to get out there and start racing. It begins Monday, so stay tuned for results! You can check our facebook page for updates. Thanks again for all your support that has gotten us to where we are today, with a chance to represent Bermuda at the Olympics in London!