26/2/2014
Where were you both
born?
Ed: Cardiff
Dave: Southampton
Are you members of
any sailing clubs?
Ed: Home clubs
are always changeable but at the moment its TATA Steel sailing club
Dave: Restronguet
in the West Country
How long have you
been in your current class?
Ed: Quite a lot
longer than I thought, about ten years now
Dave: About five
or six years - since I got my first 49er
What are your greatest
strengths and weaknesses when it comes to sailing?
Dave: Strength is
just enjoying sailing, biggest weakness is that sometimes when you enjoy it too
much you have to remind yourself to push yourself harder.
Ed: I’d like to
think I’ve got a good feel for the boat. I probably am not very good when I get
rushed
What’s your dream
goal?
Dave: Win a gold
medal
Ed: Same!
What are your other
interests away from sailing?
Dave: I think
both of us are generally in the water doing something. I quite enjoy
windsurfing, mountain biking and surfing as well.
Ed: Yeah I like
to go to Cornwall and go surfing when I can but usually the waves aren’t very
good.
What can you tell us about
your sailing career to date?
Dave: We’ve both
done similar routes, I’ve done Oppie’s then 29er’s. I went to university whilst
doing the 49er’s and have been full time for the last five years.
Ed: I was similar
I did Oppie’s then did 420’s and was helming for a 49er for a little bit when I
started university and then didn’t really do that much while at university.
When I finished I came to crew with Dave since 2009.
Where did you go to university?
Dave: Swansea
Ed: Brunel
And what did you
study?
Dave: Mechanical
engineering which was harder than I thought!
Ed: Product
design
What comments do you
have about Harken?
Ed: You’re all
very friendly!
Dave: Yeah I can
agree with that! It’s just that ability to feel you can come and see people,
it’s good.
If you could have
been present at any sailing event in history what would it have been?
Dave: I would
like to think at the games in London
Ed: Oh as a
competitor? Yeah!
What has been your
biggest sailing mess up so far?
Dave: Quite a
common thing is putting the spinnaker up wrong which we managed to do today.
Yeah if two people do it, it definitely goes wrong.
What’s your favourite
place to sail?
Dave: I think you
always enjoy sailing at your home club; I went back there last weekend. Things
change but then they don’t really change and everyone’s always interested to
see how you’re getting on.
Ed: It’s got to
be somewhere warm. I’ve got to say Palma this year was probably up there, big
waves and nice and warm!
Who taught you to
sail?
Dave: I got
taught by two ladies called Fran and Anne up in Cardiff
Ed: Probably my
Dad
What type and size of
Harken Ratchet Block do you use and why?
Ed: The 40 mm
auto ratchets so that’s the three on the boat, the main and two boat sheets
For what applications
do you feel soft attachments are most useful?
Ed: We’ve got a
couple of them, we’ve got the little one on the mast and one for the jib sheet
which is quite good for the purchase so you can dead end it on itself.
What are the key
advantages of using the soft attach?
Ed: Less
fittings, you can just lash them on and round the mast they are pretty good
because they don’t wear.
Which range of blocks
do you prefer for your controls?
Ed: We have the
16 mm Carbo T blocks, we’ve got plenty of those on the deck.
What is your
preference for type and size of mainsheet?
Ed: We’ve got 6
mm and we’re using the Robline dinghy star
Do you find that this
works particularly well with your Harken ratchet block for holding power?
Ed: It’s pretty
grippy and it doesn’t fray. I think we’re going to use one mainsheet all year!
What
would you say is your life motto?
Dave: Don’t
regret anything and just enjoy everything you do
Ed: Try and do
more, do as much as you can
What has been your
most life changing experience?
Ed: Probably
getting teamed up with Dave because otherwise I’m not sure what I’d be doing!
Dave: When you
finish university and you go full time it’s quite a big step, it’s not a case
of just going sailing, there was quite a difference, everything changes
massively.
What are the things
that irritate you most?
Ed: I don’t like
being rushed! Although whenever I go anywhere I feel like I’m in a rush, I
don’t really like it.
Dave: Waiting for
Ed when he doesn’t like being rushed!
Are you spontaneous
or do you always plan ahead?
Dave: I think
we’re more spontaneous but we should definitely plan more ahead.
Ed: We’re getting
better at planning ahead!
What is the most
important skill you have ever learnt?
Dave: Stuff we
were chatting about with our coach the other day about how you can do all your
sailing but at the end of the day you are a two person boat and it’s how you
two work together, that’s the biggest thing
Ed: Yeah I like
that one!
What is the best
present you’ve ever given someone?
Dave: Ed broke
his hand on his birthday; he got told he wouldn’t be able to sail for like a
month. So we got him a ping pong set.
Ed: This question
should be easier to answer; maybe I’m not giving enough good presents!
