No news is good news; well that’s what they say.   It has been a little while since I last sent my news to all.

 April 10, a little while ago now I departed Auckland, off to Sydney racing, training and to I find myself an apartment.  All went well although it took little while to find what I was looking for apartment wise.  April was a busy time on time Sydney harbor with all the serious medal contenders training there.  I felt that I could have spent more time on the water training but looking for my new home took a little more time that I wanted.

 Sail Sydney was raced over Easter the 21^st –24^th; we had varied conditions from almost no wind to 20-25 knots.   I sailed and placed well coming away in 3^rd place.  I was a little unfortunate that I made a false start in the last race and was disqualified from that race, a pity having won it.  That would have put me in second place only one point from first.  Australian Lars Kleppich won the event.  Lars has really shown that he has Sydney Harbor a little more wired than the rest of the fleet although we are closing in.  Lars did not win a race but was consistent through out.  I placed first in 4 races and but had a ten and a twelve which pulled me down a little.  So a little more work on those races should see a change in the final result.

 There is only one result that matters this year and that is the Olympics in September. Everything else is really just training for the big one.  We have one more race in Sydney before the Olympics, that in the Oceanic Championships in August with only a month before the Games we should see who is hot and who is not.

 Back to New Zealand for a week, tidy a few things up and back to Sydney, I moved into my apartment on the 4^th of May picked up my keys and had my furniture in an hour later, all ordered and paid over the internet, no messing around.  I had a solid weeks training before coming home for a day, do my washing, repack my bags and off the Europe.

 May 12^th I departed with Barbara Kendall and her husband Shane, bound for Cadiz in Spain. For the Mistral European championships, our little plane ride took us via LA, Frankfurt and finally to Malaga Spain, from there we grabbed a rental car and another 3 hours to Cadiz.  Finally arriving just after midnight, matchsticks under our eyelids we found our beds in the small town of Puerto Sherry.  We woke to find ourselves right on the Ocean.  Puerto Sherry is similar to our Gulf Harbor marina complex but unfinished, a English firm that under took the project and went belly up, shame because it could have been a very special harbor side village.

 I seem to be getting better and better at dealing with this jet lag problem, next day we were into our training, getting used to the local winds and currents.  I picked up my new equipment, gear that I hope to use at the Olympics.   We managed to get in six good days on the water, a day off and into the racing.

 Getting used to my new equipment didn’t prove to be a problem but, I was not completely happy with my speed.

 With this being the biggest event on the European calender and still an Olympic trial for the Israel, German and Italian sailors it was one to be present.  My whole idea of coming to Europe was to check out what the opposition is doing look at where I am week and get back to Sydney ASAP to fix any problems.

 The event…. Mistral European Championships May 22-28^th.

 The schedule for the event was for 3 days racing starting on the 22^nd a lay day and another 3 days, I knew it was going to be a tough event; with light winds forecasted.  I started well and was among the leaders after 5 races placing in the top 4 consistently I had an OCS (false start) and was disqualified from race 3, losing a second place. (NOT GOOD).

Every time a coconut on the lay day the wind blows, this time was no exception.  The idea of the lay day is to do as little as possible, I am getting this down to a fine art, I moved from my bed at 11.30am to the couch and finished my book, I would have loved to check out the local area but rest is rest.  Race 6 and finally we had some breeze feeling good in the10-16 knot breeze.  We sailed 3 races I struggled in the first race of the day having a couple of crashes in race I finally finished 15^th. The only problem with these big races is you get a bunch of less experienced sailors and should you tangle with them you can come un-stuck as I did. 

 Getting race 6 behind me I stepped out having 3 thirds and 3 firsts in the last six races.  Finishing in 1^st place overall with 31 points, 9 points a head of French Sailor Alex Gydear and Israeli Amit Inbar.  Australian Lars Kleppich placed 4^th.  I had a small advantage in these conditions, which was nice at this stage.  I sailed solid regatta with very few mistakes, this gives me confidence that my programmed is going plan.

 While I was doing my thing in the Men’s fleet, Barbara Kendall anilated the Women’s fleet. Winning 7 from 12 races.

 Not quite home yet but looking forward to a week off before I head to Sydney for the next stage in my Olympic Build up.  I will be in Sydney from June 8^th till 30^th.  Hoping the Sydney weather is not to bad. 

 Results in 2000 

• 2^nd Sail Melbourne, Australia.
• 2^nd World Championships, Argentina.
• 1^st New Zealand Olympic Trials, Auckland.
• 3^rd Sail Sydney, Australia.
• 1^st European Championships, Spain.

  

Events to go in 2000.

• Sai Baba Cup Long Beach, USA.  July.
• North American Championships. Long Beach, USA. July
• Mistral Oceanic Championships, Sydney. August.
• OLYMPIC GAMES Sydney. September.

 Thank you for you continued support.  Roll on Sydney 2000.

 Regards

 Aaron McIntosh