I’ve done quite intense training leading up to this event with multiple camps in Sydney, the NZ Nationals, and of course, time on the water at home with QAS in Moreton Bay. The focus was on sharpening up the small stuff before heading off – and I’m stoked with how it all came together.

Palma definitely delivered, with racing every day; 20 races across 5 days. Day 1 kicked off with course racing, and I built confidence through the day, getting used to the big fleet and shaking off the nerves.

Day 3 was the final day of qualifying, and I needed to hold my position to reach my personal goal of qualifying for gold fleet. I had a great day racing in the new course (upwind spirit), scoring 3 top-three finishes including my first-ever race win, which secured me 31st and a spot in the gold fleet.

Once in the gold fleet, my focus was to learn and soak up as much experience as I could. The level was super high and every small mistake cost big. On the final day, conditions were tricky: light, shifty winds and a long day on the water. We started with upwind sprints, and I managed to read the pressure well, pulling off a gold fleet race win – definitely my highlight of the event. We wrapped up with downwind slalom races, where I stayed consistent with a 7th and a 3rd, finishing the regatta in 29th out of 111.

I am thrilled with that result, especially as the fleet was stacked with more than 15 Olympic sailors. With this result I now qualify for the Australian Sailing Squad, which is another big step toward my goal of representing Australia at the Olympics.

I am now in France preparing for the French Olympic Sailing Week in Hyères where I will be working and improving  on everything I learned from Palma.

Massive thanks to RQYS for supporting this trip and backing my iQFOiL campaign.

Rory Meehan, iQFOiL