"Rising
Stars"
 Normally
it takes years of practice to reach the upper echelons of the über-competitive
Star class. But at last month’s Miami Olympic Classes Regatta,
young guns Andy Horton and Brad Nichol topped some of the sport’s
biggest names finishing in the top three in half of the ten races
to win the 40-boat class. Amazingly, Andy (29) and Brad (25) had
spent only 15 days and 3 regattas together in the boat in becoming
possibly the first twenty-somethings to ever win the OCR in Stars,
and certainly the first to do so after both spent their junior days
sailing on northern New England lakes. They sat down with us to
explain how they were able to get up to speed so quickly and what
their plans are for the future. Enjoy.
First off, congratulations on an impressive
win. Does this mean you’re officially going all out for 2008?
Brad
Yes. A mutual friend suggested we sail together in 2002, but at
that point we were both focused on other things. We really started
talking last summer at the Farr 40 Worlds in San Francisco. I spent
the fall sailing five Star regattas with five different top-level
Star skippers to try to decide whom to sail with. Andy had an amazing
feel for the boat and was one of the best starters and tacticians
I have ever sailed with.
Andy,
Brad has been sailing Stars since he was a teenager, but you grew
up sailing Lightnings (winning gold at the 1999 PanAm Games) and
then Solings at the 2000 Olympic Trials. How did you get up to speed
so quickly?
Andy
We have all learned the hard way that you can waste a lot of time
with the wrong equipment. So in November, I bought Peter Bromby’s
equipment from Athens. When I pulled it out of the container, Pete’s
sailing boots and gloves were literally still in the boat from the
last race. He has been sailing Stars for a lifetime and is one of
the best. So by buying his gear, I was essentially buying some of
his experience, which is exactly what I lack in the Star. This really
helped us get up to speed and let me focus on racing. The downside
of buying a program like this is that you will pay top dollar for
it. In fact, I financed $35,000 of the equipment. It feels like
a lot to owe before we even start sailing, but it’s justified
every time we go racing and don’t have to worry if the keel
is in the right place or if the mast is the right stiffness.
How
did you prepare for the OCR?
Brad
We did three regattas in the fall and winter together, and had some
practice sessions with Andy Zavia and Ed Adams. Because we both
just sailed Key West Race Week the week before OCR, we decided to
take two days off and skip the Zag Cup (the warm-up event at the
OCR venue) in order to rest. It was probably the best decision we
made for the regatta.
Andy
We
really wanted to focus for this event. Nothing will make me focus
more than knowing all of the competition is out on the water getting
better while I'm taking a day off. It just makes me a little sharper
– almost nervous a bit, which is good.
What
were your goals heading into the event?
Brad
Our
goal for 2005 is to gain experience in the boat for Andy, learn
how to work well as a team, and place as high as possible on the
US Sailing Team. Our focus for the week was to average top tens.
We knew if we could do this all week, we would have a good regatta.
We really focused on doing the basics well, getting off the line,
being fast, not taking ourselves out on the first beat, etc.
The
weather at the OCR looked pretty fluky – solid breeze the
first day, light and shifty in the middle of the week, and stormy
on the final day. How were you able to stay so consistent across
a variety of conditions?
Andy
We did have many different conditions throughout the week. Luckily,
we had Ian Walker in our coach boat to help us with our setup. With
good equipment and Ian’s eye, we had good speed. This really
let me get my head out of the boat and it was just that type of
week.
We
heard there were some tough moments as well. In Race 7 you guys
were OCS, but shook it off to win Race 8. How hard was it out there?
Andy
At
the end of the day, over everything else it’s important to
remember it is just sailboat racing. While it is great if you win,
it's definitely not the end of the world if you lose. I think I’m
a little funny about this stuff. If I’m lucky enough to win,
it is never a huge relief or huge rush of emotion at the finish
line. When we got our OCS, we found out at the first weather mark.
We pulled out, dropped the jib and had some food and water. A few
minutes before everyone finished, we put the jib back up and got
geared up. When the gun went off we had a good plan, were up to
speed, had a few breaks and had a great race.
Brad
It
was a tough week. It felt like out luck had run out on Friday, but
in the end we hung on. In the first race of the day, we were coasting
to a third when we got flagged for rocking at the finish and we
lost five boats doing our 720, putting [Mark] Reynolds within two
points. Then they blew off the second race when we were leading.
When they restarted, we had a tough first beat. We didn't know we
won until just after the finish.
Brad
said that one of the goals heading into OCR was to get Andy comfortable
in the boat. That goal seems to have been accomplished pretty quickly.
Do you think you guys are ahead of pace, and have you changed your
goals for the rest of the year?
Brad
It
has gone pretty well so far. We plan to sail the Spring Championships
in Nassau and then look at the summer schedule to see how we can
start to prepare for the 2006 Star Worlds in San Francisco.
Andy
The
goal is really still exactly the same. I have so much to learn about
sailing these boats, it would make your head spin. The OCR was a
good regatta for us, but we still have long way to go. The Star
is such an amazing class on the world level, let alone in the US.
The weekend after the OCR, US Sailing held a two-day meeting outlining
their plan for the next quadrennium. There have been some major
changes in US Sailing’s structure and approach toward supporting
athletes. Brad and I were impressed with their enhanced commitment
to helping Olympic sailors, including the impressive new Performance
Enhancement Team. We plan to make the most of these resources to
help achieve our goals.
You
guys are one of the youngest teams out there in the Star, if not
the youngest at the top level. What are some of the advantages and
disadvantages of youth in the class?
Andy
One
thing I lack is 20 or 25 years of experience in the boats. Generally
you would think the older sailors would have a disadvantage physically,
but that is pretty far from the truth in the Star. What tends to
happen is the veterans are the most professional about their approach
and leave fewer stones unturned.
With
the new weight limits in the Star, are you guys at the weight where
you’d like to be right now?
Andy
Being right at the top of the weight limit is very important. We
still have a long way to go on this front. At the OCR we were at
least 15 pounds light; 90% of that is my responsibility. We also
have a very long way to go with our fitness. It’s definitely
one of the biggest areas we need to improve. My feeling with the
new formula is that as a skipper you need to be big enough and strong
enough to move the boat with you body, hike hard and have powerful
pumps. To do this you need to be very fit, and at least 190 pounds.
So that’s where we are going to be.
Andy, for the past few years you’ve called tactics and trimmed
main on Ed Baird’s two-time world championship match racing
team. Is that going to wind down now with Ed taking the job with
Alinghi and you and Brad spending more time in the Star?
Andy
I learned a ton sailing with those guys, and we plan on doing more
together in the future. With Ed’s new position, it only makes
sense for him to sail the circuit with Alinghi guys. They have so
many talented sailors on that team; I’m sure Ed will put together
a great team and win the circuit. I am planning on doing a balance
of match racing and Star sailing this summer. It’s tough to
get invites to some of the events since I have been crewing for
the last two years, but hopefully we will get a few opportunities
and make the best of them.
Thanks
guys, and good luck.
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