Olympic Sailing’s Newest Discipline: Britain’s Windfoilers Train in the Canary Islands

CANARY ISLANDS, May 18, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Britain’s elite windsurfers choose the Canary Islands as a training base for the iQFoil class, Olympic Sailing’s newest discipline. The British windfoiling team are in Lanzarote for a 2024 Olympic Training Camp and are one of many professional sailing teams who have chosen the Canary Islands as their training base for the Olympics. The climate and natural landscape of the Canary Islands, along with its specialised infrastructure for high-level training, make the archipelago a paradise for training and active sports for professional athletes. For this reason, 11 members of the British Sailing Windsurfing Team, including Imogen Sills and Emily Hall, have come to Lanzarote to take advantage of the perfect training conditions and train for the upcoming season and for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Sam Ross is the Lead Coach of iQFoil, British Sailing Team, and has found the Canary Islands a great place for the British iQFoil Class team to train and work on their skills, due to the archipelago’s climate and range of conditions. Ross explains, “the reason we chose Lanzarote is because we needed somewhere that was going to have enough wind all the time. With foiling, we needed to be above five, six knots on a pretty regular basis, and actually we'd been here for three months now and we've not lost a day of sailing. The consistency of wind has been fantastic.”

The British Windfoiling Team are training in Marina Rubicón, ideally located in a sheltered bay on the south coast of Lanzarote, next to the protected peaks of Los Ajaches and a short sail from Papagayo’s superb beaches.

Sam Ross has found the varied landscape and weather of Lanzarote perfect for the development of the team’s skills and fitness. He explains “The beauty of Lanzarote is you get all conditions depending on what you need and what you want to do. So, you go out round the corner and get massive swell and big seas. We can hide behind the Marina to get flat water and lighter wins. Or we can head off the other way to get something in between. It really gives us a massive variety of stuff. It's, actually been probably even better than we hoped it was going to be”.

iQFoil is an innovative style of windsurfing will make its Olympic debut in Paris 2024. Emily Hall, GBR 714, iQFoil, British Sailing Team, is one of 11 members of the British Sailing Windsurfing Team training in Lanzarote. Hall explains “Compared to other Olympic classes, this one is a hydro-foil, so when we get moving fast enough in the water, we actually pick up out of the water, so we fly above nearly a metre out of the water on a hydro-foil, a similar design to airplane wings”.

Henry Bloodworth, GBR 10, British Sailing Team, iQFoil windsurfing class, was campaigning in the old Olympic wind surfing class before he began foiling on the hydrofoil kit.

Bloodworth explains Olympic sailing’s newest discipline, “It feels like you're floating. It looks less stable, but when you're traveling at speed the wings just create so much stability that it's just like, being on a platform. One man and one woman will go to the Olympics in 2024. That would be the first Olympic games where the IQFoil equipment's been present.”

Matt Barton, GBR 983, British Sailing Team, iQFoil windsurfing class, has found Lanzarote to be the perfect destination for winter training, enjoying his time both on and off the water, “We've had the best time here, it's been warm, there's always been wind, which has been obviously essential for us as a windsurfing class. It's been really nice. In-terms of winter training it has been phenomenal. Days-off consist of surfing, we've just done so much surfing. We also have to do weight training, but really just climbing the volcanoes here has been one of my favourite things as well.”

Twin sisters and teammates Imogen and Saskia Sills, iQFoil, British Sailing Team, are training in Lanzarote. Saskia has found Lanzarote to be a great place to train, “It feels like the whole world of sailing has come here this year...and it's been really lovely to experience this island with our friends. I really hope that it becomes an Olympic sailing base training venue forever. I don't want to go anywhere else.”

Windsurfer Andy Brown, GBR 360, British Sailing Team, iQFoil windsurfing class, has found the Lanzarote climate perfect for his training needs, “We've got more winds than we need most of the time, which is a stark contrast to other places I've been where you know, you only get four days out of seven at best. Sometimes less than that on the water. So, you know, you can maximize the time on the water out here and, and it's perfect. It's sunny, windy. Can't ask for more.”

Sam Sills of the British Sailing Team, IQFoil windsurfing class, finds Lanzarote the best winter training destination in Europe. He explains, “We've come to Lanzarote simply because it's got the best conditions in Europe. It's kind of like the European Hawaii. Just constant winds, constant temperature, and we can do a lot of hours on the water. We've sailed in a lot of other places around the world. But the Canary Islands is by far the best place to be in the winter”.

The natural conditions of the Canary Islands make it a paradise for professional training and active sports, offering sunny days, trade winds, several hours of daylight, as well as the opportunity to continue training at high level accommodation and sports facilities around the islands. In addition to windsurfers and sailors, many other elite athletes choose the Canaries as their training base, including triathletes, swimmers, paragliders, beach volleyball players and cyclists from all over the world.

Full release: https://www.travelmedia.ie/press-releases/canary-islands/britains-windfoilers-make-the-canary-islands-their-new-home/

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Sam Ross, Lead Coach of iQFoil, British Sailing Team

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