Reflections on the first three days of the worlds

After finally accepting that no one was going to drop out, something I’d actually suspected a week ago, it was straight down to business: finishing the setup and preparing for the commentary.

I should be clear: I’ve never done this before. But I was confident I knew enough about the players, designs, and tactics to do a decent job. And frankly, if I didn’t do it, no one else was going to. What I hadn’t considered was the reality of being on my feet for nine hours a day (9:30 to 6:30), delivering commentary on 55 races so far, each around 11 minutes long. Add in the prep, the mid‑session video updates, and constantly checking the heat board — there wasn’t even time for lunch. By the end of day three, I wasn’t entirely sure whether I was coming or going, but the feedback has been good, and I hope I’ve added something worthwhile to the race videos.

Working with professionals makes all the difference. The Evergreen Video Production team, led by Robyn and Eve, have been outstanding. On a modest budget, they’ve delivered exactly what we asked for — and more. Sitting behind cameras on a cold, wet shoreline is far from glamorous, and editing late into the night is commitment on another level. Yet they stayed enthusiastic throughout, and the better weather in the second half of the event will make their lives much easier. Our plan was to upload each race to YouTube via Starlink, but the upload speeds were disappointing, so we ended up pushing everything overnight. Ironically, my mobile had better upload speeds. We tried everything with the dish.

We also had Mark Jardine with us, and he is worth every penny. Daily updates, videos, interviews, guidance — he does it all. I genuinely enjoy doing the double act with him; we work well together, and he’s learning this sport incredibly quickly. Who knows — maybe he’ll get a boat and join us one day.

As for the racing, it feels fitting that the leader is sailing a V12 from Ian Vickers. I really hope he goes on to win and dedicate it to Ian and his family. Alexis Carre (FRA 73) is putting together a magnificent series, with a tight pack of skippers chasing behind. The first three days were top‑end A or B rig, but the real test will come over the next three days as we expect lighter winds. Rob Walsh is in second, Craig is seventh but stuck in B heat, and Peter Stollery is just behind him — the Brits in the top ten. Lighter conditions will definitely shake things up.

So now it’s time to keep developing my commentary skills and watch who manages to navigate the snakes and ladders of Datchet.

A huge thank‑you to all our volunteers, supporters, and sponsors for making this such a fantastic regatta. I’m off to dinner with the media team.

And if you’ve enjoyed the commentary, feel free to buy me a coffee — I’ll take an Americano.