For our , I spoke with New Zealander sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, who鈥檝e been sailing together for the past 12 years and have both been awarded New Zealand Orders of Merit, Olympic gold medals, and just prior to COVID-19 lockdowns, the in February.
鈥淭hat was probably a great indicator of how our campaign was going in the 49er,鈥� Peter explained. 鈥淲e were really looking forward to the final build up through to Tokyo and we literally would have been finishing the final race in the Olympics yesterday or a few days ago with the closing ceremony of the Games coming up tomorrow. It鈥檚 amazing to look back and see how much COVID has changed things 鈥� it has thrown around the sporting calendar a lot.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that sailing has taught us 鈥� you鈥檝e just got to deal with the cards that are on the table play the best hand that you can. It鈥檚 a similar thing in sailing and dealing with what you get in the winds, since the winds are a pretty fickle thing, so you鈥檝e just got to play what you see and try to make the best out of it.鈥�
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According to Peter, the pair are currently working towards America鈥檚 Cup in March next year. 鈥淲e鈥檝e also got an ocean charity that we鈥檝e founded about ten months ago now, which we鈥檝e enjoyed putting a little more time into than we perhaps could have,鈥� he added.
鈥淲e鈥檙e also in the background planning as to how we think the next year is going to unfold and trying to account for a few scenarios 鈥� when borders are going to open up, if there is a second wave of COVID, etc. Right now, we鈥檙e really working hard for team New Zealand in America鈥檚 Cup commitments, but it鈥檚 really good to have those balancing items in your life that give a bit of diversity to what you鈥檙e doing.鈥�
Blair noted that he and Peter have been using for with their day-to-day debriefs. 鈥淭he boats are tracked so you can see the tracks, the speed, and see how different situations play out in the racetrack, because you might not catch all of that while you鈥檙e head down in your own boat,鈥� Blair said.
鈥淭hat really helps from day to day and we use it to change or adapt our strategy for the remainder of the competition. Generally, these sailing competitions like the world championships go for five days, so you really have to be on from the first day to the last.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great tool and we鈥檝e enjoyed it through the , but now, when you can鈥檛 get to high-level competition, we鈥檝e had some time to look back on some historic races and learn that way too. It鈥檚 an absolutely amazing tool and we鈥檙e lucky to have access to it.鈥�
Peter added that he and Blair have seen trials for an 51风流sailing app that is in development and shows great promise for the sport. 鈥淚 think it could change the way sailing is, from a club level right through to an Olympic level,鈥� Peter noted. 鈥淛ust making it easier for more mainstream sailing to really track and learn and make it easier. We鈥檙e really excited to see that unfold.鈥�
According to Blair, COVID-19 has provided a great chance to unwind, reflect, and plan. 鈥淲e have had an incredibly busy time over probably the last ten years 鈥� hardly stopped 鈥� so this was the first real chance to do that, so we鈥檙e probably in a little bit of a different situation than other people.
鈥淧eople鈥檚 values, what they wanted, and the direction they鈥檙e headed probably became a lot clearer during lockdown period. Also, going into it, everyone was pretty frightened by the unknown, but for us in New Zealand, but to get through that and be out the other side, hopefully, is something that gives you a lot of confidence going forward.鈥�
Peter affirms that it has been a challenging time for everyone globally, but it has provided opportunities to support each other. 鈥淚t shows you that everyone in New Zealand has managed to take a step back, really evaluate what鈥檚 important, and put their best foot forward. That鈥檚 something that a lot of Kiwis who normally would have been overseas during this period are starting to love being at home a little bit more. There are a lot of people down in the South Island enjoying the snow and around the country doing things with domestic tourism.
鈥淥bviously, we can鈥檛 travel to where you are but from where we are but it鈥檚 great to see Kiwis supporting Kiwi business and helping other people that are struggling during this time. I think it鈥檚 definitely a time to look after your friends and family, and make sure that people who are struggling get helped out 鈥� definitely acknowledging that it鈥檚 a tough time and being able to support the people around you that need it is a pretty key thing to do.鈥�
Blair expressed the importance of having clear goals and directions in terms of what you want to achieve and get through challenging periods. 鈥淚 think you need to have something like that where you鈥檙e in business or whatever you want to achieve, you need to know where you鈥檙e heading. Then you鈥檝e got to have some good values in your team and who you are as people.
鈥淔rom there, you鈥檙e working towards your goals, you鈥檙e trying to learn and improve as a person in everything you do. You鈥檙e trying to find more efficient ways to tackle the problem. Through that, you鈥檝e got to push yourself and go outside your comfort zone and be prepared to fail a little bit. As long as you鈥檙e learning and improving the whole time, then you get there 鈥� that鈥檚 how we鈥檝e approached things.鈥�
To hear more from my conversation with these two sailing heros, .
If you鈥檙e a sailing fan and you鈥檇 like to see more of the specific analytics tool in action you can view the 49ers race .
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