Krishan's Blog
2019 UK Laser Qualifiers
24th February 2020
2019 UK Laser Qualifiers
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the final UK Laser Worlds and Europeans qualifier of the series, as this clashed with the U21 Worlds in Croatia. In the first 2 events of the series at Sunderland and Weymouth, I finished 9th (3rd U21 and 1st U19) and 12th (1st U21). I am currently 2nd overall in the U21 series and 12th in the senior series. I am looking forward to some more qualifier racing at the 3 upcoming qualifiers in March.
Krishan Bhogal
Vilamoura Winter Training Camp
22nd December 2019
Vilamoura Winter Training Camp
In December, I flew out to Vilamoura, Portugal with the rest of the British team for a long training camp and to race in the Portugal Grand Prix against some of the best senior sailors in the world. I finished 38th overall in the event. It was a tough, focussed week and lining up against these guys was a huge experience for me. I had a great time training and racing out there with the likes of Robert Scheidt and other big names! It was good to get away from the cold and really put some hours in on the water.
As well as this, I have been spending a lot of time down in Weymouth over the winter so far, training as part of the British Youth Sailing Team and putting a lot of time into my physical preparation with help from TASS. I appreciate all the support I receive to help me enjoy my sailing and get the most out of my campaign. I am keen to prove myself this year.
Krishan Bhogal
2019 Laser Internationals
3rd November 2019
2019 Internationals
This last season, I competed in the U21 Laser World Championships in Split, Croatia and the U21 Laser European Championships in Dziwnow, Poland. These were my first U21 international competitions and I finished 76th (29th U19) and 84th (33rd U19) in large, very competitive fleets. I also competed in the famous Kiel Week, finishing 37th. I have had a very productive summer of racing and I have highlighted some key areas which I have been working on for the coming season. I am grateful for the continued support from Phoenix Marine as I continue to progress and climb up through the international rankings. I am looking forward to getting back on the international circuit and hopefully making some big improvements.
Krishan Bhogal
UK Laser Nationals 2019
4th August 2019
UK Laser Nationals 2019
Far from my best week at the UK Laser Nationals… I finished 10th overall, 5th U21 and 1st U19. It was a very tricky week and ultimately some big scores cost me. There is plenty for me to take away from this event and I will be better next time. It was still a great weeks sailing and the event was very well run.
Krishan Bhogal
RYA Youth Nationals 2019
14th May 2019
RYA Youth Nationals 2019
This year, the Youth Nationals were held at WPNSA. It was a tough week with a huge variety of conditions and very close, small fleet racing.
The week started with a huge first day and the breeze made for some tough racing. Unfortunately, there was so much wind that only 1 race was sailed. Day 2 was much lighter and all 3 races were completed but on day 3, heavy fog meant that the day was abandoned after a long wait around. The race committee made up for this on the following day by running 4 races in glamour sailing conditions followed by 1 very light wind race on the final day.
The mixture of conditions made the week very challenging and I have definitely learnt a lot from it. I generally managed to stay consistent throughout the week which I am very happy about, with my best race result as 2nd.
I finished 4th overall and 1st U19 making me the U19 national champion which was a nice way to round off the week. However, I was slightly disappointed not to make the podium so I’ll be looking to do that in the future. Well done especially to Joe Drake who sailed an outstanding event and deservingly won overall.
Krishan Bhogal
UKLA Spring Qualifier WPNSA 2019
15th March 2019
UKLA Spring Qualifier WPNSA 2019
Last weekend was the first Laser qualifier of the year and it was intense! Saturday was about 20 knots all day and shifty. The race committee had already decided that we would do 4 races that day because the forecast for Sunday was definitely unsailable. I sailed quite a consistent day starting with an 18th. In the 2nd race I also finished 18th. Then the wind began to die and went hard left for the next 2 races generally. I finished 17th and 16th meaning I finished 19th overall and 1st U19. Each race was closely contested through the whole fleet. I felt like it was a solid performance from myself but nothing special and I’ll be looking to improve this result this weekend at Stokes Bay.
Krishan Bhogal
Palamos Christmas Race 2018
22nd December 2018
Palamos Christmas Race 2018
This year was the first year I had competed at the Christmas race and it began on 19th December. I had a already been in Spain for a few days beforehand whilst I was picking up a charter boat and getting set for the week.
Initially, the forecast for the week had been light but every race, besides the first race, was very windy and the waves were huge!
In race 1, the conditions changed at start time and I did not react quickly enough. This meant I scored a 19th in the first race which was disappointing. However, races 2 and 3 were much better. I finished 10th and 11th.
Day 2, unfortunately, was too light to sail which was frustrating.
Day 3 was another big day and it was breezy! In race 4 I finished 15th but in race 5 an early start meant I was disqualified from that race. I sorted myself out after this and finished 11th in race 6.
The wind, on the final day of racing, never filled in which meant we were sat in shore all day which was a shame. I finished in 14th overall.
In summary, it was a fantastic experience racing at that level in an international fleet and, although my result was disappointing, the event has helped highlight some key areas to focus on for 2019. The event was a good way to round off quite a successful year for me.
Laser Inland Championships 2018
28th October 2018
Laser Inland Championships 2018
The 2018 Laser Inlands were held at Rutland SC and it was a cold weekend! Day 1 was particularly windy and shifty making the racing very challenging and intense. I sailed a solid 3 races and my results were 5th, 4th and 6th. This left me 7th overnight but the points at the top were very close. Day 2 was quite similar and I started the day with a 10th which I was not happy about. However, I improved throughout the day and finished 6th and 8th. This left me in 6th overall which I was quite happy with. Ur was a great weekend and the racing also helped me work out what I need to concentrate on over the winter and how my speed is compared to the top guys.
Krishan Bhogal
Laser Autumn Qualifier Weymouth
21st October 2018
Laser Autumn Qualifier Weymouth and Youth Squad Training
Last weekend was the last autumn qualifier and it was a pretty light wind weekend. There was only 1 race on Saturday and the wind died half way through it! I finished 13th. Sunday was also quite light but there was enough wind this time! Unfortunately, I didn’t have the best day and I finished 22nd, 20th and (25th) which meant that I finished 19th overall which I was a bit disappointed with. However, for the next 3 days, I was training with the laser standard youth squad and head coach James Gray. It was great trading with the P3 sailors as well and I’m looking forward to a good winter training with them all to get ready for the summer.
Laser Qualifier Lowestoft 2018
7th October 2018
Laser Qualifier Lowestoft 2018
The 2nd autumn laser qualifier was held at Lowestoft and the weekend started with big waves and some big breeze! It was a tough day with tide having a big effect on the racing. My results were 16th, 14th and 15th. Day 2 began with very light winds and there was tide running down the course which made for a very long beat. The wind built later in the day and we had a good 5th race. My results were (20th) and 11th. This mean I finished in 16th overall.
Laser Qualifer South Shields 2018
26th September 2018
Laser Qualifer South Shields 2018
The first autumn qualifier of the season was held at South Shields last weekend. Day 1 was around 18 knots of wind and quite shifty with some big gusts too. This made for some very interesting racing and I scored 14th (16th) and 15th. Day 2 was pretty similar with even bigger shifts and varying wind strength. I had a better day and I scored 9th, 15th and 11th putting me 14th overall out of a very strong field. Overall, I am happy with my first national in the laser standard and I’m hoping to improve on this result for the next 2 qualifiers.
Krishan Bhogal
2018 Laser Radial Youth Worlds Kiel Germany
25th August 2018
2018 Laser Radial Youth Worlds Kiel Germany
This year, the Laser Radial Youth Worlds were held in Kiel, Germany. It was a great event overall although I had some highs and lows. Day 1 was around 16 knots of wind and I was in the green fleet. I managed to score 33rd and 10th which I was happy about. Day 2, unfortunately, was very light winds and racing was postponed for a while but when we finally raced, I scored 58th and 48th which I was very disappointed with. The next day was also disappointing and I scored 53rd and 42nd in the light winds. This meant that I had only qualified for bronze fleet out of the four 67/68 boat fleets. The final series, although tough, went much better for me as we had more wind for the next two days. I scored 22nd, 18th, 6th and 28th. On the last day, one light wind race was started which I was winning at the second windward mark before it was abandoned and we were sent in as a storm came through. I finished the week in 13th in bronze fleet and 148th out of 269 overall. It was a shame to finish off my Laser Radial career like this but now I am getting ready for the UK autumn qualifiers in the Laser Standard.
Krishan Bhogal
Laser Nationals Plymouth 2018
28th July 2018
Laser Nationals Plymouth 2018 blog post
For me, the Laser Nationals were very challenging and I felt like I struggled all week. Nevertheless, I tried to make sense of each day and learn from them all. There were light to medium winds all week consistenly from the same direction which meant that racing was very similar and frustrating at times. Day 2 was abandoned due to a lack of wind but, apart from this, we sailed every day. I finished 34th overall in the Radial fleet and only scored an 18th as my best result for the week. This was obviously very disappointing for me. I’m now looking forwards to the Radial Youth Worlds in Kiel, Germany.
Krishan Bhogal
Lymington Laser Youth Open 2018
30th June 2018
Lymington Laser Youth Open 2018 30th June/1st July
The Lymington Youth Laser Open was held this weekend in lots of sun but unfortunately not much wind. Day 1 consisted of only 2 races which I found very challenging as there was so much tide. I scored a 12th and 15th in these which was disappointing. A 3rd race was attempted which was going well for me but the wind soon died and it was abandoned. Day 2 was better for me and it started with a bit more wind. I was able to win the only race of the day and I was eventually able to get my strategy right. However, the day was soon abandoned afterwards due to not enough wind. This put me in 7th overall. Not the best weekend for me but it has given me plenty to do.
Krishan Bhogal
Laser Radial Youth Squad Summer Training 31st May/3rd June
31st May 2018
Laser Radial Youth Squad Training 31st May/3rd June blog post
From the 31st May to the 3rd June, I spent the end of my half term training in Weymouth as part of the youth summer squad. The camp was very useful for me as the worlds approach and I learned lots from the coaches and sailing with the others. It was quite a light wind 4 days which was accompanied by lots of towing around in the fog too! Overall, it was a great few days and I’m looking forwards to doing it again this weekend.
Krishan Bhogal
Laser Qualifier Pwllheli 2018
15th April 2018
Laser Qualifier Pwllheli 2018
14th/15th April
The final Laser qualifier of the season was held in Pwllheli and it was a tough event. On day 1, the Radial fleet only sailed 1 race and it was disappointing for me, finishing 21st which I later discarded. Sunday was more interesting with about 10 knots of wind all day and we managed to get 3 races in. Unfortunately, there wasn't the 30 knots forecasted so it was another tricky day. I scored a 20th, 11th and 14th putting me 15th overall. It was a bit disappointing in the end but some consistency over the qualifiers of moved me up to 6th in the Radial Youth Ladder. Lots to work on!
RYA Youth Nationals 2018
6th April 2018
RYA Youth Nationals 2018 Largs
30th March - 6th April
The youth nationals this year was held in Largs, Scotland and was a frustrating week with only 3 days sailing. In the Radial boys fleet, racing started on day 3 in about 18 knots and we completed 2 races. I scored 5 and 8. Going into day 2, I was 6th and was looking to move up the results but changeable conditions meant it was a tricky day and I came out with 8,13,(20) and 2. I held 6th place overnight and in the final day I scored 2 and 2 closing the gap to 5th to just 1 point in a very windy day. It was disappointing to be so close to the top 5 but the conditions over the week had made it very challenging. Congratulations to Jake Bowhay who won the Laser Radial boys fleet in a very close finish. I have learned lots to take forward from the eventLaser Qualifier Stokes Bay 2018
11th March 2018
Laser Qualifier Stokes Bay 2018
10th/11th March 2018
This weekend was the first Laser spring qualifier at Stokes Bay. There were
3 races on Saturday, each with very varied conditions. The wind started off
quite strong but died down by the afternoon. Overnight, I was 15th overall
and the points were very close.
Sunday was a similar wind strength but from a different direction. After a
few general recalls and black flags, we sailed another 3 races. Overall, I
managed to stay quite consistent. I ended up finishing 13th and learned lots
from the weekend.Lymington Laser Youth Open 2018
25th February 2018
Lymington Laser Open February 2018
24/25th February
This weekend, I was racing at the Lymington Laser Open in a Laser Radial
fleet of 27 boats. This was my first sail in the new boat and, although it
took some time to get used to, it was great. Both days were quite windy but
it was very cold. On Saturday, racing began in around 18 knots of wind and I
scored 8th, 4th and 15th the day putting me 5th overnight. Sunday was up to
around 23 knots and was a similar wind direction for most of the day. I
scored 1st, 6th and 4th meaning I dicscarded my 15th and finished 5th
overall and 3rd male. Overall, it was a good start to the season and a great
weekend in the new boat.
