Island Games champion to take on world's best in 'future of sailing'
Andrew Bridgman is preparing to take on the world in ‘the future of sailing’ next month.
The former world junior champion and recent Island Games gold medallist will be competing at the International Waszp Games in Melbourne, Australia, which start on 10 December.
The Waszp dinghy capitalises on the increasing popularity of hydrofoils, which allows the whole hull to lift out the water and removes drag, promoting particularly fast, thrilling racing.
‘You can go three times as quick, but you’re still racing right close to other boats, and it’s incredibly exciting,’ Bridgman said.
‘It’s a really competitive regatta. This class isn’t an Olympic class but it has lots of sailors who will potentially go onto the Olympics and are already full-time sailors, so it’s a really competitive class and people love this kind of racing.’
Listen to a full interview with Andy Bridgman on this week's Guernsey Press Sport Podcast
Bridgman is not a complete novice to the Waszp Games. He made his bow last year and placed 36th in a large field of 150 competitors.
Daunting it may be, and a very different boat to the ILCA dinghy he sailed at the Island Games, but he has taken confidence from his victory in home waters this summer.
‘Racing at the top of a fleet is always really good preparation,’ he added.
‘Going into the world championships, it’s really good to know that I’ve been able to win a regatta this year.’
The TISE-supported Guernsey elite credits his island background for helping him develop as a sailor.
He highlighted how the shape of the island and winds provide a variety of conditions.
‘Particularly in this boat, the difference between sailing in waves and flat water is massive.
‘I think one of the things that sailing in Guernsey’s helped with is being able to sail these boats in waves. They’re incredibly hard boats to sail in waves, because if the boat comes out of the water, out of the wave, then if the foil comes out of the wave, then you end up flying five metres through the air, crashing, so just practising in those sailing conditions is so important.
‘And Guernsey’s just such a great place to sail – there’s a great sailing club here, great community, and lots of people getting out in the water, and that’s just really good to see.’
Bridgman is currently hard in training, which includes sessions with the Great Britain squad out in Weymouth.
He then heads to Australia near the end of this month to acclimatise for the task ahead.
