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Tamas Eszes, coach of the Hungarian sailing team, talks about Gran Canaria. Eszes and 16-year-old sailor Maria Erdi are already training at Real Club Náutico de Gran Canaria. The Hungarians were the first team to arrive this season.
Why did you choose Gran Canaria for training?
Last year we had an invitation from the club for the Olympic Sailing Week, but we were training in Valencia for the winter and decided to come to the island for just one week. It was the first time we’d visited this club and the area and we had a great time.
Your team is the first to arrive. Why are you here so soon?
After Santander, there are really no more big races in Europe, just a few Europa Cups, but we decided not to do them. We wanted to start training for the next season and we were looking for a place like this, where everything we need is in one place: a gym, swimming pool, great weather, sailing area, good wind. In this one location we aren’t wasting time every day going from one place to another. We do all our training sessions at the Club and that’s just perfect.
How long are are you staying?
My sailor is quite young. She studies at a private school, which means she doesn’t need to attend class every day. She only needs to do the exams and she sat four subjects in September. We decided to stay in Gran Canaria for two months, until the end of the Olympic Sailing Week, and then she’s going to take a month off to sit the exams for the six remaining subjects. Then she’ll come back to Gran Canaria in January and continue training.
Will you be taking part in the Gran Canaria Sail in Winter series?
Of course; we’re going to do all the races in Gran Canaria. We hope the Club will organise the Laser Europa Cup in February. That could be the first Europa Cup of the year and I think a lot of sailors and national teams are planning to come to Gran Canaria.