Do you have any creative uses of Harken or McLube™on your 470?
Udi Gal: The 470 is very open to the use of different blocks and cleats in boat systems. As a professional team, it is important to be creative and open-minded. Using Harken fittings is the best way to maintain our performance. The new Flip-Flop mini block is a great solution for our twing-line system, as well as for double-ended centerboard controls. Harken is always looking ahead to the future and developing new fittings; when you’re a professional sailor, you want to have this team on your side!
We always make sure McLube™ is in our toolbox. We use it on tracks and fittings—especially in dry or salty weather. We also McLube™ the centerboard case for less friction. When the wind is light or it's raining we use McLube™ on the jib telltales so they won't stick.
What do you feel has been the key to having such a successful season?
UG: There are many things. Gidi Kilger, my skipper, and I have sailed together for more than 11 years. We know each other and sail together so well that it is as though we were one person. We started coaching last year. We both coached the Myanmar (Burma) 470 and 420 teams, as well as American, Canadian, and Japanese 470 sailors. We tried several different forms, such as being training partners, coaching from a motorboat, and sailing on the boat with the teams. The teams made great improvements, but this experience also helped us a lot with our own sailing. Also, the variety of sailing never ends; there are always new things to learn and room to develop our racing. In the end, however, we never forget what it’s all about. We work systematically and pay attention to basic skills too.
How do you divide responsibilities in the boat (who is focused on boat speed, who works on tactics)?
UG: We always found that we raced best when Gidi focused on speed and the big picture and I focused on last-minute concerns like tactics and opponents. We’ve worked very hard over the years to do it “by the book” though, where I do strategy and tactics upwind while Gidi does speed, and then trading responsibilities downwind. Now, we are at a point where both of us are good at everything and we can support each other if the other is busy—that gives us a very big advantage over other teams!
What on your boat would you miss the most if you forgot it?
UG: No doubt I’d miss Gidi! Sometimes I’m so enthusiastic about going sailing that I almost forget to take Gidi with me!
How popular is sailing in Israel?
UG: Sailing became popular in the '60s. There are about five-hundred boats and surfboards and a thousand competitors that register with the Israeli Yachting Association. Since 1969, Israel has been successful in the Olympics and several international classes like the 420, Optimist, and Mistral. The sailing schools are very nice and provide school boats, including catamarans. Most keelboats are cruising boats—there about forty to eighty of them in the country. Overall, yachting has had a big jump in the last few years in big boats and big motorboats.
How did you guys get introduced to sailing?
UG: When I was three months old, I had already sailed in other countries on my father’s yacht. Both Gidi’s and my parents worked and still work in the marine industry and still do today. We surfed, sailed, and caught waves with our boards (or without). I don’t think we had any other options and it was natural for us to start racing dinghies when we were old enough, though I did keep sailing big boats.
What attracted you to the 470?
UG: Although it is a small country, sailing is very popular in Israel and there is a lot of competition in the 470; it has been the most popular class since Israel started sending sailors to compete internationally. After sailing the 420 and the 350 (a local Israeli class that resembles the Snipe and the La Quip) and winning medals around the world, it was obvious to us that we had to continue competing together in the 470.
How much of the year do you spend traveling?
UG: For the last five years, since two years before the Olympics in Athens, we have spent about 150 to 200 days away from Israel just for sailing, training, clinics, and competitions. This year, I expect that we will spend more than 200 days training together. After spending December and January in Australia, we’ll do the European tour, and then in August we’ll go to China to train for the 2008 Olympics. Recently, I’ve spent less than one week per month in Israel!
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