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Interview with Iain Percy - January 2001

Reprinted from FINNFARE March 2001

Just after New Year 2001, three months after winning Gold in Sydney, Robert Deaves caught up with Iain Percy to discuss his reflections and feelings on the Games and his thoughts on the way ahead.

Firstly Iain, congratulations on winning the Gold medal. Now that it has had time to sink in, how does it really feel to be the Olympic Finn Champion?

As you can guess I was over the moon at the time and am still pretty pleased. I was also very happy that the whole British Team did well. Everything worked out in the end and I was glad that it was a success for everyone after all the hard work that had gone into preparing for Sydney over the last four years. I would especially like to mention the hard work that Sid [David Howlett] and Bart [Andrew Simpson] put in to helping me achieve my goal.

You were the last of the British singlehanders to finish the regatta. Did the fact that Ben Ainslie and Shirley Robertson had already won the Gold in their classes put more or less pressure on you winning Gold as well and making it a hat-trick?

Not particularly. I was in a better position than them going into the final day and by that point in the regatta I expected to win anyway. All I had to do was make sure that Freddie [Loof] didn't do well and it was in the bag, so I just covered him during the race to take him out of the top five - and that was enough. But you are never really sure on occasions like this and by that time all I wanted to do was just finish the job as quickly as possible.

David Howlett has been seen as instrumental behind the GBR success. What influence did he have on your performance and in winning the Gold?

I wouldn't have got even half as far without his help. He made all the difference both on and off the water. On the technical side he taught me what I needed to know and what to look for. He kept the whole process of boat speed and rig evaluation continually moving forwards - making progress the whole time. On the sailing side of things he really motivated me into putting in time in the boat, helping out with logistics and of course coaching. His help was tireless and his influence was enormous. He basically ran the show and was the real energy behind it all. I couldn't have done it without him.

How confident were you on winning the Gold?

I was pretty confident going into the regatta. I knew that I was as fast as anyone there and that I could win the Gold or the Silver. It all depended on how on form the competition was on the day. I thought my main competition for Gold was going to be Mateusz [Kusznierewicz] if he was on form, but as often happens, that's not the way it turned out in the end.

At the Gold Cup in Weymouth last year, you ended up with a string of OCSs and a finishing position of 18th overall, despite being hot favourite. How did this disappointment help (or hinder) your preparation for Sydney?

I looked on the positive side of Weymouth because in some ways it took the pressure off me when I was at the Games. At the Gold Cup I was sailing pretty quickly so the message to the other competitors was still positive and they all realised I was on form. I also didn't have the pressure of the press that I would have had if I had won the worlds in Britain and gone to Sydney as world champion. It was a shame that I didn't get to win the worlds in my own territory, but in terms of the Olympics it was quite a positive thing to happen.

There was a wide range of wind and current conditions in Sydney. What was your strategy in handling these variable and often unpredictable conditions?

I would just go out each day and take each race as it came. I would concentrate on maximising that race rather than worry about the whole series. The series was not something I needed to worry about it until the last day. The onshore support team put in an enormous amount of effort on behalf of the sailors, but to be honest, on the way out there you pretty much were thinking about the issues and what was happening and making up your own mind. When we were racing it was pretty much the usual stuff, and when you are out there you're on your own really.

There was much hype about the UK weather monitoring that had gone one around the race areas over many years. Did that help at all?

It's quite ironic really because in spite of all the wind predictions we received, I never received any information that made me make a decision that I wouldn't otherwise have taken.

There were a few races where you lost the lead or lots of places after leading for a while. How did you cope with that disappointment and did it affect your confidence or make you change your plans?

In the race when I lost second place [dropping to 8th] in the final 50 yards, when the wind really died, it was really depressing because I thought I was sailing really well, and I really began to think that I was destined not to win this. And then in the next race, they abandoned it when I was in a good position. You then start to think it's not going to happen, but you have to think logically and plug away and think positively through the bad races so that you are ready and up-beat about the next. It's no good wallowing in self-pity. You have to pick yourself up and start again. It's a new race and anything could happen.

What was the most important factor when you were on the race course?

Interestingly, I didn't have quite as much upwind speed as I normally have out at sea. People like Karlo [Kuret] were going much faster upwind, but downwind I had the edge and was able to gain ground. I didn't have any major disasters inside the harbour. I certainly wasn't the fittest sailor there, although perhaps I was one of the strongest. The steadier wind outside the harbour could have made it more fitness dependent there but it wasn't that windy, so fitness wasn't really a factor. Inside you just needed to be OK on speed and not do anything stupid.

How fit were you?

I think I was a lot less fitter than a lot of people thought I was, although I was probably more willing to grunt it out at times. However I was fit, probably fitter than I have ever been in my life, which you would expect at the Olympics, but I think my strength made up for any deficiency I might have had.

What about mental fitness? Did you get nervous?

You had to keep your cool, that was sure, and not be put off by anything. I had my moments for nerves and all the rest of it but sure I was nervous, but then we all get nervous at times. You can't not when it's something you have been aiming at for four years, but that doesn't mean it has to affect your performance though. And when you can control that, you are on a winner. It's when you think that your nerves can affect your fitness that you're stuffed. You just have to differentiate the two. I always seem to be better when its big events. When I won the Europeans in Ostend in 1999 I was extremely nervous because I didn't know how to handle that sort of pressure but you have the learn fast in that kind of environment. It's sink or swim. By the time the Games came round I was used to high pressure big races and that helped enormously.

The British team won three Golds and two Silvers in sailing. Why do you think the British team did so well this year compared to other years?

For the first time we were basically all full time professional sailors with funding and support all the way. This made a major difference. That said, they also they were a very talented bunch of sailors, all peaking at the right time. Funding is no good without the skill and the skill cannot be capitalised on without solid support and backup. In the run up to Sydney and at the Games we had it all.

After many years in the Laser, did you enjoy sailing the Finn and why is it such an ideal Olympic class?

I much preferred sailing a Finn to a Laser. Half the reason for that was that I didn't have to be massively under my natural weight but also because, with the technical side to it as well, I found it so much more interesting. The Finn incorporates all sides of the sport and that is what makes it ideal as an Olympic class. I think it deserves its place in the Olympic Games and I think it will be there for a long while to come. It was pretty important to me to be in Edinburgh at the ISAF Conference and do what I could to promote the class. I was very glad to see it reselected for Athens in 2004.

How does the Finn compare to other classes?

The class is getting stronger and stronger at present. The top end is as good as any class, possibly even better than the Laser, but to be brutally honest it lacks some of the depth - there's not as many people doing it, but the people in the class are much nicer, grown up and very friendly. At the end of the day, sailing is made fun through the calibre and the camaraderie of the people sailing the class, and this is an area where the Finn is by far the best class I have sailed.

Numerous talented sailors spend many years getting to the top in the Finn class, which is often regarded as one of the most difficult classes to master. You reached the top in just two years in the class, winning the Europeans in 1999. What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in the Finn and wants to get to the top?

It is fundamental to get a good relationship with the people you train with to ensure you keep progressing, whether that is with people in your own country or with foreigners. You've got to keep up at a fairly intense level of training and competition with a group of like-minded sailors for a protracted period. You must really be able to get along with them and also to trust them.

Finn technology has advanced enormously over the past four years. What in your opinion is the difference between a fast Finn and a very fast Finn?

The sailor. Rigs are becoming much more identical again, so it comes back to the sailor's ability.

Sum up your thoughts and feelings after your three year campaign in the Finn.

It's the team thing again. I had a brilliant group around me, helping me through and making it enjoyable as well as productive.

How far do you think you would have got without the team behind you?

Not even half as far!

What are your immediate plans?

I'm doing a bit of sailing, some big boat stuff as well as some coaching. I'm also working with several other top sailors coaching through my new company Competitive Sailing Ltd. We did a coaching weekend at Hayling Island at the end of last year and have three more planned over the next few months.

What about in 2004 in Athens - a Finn or something else?

I won't be in a Finn. For a couple of reasons. One, I've been there done that and and wouldn't want to go back and try again only to lose it. Secondly, I don't feel that by not sailing the Finn I'm letting my country down. With someone like Bart in the wings I feel that I'm not deserting the cause. He's helped me more than I could hope for this time round. But I guess it's hard for him, being so good and yet not getting to go this time round. So, I sort of feel it's his turn next time. I've no worries about him doing the business in four years time. I don't feel like I'm letting down the country by dropping out, because Bart will be perfectly adequate to go and do the business in Athens, so I am perfectly happy stepping aside and letting him get on with that. I will probably do a campaign in a Star.