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CJ: The great thing
about having my family is they’re sailors to begin with. They know what it
entails. When I came to them in September of 08 and said “Heh, I feel like I
have some unfinished business here. I want to stop working and start sailing.”
At first they were a little reluctant. After I convinced them it was what I
wanted they were 100 percent on board and supported me to the fullest. They
don’t want me to look back at this when I’m 50 and say “Wow I really could have
done that.” Now is the only time I have the opportunity to do this. I’m not
getting any younger or in better shape. They understood now’s the time for me.

CJ: It’s kind of
bittersweet because it’s been a long time. Some days I wake up and I’m ready to
do the trials and Olympics and get moving on. Some days I wish I could keep
going cause it’s so much fun. The campaign’s only been two 1/2 years but I’ve
been sailing lasers since 1998. I’m only 27 but I’ve been in the class for 13
years. I’m anxious to get to Australia and finish the trials process and
hopefully have a great regatta. If I qualify a lot of the pressure will be
removed and I can enjoy the next eight months, train even harder and focus on
the Olympics.

CJ: It’s definitely
tough. There are days when you wake up and you don’t want to go to the gym.
You’ve sailed for six days in a row and you’re exhausted. I think training with
partners is key—we motivate each other. You have to think about keeping your
eye on the prize the whole time because somewhere else in the world other
people are doing this and if I want to be competitive.

Putting all the time, money and energy into this I have to get up
and have a good day. I always try to do something everyday to better my
campaign. Even on my days off I’m doing logistics or planning or something so I
can look back and say “today was a good day” and my campaign is in a better
place than yesterday.

CJ: US Sailing Team
Alphagraphics has really changed its layout over the past few years. They used
to give you some money, say good luck this year, and report back and tell us
how you do. Now it’s a different machine altogether. There’s so many coaches
and support. The biggest thing that really surprised me was how much on-shore
logistical work there is. At first I thought you’re just sailing and working
out but I have a boat in Europe, a boat here and a boat in Australia. I have to
plan for the season in advance as to how I’m going to move it all around, what
regattas I’ll do, where I’ll live, how I get to each venue. It’s a lot to wrap
your head around. There are so many good people in US Sailing who can help
point you in the right direction. That’s a big part of the campaign that people
overlook. With the training, logistics and sailing it’s a full-time job.

CJ: I’ve been drug
tested five times. As part of being on the US Sailing team we have to complete
anti-doping forms and we have to tell them were we’re going to be every minute
of the day. If I decide I’m going to the movies or spend a day with my
girlfriend I have to fill out a “Change in Whereabouts” form. I have to account
for every single day and every hour and I have to do it three months in advance
too. If I don’t know where I’m going to be I’ll give them a schedule and when
the time approaches revise the form. Anytime of the day they can show up at
your door. If you’re not there you have an hour to get there. If you don’t show
up you have a failed test. I missed one test in 2009 because I changed my
schedule to train in Canada one extra day. So that was the day they showed up
at my house. Since I wasn’t there I failed the test. You’re allowed three
missed tests in 18 months. If you fail three tests your out of your sport for
2-4 years.

CJ: As far as training
and fitness there’s no substitute for sailing the boat. I also cycle a lot and
go to the gym 4-5 times a week. I’ve been fortunate that I haven’t had any
major issues or back pain, which is pretty common. A lot of other sailors take
whey protein or muscle milk to help with their body maintenance to make sure
they’re at the right weight. I’m pretty fortunate that I’m at the right weight
and height.

CJ: All the hair on
the back of my legs is ripped off from the side of the cockpit and I have a
boot tan that I can’t get rid of.

CJ: It’s a huge honor
to represent the United States. You see a lot of other competitors who can just
basically go to the Olympics. They’re the top guy from their cou
ntry and they
don’t have any competitors. For us we have to compete against other Americans
and work hard. The first part of our work is just winning the trials. It’s a
big hurdle we have to get over. Going to the Olympics for America is what you
want to do. You’ve represented them your whole life. It’s a great country and
you’ve got a lot of support from the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics. It just
means that much more going to the Olympics representing the United States than
for any other country.

CJ: Personally I
started out the regatta pretty well, followed by a rough stretch. I was too
worried about the other US competitors. In the laser fleet where everyone is
super good you can’t be thinking about where’s Brad Funk or where’s Rob Crane.
As much as you want to race your own race if you see them going right and you
want to go left you’re going to think twice about going right. I thought a bit
more now about how I can mentally prepare for sailing against the other
Americans so hopefully for Perth I can make some changes.

Weymouth is a great sailing venue but it’s also very difficult
venue. It takes a toll on you. It’s freezing cold—60 degrees all the time. It’s
spitting rain all the time. The harbor is huge so you sail an hour just to get
out of the harbor then you sail 2 more miles until you get to the course. So
it’s about one 1/2 hour sail out to the course. It’s windy and wavy and the
race committee has the radials and full rigs on one course so you’re always
freezing and waiting around.

CJ: It’s been a bit
interesting with Brad. He started campaigning in 09 with me, had a rough year
and decided to take some time away from sailing so we didn’t see him for a
while. In 2011 he started to get back on the circuit but he wasn’t on US Sailing
Team Alphagraphics so he did his own program. I’ve trained with Rob for the
last three years. He’s on USSTAG and we share the same coach – Mike Kalin. I
sail with Rob all the time. It’s a difficult thing because everyone wants to go
to the Olympics. It’s a tough sport. You’re expected to live and train with
your competitors and work with them closely. At the end if the day only one of
you is going on to the Olympics.

CJ: It’s all about
efficiency for me. I like to be out about 1/2 hour before the first race. I’ll
sail upwind for a while to shake-it-out and hike at 70%. I like to do split
tacks and some speed testing. Five-ten minutes before the start I’ll start
looking at the line trying to pinpoint the favored end. Usually they do a
really good job of setting the line so it’s pretty square. If that’s the case
I’ll spend a lot of time in the middle of the line between 5-3 minutes to try
and decide which side is favored. I can easily get to either side from the middle.
The hardest thing about starting in the laser fleet is everyone is so fast. You
have to win your start with the 3-5 boats around you. You’ll see 75 boats go
off the line with about 10 boats punching out. Then after a little while you
see 5 boats punch out from those spots. You have to be really confident in your
game plan. After the start your head is down the whole time hiking as hard as
you can just trying to beat those 2-3 boats around you.

CJ: Starting in the
laser fleet is one of the toughest things to do and also one of the biggest
hurdles that newcomers have to face when they come to the fleet.

Most of the time I don’t look at who I’m starting next too. If
there’s a big hole or a tight hole and I see Tom Slingsby (AUS) or Paul
Goodison (GBR) lining up there I’ll think twice about it. Besides those guys I
just try to get the best hole I can and try to win that zone. You have to have
a really good game plan because there’s not time to change it up once the race
starts.

CJ: I did a World
Championship in 2001. I was 16 years old at the time. I didn’t know who anyone
was. Early on in the regatta I set up next to Robert Scheidt (4-time Olympic
medalist) and it didn’t go well. He rolled me in two seconds and I tacked out.
Afterwards I was like “Who the hell was that guy?” My coach told me that was
Robert Scheidt – the greatest laser sailor ever. I got a lesson pretty quickly
to avoid him.

It happens all the time now. You’ll line up next to someone and
you’ll get rolled or you’ll roll them. It happens to everyone. You see Tom
Slingsby or Goodison get rolled. It’s just a testament to how good the laser
fleet has become that everyone is so fast. There are no marshmallows out there.

CJ: Exactly. And if
there is you don’t want to set up next to him cause he’s so unpredictable. At
150 boat regatta, and that’s what they always are—there’s five to eight guys
who aren’t that great and you don’t want to set up next to them because their
unpredictable. The other 145 are all the same speed and all really good.

CJ:
Yah. Never. It’s full on the whole time.

CJ: You need to have a
really short memory. You have to say “That race is done, there’s nothing I can
do about it.” And just try to get back on track as quickly as you can. It’s
hard do, especially when you only have a three race day and your first race was
bad. It’s something that we can all do a lot better at. We just started working
with our coach Mike Kalin in January and he’s been a big help in the
psychological end.

There aren’t too many coaches who are going to come in and change
your technique in the laser and make you faster all of the sudden. Leading into
the games you need a guy who can talk you down when you’re having a rough day
and keep you focused when things are going well. Someone who can help manage
you mentally. Helping you learn, stay on track and have fun – that what a great
coach does.

CJ: Absolutely. We
start our day meeting down at the venue and we discuss weather and what’s going
on for the day. The coach can drive around the course and take observations and
update us on weather changes. It’s super important to have a coach out on the
water because the days are so long. To give us food, advice and som
eone to
bounce ideas off. We’re out for 8-10 hours sometimes so the coach boat is
vital.

CJ: I’m pretty sure
this will be my last campaign. I could see myself doing the trials again. I
definitely want to sail the Melges 32s and E-scow sailing—that’s been in my
family for a while. I kinda just want to settle down for a little bit and not
live out of my suitcase.

CJ: The best thing I’d
say is that if you want to see big improvement early on emulate the top guys.
There’s a reason why people are setting up the boat and sailing one way. The
way you’ll see marked improvement from the beginning is to start doing that.
That being said, once you get to the level where you’re feeling fast and seeing
improvement don’t be afraid to think outside the box.  Watch someone like Brad Funk who is great in
any boat. And one of the things he does really well is he’s totally willing to
try different stuff. He’ll say “let’s standup in our boats downwind, or try
sailing backwards.”  He’s so good at
feeling how the boat goes fast and understanding its capabilities. That’s one
thing I’ve preached to the kids I’ve coached. Don’t be afraid to make changes
and try new things.

THANK YOU CLAY for your insights into the world of Olympic laser
sailing. Good luck at the ISAF worlds.

Clay will be competing at this Year’s ISAF Worlds starting
December 12 along with fellow America sailors Rob Crane (WR #26) and Brad Funk
(WR #66). Follow all the action at http://www.perth2011.com/

To learn more about Clay Johnson go to www.claysails.com/