Israeli duo take next step in Sydney Harbour
Bar Am came eighth at the Tokyo Olympics in that boat, and Tamir won gold at the 2021 European Championships – but both are new to the 49er FX.
If Noya Bar Am and Saar Tamir achieve their dream of becoming the first Israelis to qualify for the Olympics in the fastest and most physically challenging type of boat – the 49er FX – Australia will have played a significant role.
The close friends, in their mid-20s, are experienced in 470 class racing – Bar Am came eighth at the Tokyo Olympics in that boat, and Tamir won gold at the 2021 European Championships – but both are new to the 49er FX.
After a successful fundraising campaign late last year, they flew to Sydney in early February and hired a boat and a specialist coach to commence a three-month training block.
Arriving back in Israel on May 7, Bar Am told The AJN that Sydney Harbour provided the perfect training setting for them, and although it was a steep learning curve, they now feel ready to prepare for their first 49er FX international race, at the Kiel Regatta in Germany next month.
“Both of us fell in love with Sydney, and its beautiful harbour, and we really want to come back,” Bar Am said.
“We could go to different spots in the harbour to get different conditions, but sometimes we’d sail out of the heads [to the ocean], and on our last day, we sailed up close to the Sydney Opera House, which was pretty cool!”
She explained that because the 49er FX is very unstable – due to its shape, and raised wing – it was “mentally very hard at first to adjust” to sailing in it.
“We got a bit frustrated in the first two weeks, because we capsized a lot.
“But with coaching, practice, and time, pieces of the puzzle came together, we got a lot better, and started to really enjoy sailing a boat that’s super fast.
“We feel that by the end, we could sail very well in it in light and medium winds, but we still have some work to do in high winds.”
A bruised knee bone kept Bar Am off the boat for two weeks in April, but she managed the injury, and was able to resume full training.
“My sailing club in Israel just bought us a 49er FX boat, so we’ll be able to train at home for the next few weeks, before competing in Germany, where we’ll find out exactly where we’re at.
“The good thing is we can apply our racing abilities from the 470 class to the 49er FX.”
Bar Am and Tamir feel grateful for the “amazing support of the Jewish community” during their stay, and were special guests at North Shore Synagogue during the first Shabbat in May.
“Jonathan Herrman and Mironne Golan were our hosts in Sydney, and we couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Bar Am said.
“We met some Israelis, who took us to see places each week and had us over for dinner, and a Jewish Australian even loaned us their car.
“We are both super thankful.”
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