Sailing in a doublehanded Olympic class boat means that two people are driven towards the same goal. But this in itself is a problem if you are not fully sure of what that goal is.

Of course, for an Olympic class sailor an Olympic medal is the end goal. There are other decisions that need to be made along the way though, and for Finland’s Noora Ruskola and Mikaela Wulff that decision is which boat to sail.

At Sailing’s 2017 World Cup Series the pair have sailed in the 49erFX fleet. At the Trofeo Princesa Sofia they sailed in the Women’s 470. They will do so again at the upcoming 470 European Championships in Monaco in a few weeks’ time.

This may seem like a strange scenario, but when you look at the sailing history of the team, it kind of starts to make sense.

Both started in the Optimist and moved in to the Zoom8, but from that point their paths separated. 22-year-old Ruskola moved in to the 29er and followed the skiff pathway in to the 49erFX. Wulff (27) sailed 470 for five years before trying her hand at Match Racing in the Elliot 6m. There was one year of 49erFX but she returned to the 470.

Telling the story of her team, Ruskola begins, “We decided we wanted to sail together as a team with the same goal. But because of our backgrounds, deciding the class wasn’t so simple.”

Choosing may not be a simple choice, but Wulff feels that at the start of a new Olympic quadrennial, the team can benefit from the diversity, “We realised by sailing both classes we could learn more as a team. By sailing the two boats we could figure out each other’s strengths and weaknesses quicker.”

Helm Ruskola then takes the lead echoing her team mate’s thoughts, “In the 470 Mikaela is in her element, just like I am in the FX. We think it’s better to sail other boats and gain different perspectives that makes us better sailors.”

Both feel they can gain new skills and look at things differently by sailing in two classes, but what about the similarities? Wulff explains, “As a crew I am on the wire in both boats which is the same for me, but Noora’s position changes. My job on the downwind is basically the same. Communication varies only on the upwind since Noora is making the decisions on the FX whereas in the 470 tactics was more my job.”

Although the reasons for trying both classes makes sense, the pair are also in a bit of a privileged position as they don’t have any direct competition within the Finnish sailing set up as of yet, but Wulff hopes that will change, “If we get another team to challenge us we will have to do national trails. For now, though we are the only double handed female team at the international level. Saying that, there are new teams coming through and hopefully challenging us as it’s better for sailing as a sport in Finland.”

Ruskola says that both herself and teammate Wulff have given themselves a deadline after the 470 European Championships when choosing which will be their focus on the trail to Tokyo 2020, and neither of them are giving anything away when it comes to which one they are gravitating towards. “You will figure it out soon enough,” says a smiling Wulff.

So back to those goals. Whichever class the pair choose, the goal will be the same, “We want to build a strong team and learn every day. And of course, win,” says Wulff.

Winning has been hard to come by recently, but for Ruskola this isn’t a problem, “This is the beginning so the results aren’t the focus. We are thinking more long term. That is why this two boat thing is just a temporary short term option.”

Missing out on the Medal Race in the 49erFX at Sailing’s World Cup Series in Hyères, France, Ruskola and Wulff now head to Monaco for those deciding 470 European Championships. Maybe a good result in the 470 will sway the decision. Maybe the decision is already made. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Who knows? Ruskola and Wulff do, and soon we all will too.

By Richard Aspland – World Sailing

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