Dear Maritime Sciences and Sailing Foundation,
Thank you so much for your generous donation to my crew Emily Overstreet and I. Without your donations for Orange Bowl, I would never have had the opportunity to go and travel and learn even more about sailing.
Over the course of the five days that I was in Florida, I skippered a club 420 for my crew, Emily Overstreet. This was one of our first regattas where we had to travel across the country to compete. Gearing up to the regatta, Emily and I practiced countlessly and were on the water at least 3 times a week, or whenever the wind permitted us to sail. Come regatta time, we teamed up with the CISA team and I was able to meet numerous sailors from the west coast who all helped me throughout the regatta. On the first day we arrived, we went out and practiced at the venue. Light and glassy, conditions didn’t seem all that well and sure enough, the next day, which was the first day of the regatta, we did not sail as a result of the lack of wind. However, these trying conditions did not prevent my crew and I from learning a lot. When we arrived back on shore, we discussed with our fellow teammates about settings and ways we could overcome the light air in such heavy boats.
The next two days were filled with a light, yet constant breeze that lasted until around 2:30 before shutting off. Within these days, we got a total of seven races off and on the fourth and final day of the regatta, the race committee held an on land postponement which ended in us not sailing since there was no breeze to be found throughout the entire bay.
This regatta helped to broaden my horizons about sailing and introduced me to a whole new aspect of sailing. The people that I met there were all incredible sailors and I had a chance to talk to them about what they did to prepare for this regatta. I hope to be able to compete in this regatta again next year and do even better than I did this year. Thank you again for all your generosity and encouragement in this long, yet beneficial regatta.
Sincerely,
Madeline Bubb