Thank you so much for funding my recent trip to Newport, RI for the Brooke E. Gonzalez clinic. I had an amazing time, and I learned so much. Not only did we get to hear about the different perspectives and techniques the coaching staff had to offer, but we also had the chance to sail against some of the top boats of the C420 fleet. 
The weekend was definitely very productive for my skipper, Morgan Pinckney, and I. We arrived on Thursday at the venue, Sail Newport, to rig up and do some boatwork to make sure our equipment was ready for the next few days. The first two days of the clinic had a beautiful forecast, with sunny skies and a steady breeze. Unlike in Newport Beach, we were able to get out on the water right away instead of having to wait for the wind to fill. Each day, the sailors were split into smaller groups and rotated around so that we all had the chance to learn from all the coaches. The groups would meet for an early chalk talk, go out on the water for drilling and speed tuning, and eventually all the groups would come together for a few races around a standard trapezoid course. I got to work a lot on my footwork and upwind boat handling, which was very much needed. To finish off, all the sailors would get together for dinner and a briefing on our takeaways. Rather than doing more drills, the last day was spent running a small regatta with all the c420 boats together. Morgan and I focused on applying what we had learned in the previous days and were able to win by staying relatively consistent.
Overall, this was a very valuable experience for me, and I am very grateful to the BYC MSSF Jr. Sailing Fund for making it happen!