I wanted to thank MSSF for making it possible for me to spend my summer on the east coast. I spent time from June-August participating in Brooke Gonzalez, New Englands, North Americans, Nationals, and South Shore.
The summer started with Brooke Gonzalez Clinic in Rhode Island. This clinic was a great opportunity for my skipper, Reade Decker, and I to improve on our boat speed and boat handling before attending regattas. This clinic was extremely beneficial as we were able to train against sailors from all over the country, and work with many top level coaches.
From there we travelled to Connecticut to race in the New Englands Championship. This was a light air regatta that relied heavily on boat speed. Being from Newport Beach this was perfect conditions for my skipper and me. We were doing well up until the last 2 races where we chose the wrong side of the course and ended up placing 15th overall.
North Americans was the longest regatta of the summer with it being 4 days long. This took place in Rochester, New York. We had good wind conditions the entire regatta and were able to average about 4 races a day. Starting was very important for this regatta which was something our boat struggled with. This regatta served as the perfect opportunity for us to improve our starts in large fleets.
Next we were off to New Jersey for Nationals. Unfortunately, the conditions weren’t great for this regatta, and we were only able to get 4 races in. The second day of the regatta we were postponed due to no wind. Once the wind finally filled in the race committee was quick to try and get a race off. Unfortunately the race was abandoned mid race due to lighting. The third day was very light and we spent about 4 hours postponed. We were only able to get one race off all day which unfortunately ended the regatta without a drop.
The highlight of my summer was spending the weekend on Long Island for the South Shore Regatta. We drove from Rhode Island to New York by taking a ferry which was exciting. Once we arrived at the venue, we had one practice day before the regatta. The first day was about 8 knots which made it easy for my skipper and me as we are a smaller team. The second day was windier and we got sent in after the 3rd race due to heavy wind. The third day was perfect conditions and we got a 1, 2, 2 which helped us place 5th overall.
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to attend these regattas. It was amazing to learn more about sailing, race in huge fleets, meet new coaches and competitors, and sail new venues. I couldn’t have done it without MSSF, thank you!