Hello, I wanted to thank MSSF for contributing to my awesome experience I had in Chicago with match racing on June 23- 25th.
My dad and I flew out on a redeye and arrived in Chicago first thing in the morning on Friday, June 23, jumped in an Uber and we’re practicing on the Tom 28’s within a few hours. I was very intimidated by this boat because as a Bowman, I was required to do some extra work that I wasn’t used to. We had the boat out of the harbor early and I seemed to get the hang of it pretty quickly. My dad and I stayed downtown Chicago and had a great time on the Riverwalk that evening. Saturday morning came quickly and the first horn sounded. We had a great first day in about 10 to 12 knots and we won six out of 7 races! I got the hang of my spinnaker sets and feel like I definitely contributed positively to the team. On Sunday, tensions were high but the weather unfortunately it did not cooperate. Winds were blowing 20 to 25 knots and a squall shortly surrounded our fleet with dumping rains with lightning and thunder. We were immediately escorted back to the harbor. We were hopeful the regatta was not cancelled but they ended up calling the regatta due to weather conditions. We placed third overall. I had a great experience, overcame some fears, and had a great time with a very experienced crew. Thank you so much MSSF for the donation and enabling me to become a better sailor.