Thank you so much for supporting my trip to Clearwater, Florida to compete in the Midwinters East Regatta. Over the four days of the regatta, numerous condition changes arose making each day crucial to perform. On the first day, the wind speed was around 10 knots with overall puffy and inconsistent conditions until midday, when the wind shut off to around 7 knots with more consistency and steadiness. In these light conditions, keeping the boat going for each of the 3 races and always staying towards the pressure was critical. For the second day, the wind began as a steadier breeze of around 11 knots, with it slowly building as the day progressed. During these 3 races, I learned the importance of staying consistent in my results and routine on steady days so that there is more room for inconsistency on shiftier days. The third day brought light wind which resulted in multiple postponements and race abandonments, with only 2 races. On the last day, the wind was extremely light which led to a three hour postponement followed by one race. Sadly, I was black flagged for the first time in an ILCA race, which ended my regatta early while also instilling the lesson to not expose myself too early on a start and to stay hidden when necessary. Overall, this regatta brought a multitude of learnings with the presence of a variety of conditions over the four days which led to my ultimate finish of 28 out of 46 in the fleet. Thanks again for your support!
2023 Midwinters East – Maddie Nichols
