Thank you for your financial support which helped me to attend the 2020 I420 North Americans held at Coconut Grove Sailing Center in Miami, Florida and 2020 I420 Midwinters held at Miami Yacht Club. I participated with my skipper Sophia Devling in the I420 fleet. These regatta were the second and third of three qualifying events for I420 Worlds which would have been held in France this summer.
North Americans were only three weeks after Nationals/Orange Bowl, not leaving us with much time to practice. However, we went into the regatta with more confidence than Nationals. The racing was difficult, with every condition from dead to 18+ knots and hot sunny clear skies to pouring rain. We continued to learn new techniques from the other sailors and more about areas we could improve. Overall, we finished the regatta in 25th place.
Between North Americans and Midwinters we had a bit more time to practice. We spent the few weeks at home working on boat handling and speed. We returned to Miami in mid February for Midwinters though this time a new venue, Miami Yacht Club. Again we saw every condition and even sailed in fog that was very disorantating on the race course. We finished Midwinters in 24th and officially qualified for the women’s fleet at 2020 I420 Worlds.
Unfortunately, the events of the past few months have led to 2020 I420 Worlds being canceled. Though this is very disappointing, we are pleased to have this time to further our sailing and knowledge in the I420 to prepare ourselves to qualify again for 2021 I420 Worlds. The experiences of these regattas were amazing and I thank you again for helping to make it possible.