Thank you so much for supporting my first ever 
which took place this summer in Volos, Greece! Over the course of six days, a wide spectrum of unpredictable conditions greeted us, with the wind ranging from 0 to 40 knots while the temperature was from 85 to 123 degrees.
On day one of the qualifying series, the race committee postponed us on land, which would become a defining feature of the week, and had us wait until the sea breeze filled in to send us out. Once the breeze filled and the race course was set, we were sent out to do two races. Overall, the priority was being able to get to an edge while also not getting black flagged on the start, as our fleet had numerous general recalls.
Day two brought conditions I’ll remember for the rest of my life, with scorching temperatures and heavy wind. Three hours into our on land postponement, a massive squall line coming from the mountains became visual, sparking chaos in the boat park. All of the competitors began racing to get their rigs down so our boats wouldn’t tip with the heavy air, and we didn’t have to wait long for the breeze to fill. As the front end of the squall line hit, the wind hit a peak of 44 knots with the temperature hitting 123 degrees, making it feel like we were in an oven. As many sailors were struggling to keep cool, racing was abandoned for the day, and many of us learnt the importance of staying hydrated and cool in the hot temperature.
Days 4 and 5 were very similar, with a sea breeze of around 15 knots, while day three brought extremely shifty and puffy conditions with the wind ranging from 0 to 20 knots. Ultimately, day 6 was cancelled due to a lack of wind, which allowed for a trading day, where each country traded gear from their country. During the regatta, I ended up learning many valuable lessons including the importance of hydration and nutrition to get you through a race week, along with learning starting and on course tactics in big fleets. Overall, I finished 23rd out of 75 in the Silver fleet.