Joysailing-1154It’s pretty amazing to think that I just finished my last junior 420 regatta and my third Ida Lewis Regatta. As sad as this is for me, June 22-27 was one of the most fun weeks I’ve had in my sailing career. Not every day do you get to sail in your beautiful hometown, be housed in a mansion in Newport Coast, and meet high caliber coaches and amazing girl sailors from all around the United States.

My crew Victoria Lewis and I named our boat “Victorious II,” after Victoria’s old sabot. After two days of a clinic and three days of a regatta sailing as hard as we could, Victoria and I came to the conclusion that we had had a very successful week. We learned interesting variations of setting techniques for heavy air, we mastered our “light air with chop and swell” gybes, we had great starts during the appearance of the black flag, and our coach told us that we “…think outside the box and take more risks than our competitors.” Even though Victoria and I placed 13th and had been hoping to do better than last year’s 7th place, we both feel that we made huge strides in the challenging conditions presented to us at the Ida Lewis Regatta. Most importantly, Victoria and I really worked together as a team for everything– from identifying shifts, to pre-start strategy, to making our turkey sandwhiches every day before we went out sailing.

Both Victoria and I greatly appreciate your support, and we would not continue to grow as competitors or as a team without it. I always feel proud to wear my BYC pinney knowing that I am representing such a fantastic club full of talent and gracious support. I would like to give a shout out to my fellow BYC teammates Kerri Luttrell, Grace Vandervort, Bayley Davidson (2013 Ida Lewis Champ!) and Madeline Bubb for the many competitive practices and great frienship they have provided Victoria and I.

Thank you again. Go Team BYC!

Sincerely,

Lea Russell