Just recently, I competed in my first match race regatta, The Rose Cup- organized by Oakcliff Sailing and Seawanhaka Yacht Club in New York. During June 18-22, I learned the most I could ever think I could learn about match racing. I competed with skipper Carolyn Smith (NHYC), and crews Kristina Miller (NHYC) and fellow BYC member, Bayley Davidson.

With our little match race experience, we knew we had to practice hard. However, with all of us being in college, we were only able to practice about 3 times before we left for New York. With that being said, we knew we had to work hard during the first two clinic days to learn how to sail the Sonars well. With the help of Dave Perry, we learned an incredible amount of match racing rules and techniques. Without the clinic and Dave’s help, the regatta would have been extremely frustrating. Attending the clinic was a huge help for us, for it allowed us prepare ourselves for the racing.

Even though we knew we did not have much experience in match racing, we went into the first day of the regatta with an open mind and positive attitude. No matter how each race ended up, we made sure we always had a positive attitude going into the next race. The last day of racing was interesting, seeing that we got two black flags, throwing us out of the race, and into the consolation round. Although it was frustrating, we learned what we did wrong, and made sure we had a good attitude once the constellation races began. We finished the regatta in 9th, out of 12 boats.

Ultimately, it was truly an unforgettable experience. We met so many great people and learned so much. It introduced me to match racing, and made me realize I want to match race more. I am especially thankfully for the BYC Maritime Sciences and Seamanship Foundation for allowing my team and I to compete in the 2014 Rose Cup, for without their funding and continual support, we might’ve not been able to make it to New York. Also, a huge thank you to the BYC members for continuing to support our sailing.

Victoria Lewis