Dear BYC MSSF,
Thank you for supporting my crew, Sammy Pickell, and I in attending the 2015 CISA Clinic It was held at Alamitos Bay Yacht club, which proved itself as an excellent sailing venue with winds in the mid-teens for a majority of the clinic. This clinic provided us with great coaches, who were so knowledgeable about not only the C420, but also racing in general. In the C420 class, we had three coaches (Annie Haeger, Briana Provancha, and Adam Corpuz Lahne), two of which (Annie and Brianna) are currently sailing 470s at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Hyeres, France.
On the Wednesday before the clinic, I knew that Sammy and I were in for a treat as we pulled into ABYC to unload boats. It was the windiest I had ever seen the venue, which was both scary and exciting coming from a team that has a collective weight barely over 200 lbs. As sheets of sand blew across the street and into the parking lot, we unloaded boats with the aid of fellow sailors and the clinic director. When I got home on Wednesday I made sure I had both a towel and a safety knife stowed in my dry bag so that I might prepare for the four days of capsizing that I envisioned.
When Sammy and I arrived at the clinic on Thursday we made all the preparations necessary for the day and quickly rigged up our boat. Out on the water, we struggled a bit with the wire-to-wires tacks and tight reaches. That being said, we improved exponentially on both of those throughout the clinic. On both Thursday and Friday it was windy the entire time on the water and while we learned a lot, Sammy and I did not get a chance to exhibit our strengths.
The wind eased off on Saturday morning and we were able to excel amongst our peers. Yet it wasn’t until the races on Sunday when Sammy and I got to truly shine. We placed 6th, 3rd, and 4th in these races, with the highlight of the clinic happening during the second race. At the start of this race, we were tacking around the pin waiting for a port approach. As the last boat left at the pin, Sammy and I looked down the line at the 13 420s stacked at the boat. Instantly I knew that we either looked really brilliant or really dull. Luckily, when I checked the line again, it appeared that we were the former. With a rush of great exhilaration, Sammy and I successfully port tacked the entire fleet and finished the race in third.
Overall, Sammy and I finished the clinic in 5th place out of 14 boats. This clinic was so beneficial to both of us because we were able to practice and develop our skills in the medium to heavy wind. I look forward to attending this clinic next year. Again, I give you my thanks for supporting me with yet another amazing opportunity in my sailing career.
Sincerely,
Kerri Luttrell
