Beep, beep beep…it was 4:00 in the morning and I have never jumped out of bed so fast. I was so excited because I was about to have an awesome week. We left from LAX and after flying all day, decided to stop at a local diner in New York for a GREAT dinner. We settled into our host family’s home and drifted off to sleep. The next day was our first day at Riverside Yacht Club, joining their Jr. Summer Sailing Program and we went out on the water in the Optis. It took a little while to get used to sailing the Opti again, since it had been two years and is very different from the sabot. As we practiced, I kept looking around at the beautiful shoreline of Long Island Sound. In Connecticut, they have more trees in one block than we have in an entire square mile! That night, the Manions, our host family, took us in their power boat out to see the New York skyline from the water. It was so much fun to see the city from the water. We got to see the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline up close. It was an unforgettable evening. The next day out on the water felt like Southern California, hot and no breeze. Practice was a bust. They sent us in early because a thunderstorm was rolling in. Just as soon as we got our boats put away, DOWNPOUR! Later that evening we got to watch a lightning storm. We don’t get to see those very often at home. It had epic flashes of light and powerful booms of thunder. Thursday was another light air practice day followed by another amazing lightning show. We were treated to a catered dinner from a local restaurant with some of the sailors and their families at Riverside Yacht Club. On Friday, the WIND showed up! It was blowing 20 knots with lots of wind chop. It was GREAT sailing! We blasted around the bay like we had motors attached to our boats. Even with all that wind, I was still too big to be out on the rail of the Opti. I need about 30 knots to really get out and hike these days. Saturday was the regatta and we had about 15 knots to sail it. The racing was fantastic. I ended up 6th out of 12 in the Red Fleet, right behind our host, Angus Manion. Angus visited BYC last summer, so this year was his turn to show us his home waters and boat. I consistently finished in the top 6 every race. I was the oldest sailor in my fleet and those competitors were tough! They really know how to sail those boats. After the regatta and prize giving, we went to a local fun zone for a fun night of food and games with our hosts. I would like to thank all those who made this trip possible for me; BYC for organizing the exchange every year, Mrs. Wanlass for chaperoning the trip and the Manion family for their housing and kindness all week. I really appreciate the support I received from MSSF to participate in this cross training with RYC. I learned that sailing is a small world. The RYC head coach is from Australia and has sailed at BYC in the Governors Cup. The exchange is a great event that shows young sailors what real travel regattas are like and what to look forward to in high school and college sailing. I was happy to represent BYC and hope that our two clubs keep this going year after year.
Jeffrey Petersen
