The Experience of a Lifetime
by Bayley Davidson
On June 25, the day after school ended, my skipper, Carolyn Smith, and I boarded a plane to fly to Hingham, MA for our first ever travel regatta, along with our first big C420 regatta. We had only been sailing the boat for a few months. Ida Lewis is the U.S. Women’s Jr. Double-handed Championship. The regatta only accepts forty boats and since we registered early, we were one of those forty! There were many disappointed girls who did not make it in. When our flight landed, mixed emotions went through our heads. We were excited to meet new people and to experience a regatta outside of our state. Right when we got there, we had immediately made new friends, as everyone was just as excited to be there as we were. After we checked in, we were assigned to our host-family, with whom we would be staying during the regatta. Our host-family was super welcoming and made me feel relaxed and at home. We also had housemates, who were other sailors in the regatta. We all became very good friends by the end of the regatta.
The regatta consisted of five days. The first two days were a clinic coached by six spectacular coaches, and the last three days were the actual regatta. The clinic was a huge help for Carolyn and me. If we had not attended the clinic, we would not be where we are now. We learned so much about how to sail the boat better. Going into the first racing day, we were both very nervous, but we felt as though we were ready because of all the advice and tips we had learned at the clinic. When the gun went off at the first start, we were pumped and ready to sail! It was windy during all the racing days and I was either fully trapped or half way. That is the part I like the best.
Before we knew it, the regatta was over and trophies were beginning. Carolyn and I ended up getting 12th out of forty. We knew we weren’t getting a trophy but we were happy with our finish. Before they handed out the trophies for top five finishes, they handed out the sportsmanship trophy, and some others. All the competitors voted for the sportsmanship trophy and we had voted for our friends Nancy and Sarah. However, I guess being yourself out on the water and being talkative and friendly pays off, because Carolyn and I had won the sportsmanship trophy! We were so surprised when they called our names; we were not expecting it at all.
After trophies ended, we said our goodbyes and went back to our house to pack for the flight home. We were very sad to leave because we did not want to leave all of the new friends we had made. It was a great experience that I will never forget. I recommend that all young sailors take the opportunity to participate in as many travel regattas as possible because it is definitely a huge help and many new friendships can be made. This was truly an experience of a lifetime
I would like to thank the BYC Maritime Sailing & Seamanship Foundation and the Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation for their support towards this wonderful opportunity.