Dear BYC Maritime Sciences and Seamanship Foundation,
Thank you so much for your financial support, helping me to attend the 2017 SCYYRA Advanced Winter Clinic held at the Long Beach U.S. Sailing Center. I attended with my skipper Jean Marie Wanlass along with 11 other C420s from around southern California as well as many lasers, CFJs and 29ers.
The clinic started on Saturday morning with tuning followed by a chalk talk. Then, we went out on the water to practice the speed skills that we had discussed in the morning. We were very grateful to have good wind allowing us to practice skills that will be helpful in our upcoming trip to Orange Bowl. Following the day of practice, we were able to watch videos from the day and discuss further with our coaches and other sailors attending, gaining multiple perspectives. Lastly, Steve Hunt gave a great presentation on the importance of setup and technique in the boat.
On Sunday, we started the day with a chalk talk and discussed techniques for the lighter winds that we had that day. Out on the water, we worked on upwind and downwind speed followed by three practice races. We again, ended the day with a review and discussion of the video taken that day.
Overall, the clinic was a great weekend. We gained great experience sailing in different conditions and also learned from some very experienced coaches. We were able to sail with more experienced sailors, learning a ton from them. Thank you again for all your support to help me to experience this amazing opportunity!
Alex Stauffer