SDYC Finishes First in Light Air and Chop in the Open Orange Bowl 2021
By Anton Schmid
Photo by Tim Wilkes
The Open Orange Bowl 2021 took place in Miami Florida through the end of 2021. Racing in the 29er fleet, I sailed in the Open Orange Bowl with my crew Peter Joslin. It was an overall light air regatta with the big Miami chop. The clouds and temperature affected the wind and waves a lot through the regatta, as we learned from a local coach there.
We also learned that the water had been especially warm compared to recent winters, which caused lighter air racing.
The 29ers started a day later than the other fleets, as we heard from others they got one race off seeing how there was no wind.
Over the next two days, we got some light races off, finishing it off with no races on the last day.
With 21 boat registered, we ended up winning the 2021 Open Orange Bowl!
I would like to thank the comp fund for allowing us to go out and race and improve our skills. We learned a lot over the course of this trip.
Open Orange Bowl 2021: Light Air on the Other Coast
By Alice Schmid
Hoping off the plane into the 80+ humid Florida weather is always a shock compared to the chilly San Diego weather we get in December. For the last few years my family has made the cross country trip to Miami, Florida for the Open Orange Bowl regatta. Upon our arrival, we had to get our boat off the trailer, rig it up and take it out for training.
The wind provided no relief from the heat as it didn’t get above 10knts our whole 4 days of sailing. This along with the current caused Sammie Gardner, my skipper, I to struggle with our starts.
But as the weekend went on, we improved on our selected goals. The third and final day, Sam and I felt ready for a comeback. As we towed out we knew the chances for any wind were slim, but we stayed focused and prepared for racing throughout postponement. Unfortunately after hours of waiting for a single start, the day was called off and the regatta ended. We were disappointed knowing we could have performed better, but are happy with the improvement we made on our goals.
In the end we finished fourth out of a fleet of 25. It was a good learning experience sailing in an away venue and will help us prepare for Midwinters East in February.
We want to thank the comp fund and everybody else who has supported us and enabled us to race in great regattas like the Open Orange bowl.