I flew to Rhode Island to compete in the US Sailing Youth Championship with my partner Holland Vierling. The flight was 6 hours, which I flew alone to NYC. Then Holland’s mom Sabrina drove us to Roger Williams College in Rhode Island. We stayed in the Roger Williams dorm which was amazing because I had the unique opportunity to live like a college student. Similar to college life I made some great new sailing friends from Canada, who I plan to meet up with in the future. On our days off, we traveled to Boston and explored many Universities including Boston College, Harvard and MIT.
The first two days of racing definitely lived up to my expectations with wind gusts of up to 25 mph wreaking havoc on competitors, boats, and equipment. Thankfully, we were ready with spare equipment that we are able to use and lend to our competitors. Throughout the four day competition we improved each day and finished in 8th place out of 26 teams.
The overall experience at Roger Williams was amazing for two fourteen year olds. I am incredibly grateful to my parents and SDYC for their support and Sabrina Vierling for being my chaperone. Holland and I are already planning our return for next year’s Youth Champs!