I was lucky enough to be able to travel to one of the best sailing venues in the world and compete in a national championship that could not have provided better sailing conditions. Thanks to the aid of the Comp Fund I managed to get a charter boat for and enter the 2012 ISSA Singlehanded Championships, a regatta of only 18 boats, all of which qualified from other districts around the US.
The first day was certainly not a typical fall day in California with the wind ranging from 18-20 and though I had trained hard to be strong enough to handle the radial, I wasn’t quite the appropriate size for the breeze and finished the day in 12th. The second day was a little closer to expected with a stable 5-10 knot breeze from the southwest which helped me to jump a few spots and break into tenth to finish the regatta.
Although it wasn’t quite were I hoped to finish, the amount that I learned and the skills that I gained in such conditions made the regatta an excellent experience. I am very thankful to the Comp Fund for helping me to grow in my sailing so often and in so many ways.
Patrick Snow