by Will La Dow
Thank you so much for making it possible for my crew Cutter and I to represent SDYC at the Bemis Trophy event in Toms River, New Jersey. It was a great learning experience and I would not trade it for the world. Without your assistance, my trip would not have been possible.
The first day of the regatta it was 12-14 kts. and very shifty. Even though it was extremely shifty, we could use our speed to stay in the top of the fleet, finishing with a 4,1,3,3,9 for the day. We were very excited because this put us in third place with a throwout and first without one! We knew that if we just kept consistent with our scores we would be able to do well in the regatta.
The next day we were very excited and knew that we could place well overall. The winds were 2-4 kts. all day and shifted 360º throughout the day. We did not think that the conditions were fit for running such a prestigious event, but nevertheless they went on with the races. We scored a 15,1,15 and ended up in 4th place for the day. We were quite upset because we felt that if the conditions were better we would have finished in a more respectable position.
The last day was just as frustrating as the preceding, and we scored a 9,15 ending the regatta in 5th place. Although we were hoping for a better outcome, we still had an excellent time sailing at a new venue and representing SDYC in the sport that I love, sailing.