On August 7th, Jack Plavan and I had the opportunity to travel to Toms River, New Jersey to compete in Bemis, the U.S Sailing Junior Doublehanded Championship. To get to this point, Jack and I had to get top two in the Area Qualifier, the Junior Olympics hosted by San Diego Yacht Club in July. We were able to place second after the three day event and we were excited to be on our way to New Jersey.

This was our first time going to this regatta and we were very excited for the unique aspects of this race. What makes this regatta unique is that everyone is provided a new C420 charter for the week, evening out the playing field. Also, since this was an event you have to qualify for, they limit the registration to only twenty teams. When we arrived, we quickly learned that we were the SoCal kids that the East coast kids had not seen before, but they knew that we came from a great program and had great sailors compete in this event from our yacht club before. Although seeing other sailors in their “Opti National Team” jackets was intimidating, we were confident in the training we had done at home.

The 2017 C420 National Championship was hosted by Wianno YC all the way out in Cape Cod. For the first time in a while, this event was to be the last event in the Triple Crown and the last regatta of the summer. Knowing that all of the top people could be tired after two weeks of nonstop sailing helped our mindset before the event.

On August 8th, my mom and I flew out of San Diego to Boston Logan and met up with my crew Tanner. We then drove 1 hour and a half to a little town on the Cape called Barnstable. I have previously been to this part of the Cape to visit my brother who has taught sailing there for the past two years. We got to our hotel late into the night and were able to fall asleep peacefully. The next day we drove twenty minutes to Wianno YC and set up our charter boat as well as a small practice built in.

A few weeks ago, we competed in the 29er World Championships at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach. The conditions were all over the place. We got everything from 20+ knots and large chop to days with only 3-5 knots and flat water.

During the Worlds, we had 3 days of qualifiers and 3 days of final races. In the qualifiers, we got one windy day where it got a little too much for us being the youngest and most likely the lightest team out there, so we had to head in early. The next two days, fortunately for us, were lighter with the wind not exceeding 10 knots. In those two days of lighter winds, we excelled and got a couple of top 20 finishes. With that we worked our way into the Silver fleet, which to us was a huge accomplishment.

I would like to thank the SDYC Competition Fund for allowing me to go to two of the best regattas. Although I didn't do as well as I had hoped, these regattas were focused around another theme this year. We focused on the sailing sisterhood. Part of the reason why I love going to Ida Lewis and Leiter is because it is a group of girls. These are not just any girls, they are friends. With light racing and hot temperatures it was certainly an experience.

The 2017 Laser Nationals was held in Lake Tahoe and was hosted by the Lake Tahoe Yacht Club in Tahoe City, CA. It is a place that is known to have very light and shifty wind. The regatta was 4 days long with 2 practice days. The first practice day was very windy, with winds anywhere from 12 to 22 knots. It was the complete opposite of the typical Lake Tahoe conditions that I had been hearing about. The next day was similar with a bit lighter winds at only around maximum 16 knots. After the practice days I felt prepared for a windy regatta.

The first day of the regatta had a lot less wind than the practice days.  The first race started with moderate breeze, and then a huge puff rolled down the right. The puff filled the course with wind, and I was luckily in it. I sailed well and passed a few more boats and ended that race in 7th place. The next race I sailed to the right on the first upwind and unfortunately the left was favored. I passed a few boats and ended up in about 24th place. The next race I sailed to the favored side. I sailed a poor reach and downwind and ended up in about 11th place.  After that day, I was somewhere around 10th because of everyone having a very inconsistent day.

On the water action at the 2017 U12 Sabot Championship, sailed at San Diego Yacht Club, with the top 25 sailors from the North and South qualifiers. Big thanks to Coach Cal Pedroli for the video work!

SAN DIEGO (July 21, 2017) Over 150 junior and senior sailors took San Diego Bay on July 21, 2017 for the 45th Annual Dutch Shoe Marathon. A summer time favorite, these competitors completed the annual dinghy distance race from San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) to Coronado Yacht Club all in a sabot sailboat.

The sky was perfectly sunny and temperatures were in the high 70s with lighter winds mostly around 6 knots when the fleets began, starting in La Playa at noon. From there, they traveled down San Diego Bay, traveling over 7 miles on the race course, ultimately finishing in Glorietta Bay. Most participants were between the ages of 8 and 15 with many adult sailors also participating in the senior division.

Marleigh Henehan from Mission Bay Yacht Club was leading most of the race in her yellow striped sabot. At 14 years old, this was only Marleigh’s second Dutch Shoe Marathon. “I raced it two years ago and I capsized during that race. Since then, I’ve moved up two fleets. The first time I did it I was in C1 and now I’m in C3. I’ve been going to sailing camp in Mission Bay every afternoon to practice.”

Marleigh triumphantly crossed the finish line first, sailing into the horns and cheers of the spectator boats. After crossing she pumped her first in the air and exclaimed, “Girls Rule!”

Recently, my brother Peter and I competed at the US Youth Championships in Corpus Christi, Texas.  We had earned an automatic acceptance, to this application only event, having finished 2nd in the 29er at the Open Orange Bowl Regatta last December.

John Pearce, US Sailing’s Youth Director was quoted “Youth Champs is the place to be. We have the top sailors in the country here, as well as US Sailing provided coaches who provide excellent instruction, tips and mentorship for these young sailors. This is a great place for sailors to up their skill level, challenge themselves and be exposed to a high level environment...”  

Peter and I were pleased to be the only SDYC representatives at this prestigious event, if we do not count all-star PRO Jeff Johnson. It was great to have him running things and he did an amazing job in difficult conditions, always setting a fair race track.