Recently, my brother, Noah, and I went to Valencia, Spain to compete in the 29er Open World Championships. The regatta consisted of 3 days of qualifying and 3 days of final competition. There were 193 boats from many different countries. The week prior to the Worlds, we sailed in a Coaches Regatta. We were happy to have finished second in the small but competitive fleet. The regatta was a good way to judge what the fleet would be like and what the race course was going to most likely be during the World Championships. The experience that we gained from that regatta would go on to help us at the Worlds.

After a summer packed with 29er practice, clinics, regattas, and travel we felt prepared to race in the Zhik 29er Open Worlds in Valencia, Spain. So at the end of August my little brother, my skipper, my dad and I hopped on a plane and headed to Europe to compete in our first world championship event. The event was 6 days long: 3 days of qualifiers and 3 days of finals. With 6 talented US teams at the event we were ready to represent. 

The highlight of my sailing this summer had to be competing in the C420 nationals off Long Beach Island, New Jersey. Those three days felt so long despite the fact that the conditions didn’t hold up for much racing on the last two days. Our best race would’ve been on the second day. We were fighting for a top 10 spot on the last downwind, and I looked behind us to check if our breeze was clear. Just at that moment, I saw one of the first (of many) lightning strikes of the day. There was a mad dash to get back to shore, as this massive thunderstorm started to quickly take over the race course. many boats flipped in the sudden heavy winds. Luckily it was very shallow and they were plenty of people running into the water to assist in promptly getting onto land. It was truly a team effort and luckily the only damage was a bent mast. I wish we would have had a little bit of that wind leak into the next day, which was completely dead.

On the first of August, I landed in Ireland to sail in the 2021 ILCA 4 (4.7) Junior World Championships. With six days of training and six days of racing in Europe, it was a great experience in every way. This was the most hardcore sailing I have ever done. The wind, waves, and competition were consistently very strong. Throughout my time in Ireland, the wind ranged from 20 to 40 knots, with only a couple days of lighter breeze. The waves were very big at times and, of course, it was Ireland, so there was a lot of rain.

Thanks to the Comp Fund, I was lucky enough to compete at the 2021 ILCA National Championships in Norfolk, VA, from June 15 to 20. The regatta was hosted by the Big Blue Sailing Academy and Old Dominion University (ODU). It was a great venue, right on the ODU campus.

There were 277 boats across the Standard, Radial, and 4.7 fleets. I was proud to be the only sailor representing San Diego Yacht Club. The winds were shifty but pretty strony, especially on the last two days of the regatta. The most challenging part was the heat with temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s. We all had to work extra hard to keep hydrated. I sailed with the Lauderdale Yacht Club team, which was fun. The whole regatta was a great learning experience, especially because of the strong competition, and one I will never forget. Thank you to the SDYC Comp Fund for supporting me in this regatta!

At the end of July, myself (Jack Egan), along with Jack Plavan and Diego Escobar, made the trip up to Newport Beach to compete in the prestigious youth match racing invitational known as the Governor's Cup. We had earned an invitation to compete in this event from our second place finish in the Rose Cup this past June. The Governor’s Cup would present many new challenges, including new boats (being the Gov Cup 22s which were specially designed for the regatta), new formats, and new competitors, including a handful of international ones. 

Besides all the great stuff happening on the water, it’s time for our elections for the 2021-2022 Junior Board! If you have ideas about how to make the Junior Sailing experience at your Club even better, and are motivated to put those plans into action, we want you on the Board!

With over 375 youth sailors from all over the world and six different fleets, it was spectacular to see that many lasers in one place. Garda itself is a venue of pure natural beauty. After practicing in the north winds (traditional for Garda) for nearly a week, on regatta day the wind was light and shifty and coming from the south.