The SDYC Vixens thank you for your support of our participation in the 2024 Linda Elias Memorial Women’s One Design (LEMWOD) regatta hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club and held in the Catalina 37s. This regatta is one that has often posed challenges for SDYC, for one reason or another. As you know, last year, we put a team together at the absolute last minute, had two people drop out for medical and personal reasons, were not able to get together and practice, and did not have a tactician or receive any coaching. Needless to say, and as you know, our results proved the adage that preparation prevents poor performance, and we did not do well at the regatta. Although our on the water performance wasn’t great, we had a few outcomes that were more important than winning: Our team came off the water as a cohesive unit and determined to do better in 2024. Multiple women on our team became regular racers, competing in all different types of boats throughout the year. SDYC gained a new member in Heather Furey.
Competing in the 2024 Snipe World Championship was an experience I’ll remember for a lifetime. As a sailor representing the United States, along with my crew Shira Golub, we were not only challenged by the competition but inspired by the dedication and sportsmanship of sailors from around the world. The difficulty of the event was no surprise, considering the level of skill within the Snipe Class, known for drawing some of the finest sailors in the world, including past world champions and former Olympians.
The weekend before Halloween, the Saint Francis Yacht Club hosted the 2024 Fall Dinghy Regatta. It was an incredible experience on so many levels and one of the biggest experiences for me and my new 29er partner, August Felgenhaur. August and I just recently began to sail together. In fact, we’ve teamed for the entire 24/25 29er Hamlin Series and this was our first ever regatta sailing as a team.
Thank you for your recent support of the SDYC Lipton Cup team. The Lipton Cup is a well-known event hosted by SDYC and is regarded as the top West coast fleet racing event among national and international yacht clubs.
Olympian Paris Henken returned to SDYC in early October to coach an advanced 29er clinic with a stellar coaching team including her brother Sterling Henken, Noah Nyenhuis and B Lindsay. Saturday’s focus was drills to improve down-speed boat maneuvering — a crucial skill for skiff sailors to be able to hold their spot on the starting line. Drill 1 - “The Glide” / Time & Distance, Drill 2 - Rounding a mark without tacking, and Drill 3 - Quick double tacks. [If you are wondering how skiff sailors can round a mark without tacking, it involves managing your speed, communicating with your teammate on the right times to back the main and jib in order to move forward and then sideways and then sail backwards]. Sunday was a “Clinigatta” with seven races as part of the Luff-in Series won by Olympia / Maribelle Barelli, 2nd place was Kevin Cason / Holland Vierling and 3rd place was Sean Kaseburg / Braden Ozarski.