In December 2021, Ian and I had the chance to travel halfway around the world to a place we would never have thought we would travel to in order to participate in the Youth Sailing World Championships. The regatta was held in Mussanah, Oman in the Middle East and ran from December 11th to the 17th, 2021.
Our regatta started several days beforehand when we left our house to travel 36 hours to get to the venue. We drove to LAX and from there flew to Qatar, had an 8 hour layover and then flew on to Oman. It was quite confusing when we arrived due to the twelve hour time change and the fact that we had lost a day traveling. Luckily, we had a few days before the event to get used to the time change.
Because of the nature of the event, we were not allowed to get our boats and practice until two days before the start of racing and it was torture to sit at the resort with nothing to do. Sitting there watching the wind and the waves, you start to wonder what it is like out on the water, what the wind is like, what the waves are like, is it shifty and puffy or is it stable? For sailors who are used to answering those questions by going sailing, it was nail-biting to not be able to go out on the water.
The first time that we got access to our boat was two days before the racing was to start. We, Ian and I, and the girls team that represented the USA, Charliee and Sophie, rigged one boat that we would share between the two of us throughout the regatta. It was an interesting process to rig the boat and decide on settings because the two teams sail different ways because of where we normally sail and the styles that go along with them. After a lot of back and forth, we decided on a base setting that each of us would be happy with and what bungee or tape we were going to put where. With the remainder of the day, we split the time and got to get out on the water for the first time.
The day after we got our boats was scheduled to be a practice race day where one practice race was planned for each fleet. This allowed everyone to get to see where they would be racing and what to expect on that front. It was also a chance for the classes that were changing boats to practice switching. At this particular event, the I420s and 29ers had one boat per country, so one team would go out for a morning session of racing and then come in and switch and let the other team go out. Ian and I did the first of the two practice races planned for that day because we would be racing in the first session the next day. The practice race started with a general recall, which was not surprising for a practice race, but everyone went back, which was surprising. Our first one was good, nothing spectacular but was uplifting for us. Sadly, the next start was not very good and we got pinned next to the boat and could not accelerate, which put us rounding the top mark third from last. After some smart sailing and discovering that we had a definite boat speed advantage downwind, we were actually able to pass everyone and finish first, which was a big morale boost for us.
The evening after the practice races was the opening ceremony. It was extremely cool. The host venue created an amazing area. There were even camels people could ride, one of which Ian rode. It was kind of frustrating because being that we are from the USA and the countries went alphabetically, we were the last to come in and didn’t get to watch most of the entrance of the ceremony. After the ceremony, there was a large barbecue and party, but we all called the night early and got ready to start racing the next day.
The first day of racing started with what we had found to be the normal pattern for the venue - a light, offshore breeze, which would die around 10:30 to 11:00 AM, followed by a light onshore breeze filling in around noon for racing. We left the dock for the first session with the plan to try and get our three races off that were scheduled. Our goal for the first day of racing was just to get off the line consistently and get to the first shift and see where it went from there. It was great to take a win in the first race. At the end of the day, we finished with two solid keeper races and one, being on the wrong side of a few shifts, left us chasing the back of the pack. Overall, it was a good day. We knew that it was a long regatta and anything could happen and we had to keep pushing and not let one bad race put us down.
Day two of racing was a little weird. The morning started out the same - same team breakfast, weather meeting and the wind followed the same pattern. But for Ian and I, the rest of the morning was extremely different. We were in the second session today and that meant that we didn't sail until 2:30 that afternoon, which meant that we had most of the day off. To keep our head in the game, we helped rig and look over the USA 29er. This turned into a routine for the four of us sharing the boat, so everyone would know that everything was set and ready. Fast forwarding to the afternoon, we picked up our trackers and blue bibs and went over to the beach to switch out with the girls for our three races. Two out of the three races were solid and good races to keep but to our dismay a UFD in one race set us up to have two deep races by the second day of the regatta. Luckily, after looking at the NOR and SI’s, we were fortunate to find out that we would have two throw outs at the end of the regatta and that gave us some hope that we could still do very well. Along with the memory from Open Worlds where everyone had bad races, so we knew that it isn't over until it is over.
Switching back to the morning session for day three and being in conditions that we liked set us up for a good day. For us, it was a first, fourth and seventh in our three races that really lifted our spirits and helped us keep pushing. Following those three races with three top ten finishes on day four, we were able to solidify a medal with one more race to go on the final day. It was a great feeling to know that the worst we could do was a bronze medal.
The plan for the last day of racing was for us to do one race and we would be racing first. We went into the last race knowing that we had already completed our goals and had the bronze medal in the bag, but still had a chance of silver if we could put two boats between us and the Spanish. We had a great start at the pin, held straight until we got the expected lefty and tacked. We then narrowly missed rounding in first and were able to be right on the tail of the lead boats. The Spanish were very close to us. At that point there wasn't much we could do. No matter how fast we went or how well our tactics were, there just weren't any boats to put between the two of us. It was a bummer to not be able to get past the Spanish, but we were both extremely excited to come away with a bronze medal at the Youth Sailing World Championships!
Looking back now, we are both proud of the way that we sailed the regatta. The way that we sailed the boat and the way that we approached each race was exactly how we have been practicing and working to achieve for several years. It was really cool to see all the hard work come together and get to stand on the podium at an event as big as the Youth Worlds. We are extremely thankful for everyone who has helped us get to this point, all our coaches, our training partners, HPYS, and SDYC for all the help and support they have given us.