This last week, we had the opportunity to train and race in the 49erFX in Miami, Florida. We had a total of 7 days on the water, four of which were training and three of which were the US Open Sailing Series regatta. 

During the training, we were a squad of three ODP teams, one from Miami and two from California, coached by Dane Wilson. Two of the days, we also trained with Olympians, Paris Henken and Anna Tunneclif, who were wrapping up their winter training block and being coached by Charlie McKee. 

Kevin and my trip to Orange Bowl to race 29ers was both an amazing all around experience and full of life lessons on adapting to surprises! We started out thinking we were ahead of the game because we registered to attend the pre-clinic. We planned to use this time to learn about the waters of beautiful Biscayne Bay. Unfortunately we were thrown a curve ball when Kevin caught Influenza A and was totally out for the clinic - and we barely recovered by the time the actual Orange Bowl regatta started. I decided to attend the pre-clinic - land portion and shared my notes with Kevin nightly. I tried to find a sub-partner using social media, and came close but it never quite came to fruition.

Last month, I traveled to Miami to participate in the Olympic Development Program (ODP) with my crew Holland Vierling, and we were there among 13 of the best teams in the 29er class from all over the United States.

The first day at ODP was different from our training in San Diego, we had lots of Olympic class coaches and three different meetings were scheduled each day. 

The recent ILCA 4 Worlds in Vilamoura, Portugal, from August 13-20, 2022 was an amazing experience. It was my second world championship regatta as I also participated in ILCA Worlds in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland last year. The competition was just as strong this year with many talented sailors from 51 countries, including 272 boys and 152 girls who competed. The wind was really good on some days, but not so much on others.

Last month we traveled to El Balis, outside of Barcelona, Spain, for the 29er Open Worlds. Two hundred forty-two teams from 26 countries came for the racing held August 1-6. There were three days of qualifying and 3 days of final racing.

It was very difficult sailing conditions for us with super light winds and massive chop. Many days the wind came out of the opposite directions from the day before.

Unfortunately, none of the San Diego Yacht Club teams made it into Gold Fleet this year. In the finals Anton and Peter Joslin top finishes included a bullet and a fourth, but also a UFD (42), to finish 49^th overall and 9^th in Silver out of 40 boats. Alice and Sammie Gardner top finishes included a 4^th and a 9^th, for an overall finish of 56 and a 16^th out of 40 in Silver.

This year our results were disappointing, but nonetheless we learned so much through the racing and from the amazing coaches. I want to thank comp fund for allowing us to have this opportunity.

On August 9^th I took a flight from San Diego, CA to Faro, Portugal for the 2022 ILCA 4 (Laser 4.7) World Championships which were to take place a short distance away in Vilamoura, Portugal.  I arrived a few days early in order to get acclimated to the time difference as well as get a couple of practice sailing sessions in with the USA Team and Coaches (Steve Mitchell, Pedro Mascarenhas, & Marie Barrue) prior to the beginning of the regatta.  

The Govenor’s Cup is one of the showcase events for youth match racing. Due to its ability to accept more than one team per nation, many regard it as more prestigious than Youth Match Racing Worlds. Hosted by Balboa Yacht Club each year in custom made “Gov Cup 22s,” acceptance is by application only and entries are capped at 12. This past July, I was fortunate enough to participate in this event for the second time.

This summer, Peter Busch and I traveled to Canada to compete in the C420 North Americans. I was excited to compete in this event because it was my first time traveling to Canada. We arrived at the Buffalo Canoe Club on July 25th to warm up and learn more about the venue. After sailing in the C420 nationals earlier in the summer, we knew that we struggled in the waves due to our minimal time sailing in those conditions, so practice time on Lake Erie was crucial. After our practice session, we heard roomers that storm systems might be rolling through during our race days, so we started preparing for a regatta filled with chop and heavy breeze.