The 2013 US Sailing Youth Championship was held out of Corpus Christi Yacht Club between the 12th and 16th of August. Known for its very high temperatures and reliable sea breeze, Corpus Christ was a fantastic venue to hold this year’s event. The full rig fleet this year was relatively small but much more competitive than in past years due to a more rigorous selection process that US Sailing is now implementing. With 12 of the best youth laser sailors in the nation competing, I was eager to redeem myself after my poor performance at Laser North Americans.
The first race of the regatta began in a ESE Breeze of 10 knots that eventually built up to 15 knots from the SE. After having a great start toward the boat end I rounded the windward mark in the top 3 and was able to sail my way into the lead by the end of the downwind. I kept my lead on the subsequent upwind leg only to lose it on the reach leg by accidently sailing to the wrong mark. I finished 3rd that race but knew I could do much better. The next race was slightly windier and saw a big right-hand shift on the first leg that I failed to capitalize on and forced me back quite a ways by the first mark. After working my way back through the fleet I was able to catch back up to 6th place. Finally I was able to get back into the grove for the 3rd race and finish first. The last race of the day was somewhat disappointing: I led for most of the fist 2 beats but capsized right next to the leeward mark. I ended the day with a 3,6,1,9 but knew that I was sailing fast and would be able to move up in the standings after I discarded the race that I capsized in.
The next day saw a very weird offshore breeze develop form the SW for the first race. Throughout the race huge wind shifts and holes developed as the sea breeze fought the offshore breeze. ¾ of the way through the race the sea breeze won and the breeze did a massive 90 degree shift. I finished 6th that race but after going from first place to last place to somewhere in the middle, all within a time span of 20 minutes, I was just happy for it to be over. The next two races were competed in amazing conditions for lasers. By then a solid 20 knot SE sea breeze had filled in and after rounding the windward mark in around 5th place both races, I was able to use my superior downwind boat speed to past the rest of the boats in front of me. I finished the day with a 6th place and 2 bullets, now tied for 2nd place overall but only 4 points behind 1st.
The 3rd day again saw a strange morning breeze direction eventually shifting over to the usual 20 knot SE sea breeze after the first race. This time the first race was sailed in a ENE that slowly shifted toward the SE throughout the race. After being unable to completely recover from a very bad start I finished in 8th place. I was able to sail conservatively during the next 3 races and finished with a 3,2,4, which put me firmly in 3rd place over all, with a 4 point gap to 2nd place and a 6 point gap on 4th place.
Unfortunately we were not able to sail on the final day because of a lack of wind. After being postponed for almost 2 hours on land and half an hour on the water, the race committee decided to send us in without completing any races: solidifying my 3rd place finish at Youth Champs. Overall the regatta was a fantastic experience for me and I appreciate the support from the San Diego Yacht Club Competition Fund in helping to make it happen.
Respectfully,
Richard Didham