The Youth World Championship is an incredible and unique event that only 4 US 29er sailors get to participate in each year. Through a series of qualifier events, the top mens and womens sailors in different classes age 18 or younger get to travel to represent their country.  After years of training together, Sammie Gardner and I qualified with fellow SDYC sailors Ian and Noah Nyenhuis to attend the 2022 Youth World Championship in The Hague, the Netherlands. Here, all sailors stayed together in small 2 bedroom houses spread out across a large campground where each sailor was given a bicycle. From there we would make the daily 4+ mile commute to the venue. Although the sand dunes made the ride anything but flat, the beautiful view of the ocean surrounded by wildflowers made it more enjoyable. During the opening ceremony, 250 sailors from 50 countries took to their bikes for a 15 minute long “parade” of the city.  

Recently, Noah and I competed in the 29er Open World Championships in El Balis, Spain. It was the biggest World Championships that the class had ever had with almost 250 teams competing from 26 countries. The racing was held on three different course areas about 30 minutes up the coast from Barcelona.

In July, we got the chance to travel to The Hague in the Netherlands to represent the US for a second time at the Youth World Sailing Champoionships. We had hoped that this event would have a predominantly strong breeze that is typical in the area but, in typical regatta fashion, once we arrived on site, the conditions changed to something out of the norm. Throughout the regatta, only one day was raced in wind in the teens. This was also our first time racing in strong current, up to 2 knots at some points. This added a lot of new elements to the racing that we have never had to deal with to such a large extent.

On June 29-30, seventy C420s gathered at Wianno Yacht Club, Osterville MA, to compete in the annual New England’s Championship. The venue was very unsuspecting at first, with the club being very small and launching a bit chaotic, but it was soon evident that it was shaping up to be a great event. 

I recently returned from sailing in three SDYC Comp Fund supported regattas over a three-week period. The regattas were North Americans (Cork/Kingston, Canada), Atlantic Coast Championships (Larchmont Yacht Club, New York), and Nationals (Brant Beach Yacht Club/Long Beach Island, New Jersey). I originally signed up to sail in the ILCA 4 fleet, but due to the pretty light conditions at each venue, I decided to make the switch to the ILCA 6 fleet for all three regattas. I learned a lot at each event and it showed in my results.

The Dutch Shoe Marathon (DSM) marks a special moment in a junior sailor's life. A right of passage, it's known for. The day where you sail for hours, the longest distance yet, against friends and peers, with family or for most - totally solo. Winning the Dutch Shoe Marathon gives the champion more than just bragging rights. It gives them the practice, experience, and confidence that they will carry with them on the water for years to come. This year, the 49th DSM Champion title goes to C Fleet's Ronan Servais!

Ernesto Rodriguez and Kathleen Tocke are officially the winners of the 2022 Snipe US National Championship! Over the past four days, this duo has proved themselves worthy of the champion title. Rodriguez and Tocke placed in the top three in six out of the eight races of the regatta. They're not deemed the SSL Snipe World Ranked no. 1 team for nothing.