On the water action at the 2017 U12 Sabot Championship, sailed at San Diego Yacht Club, with the top 25 sailors from the North and South qualifiers. Big thanks to Coach Cal Pedroli for the video work!
SAN DIEGO (July 21, 2017) Over 150 junior and senior sailors took San Diego Bay on July 21, 2017 for the 45th Annual Dutch Shoe Marathon. A summer time favorite, these competitors completed the annual dinghy distance race from San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) to Coronado Yacht Club all in a sabot sailboat.
The sky was perfectly sunny and temperatures were in the high 70s with lighter winds mostly around 6 knots when the fleets began, starting in La Playa at noon. From there, they traveled down San Diego Bay, traveling over 7 miles on the race course, ultimately finishing in Glorietta Bay. Most participants were between the ages of 8 and 15 with many adult sailors also participating in the senior division.
Marleigh Henehan from Mission Bay Yacht Club was leading most of the race in her yellow striped sabot. At 14 years old, this was only Marleigh’s second Dutch Shoe Marathon. “I raced it two years ago and I capsized during that race. Since then, I’ve moved up two fleets. The first time I did it I was in C1 and now I’m in C3. I’ve been going to sailing camp in Mission Bay every afternoon to practice.”
Marleigh triumphantly crossed the finish line first, sailing into the horns and cheers of the spectator boats. After crossing she pumped her first in the air and exclaimed, “Girls Rule!”
Recently, my brother Peter and I competed at the US Youth Championships in Corpus Christi, Texas. We had earned an automatic acceptance, to this application only event, having finished 2nd in the 29er at the Open Orange Bowl Regatta last December.
John Pearce, US Sailing’s Youth Director was quoted “Youth Champs is the place to be. We have the top sailors in the country here, as well as US Sailing provided coaches who provide excellent instruction, tips and mentorship for these young sailors. This is a great place for sailors to up their skill level, challenge themselves and be exposed to a high level environment...”
Peter and I were pleased to be the only SDYC representatives at this prestigious event, if we do not count all-star PRO Jeff Johnson. It was great to have him running things and he did an amazing job in difficult conditions, always setting a fair race track.
The Fort Worth Boat Club was the lucky host for this year's US Youth Match Race Nationals for the Rose Cup. One would think that in early June, it wouldn't be a hot trip to Texas. In reality, for four days straight, it had reached 103 degrees. This proved to be another challenge for everyone throughout the weekend.
On June 14th, right after Diego Escobar and I got out of school, we met up with the rest of our team, Amanda and John Majernik, and walked throughout San Diego International to catch our 3 o'clock flight. We were lucky enough to be joined by fellow SDYC Team Member Jack Egan on our flight as he too had to finish off his school year. The five of us comfortably traveled to Dallas and then boarded a shuttle that would take us all the way to Fort Worth.
The Taste of Point Loma is back on Thursday, October 19th and you don't want to miss out on all the great things in store for this 7th annual event. Come to the Club and enjoy one more night of this endless summer before the time changes. The event is held the Thursday leading into the International Masters Regatta, one of SDYC's signature events.
Pre-order your tickets for $30 online at www.sdyc.org/masters/tasteofpl and plan on joining us for one of SDYC's favorite events! Tickets are $35 at the door, so buy now to avoid full price tickets at the door.