As the final weeks of summer were drawing to an end for others mine was just getting started. For roughly sixteen days, minus two days of break, I was nonstop sailing at three of the most competitive events in junior sailing. The first event was the US Youth Championships held in Coronado, the second was the Chubb US Junior Championships for the Bemis Trophy hosted by Mission Bay Yacht Club, and the final event was the Club 420 North Americans hosted by Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club.
The US Youth Championships consisted of four days of racing in a boat I have never really sailed, the I420. It was an interesting regatta as I was learning all the different aspects of the boat such as adjusting the spreaders to change the shape in the main. It was difficult to keep my composure seeing all of the other boats sail right around due to the fact we hadn’t spent enough time in the boat to properly tune the sails. I know that Malin Burnham would be a little disappointed with me as I was clearly didn’t pay attention to one of his virtues; Plan Ahead. Looking back at the regatta I view it more as an eye opener type of event. It helped me realise that at the Youth Champs competition level, the best boats are the ones your are prepared and have put in the time and effort in order to succeed in.
The second regatta was the Chubb US Junior Championships for the Bemis Trophy. After a clinic day ran by one of the greatest coaches and sailors, Olympian Kevin Burnham, we had three days of intense sailing outside of Mission Bay in the Pacific. The conditions were tricky as the right was consistently favored but every now and then the left would work out very well. My crew and I had put ourselves in an okay spot, only ten points behind first going into the last day. Unfortunately, I did not adapt to the conditions as well as I had the previous days and we dropped to fifth place overall. Looking back at the event, it is easier for me to not get angry at my performance but to realize that every competitor had to qualify through regional events. This meant that my crew and I were racing against the 19 other best C420 sailors in the nation.
The final regatta of my jam packed two weeks was the Club 420 North Americans. The regatta consisted of 35 boats brave enough to face the wind and chop at Cabrillo Beach. My crew and I realized where our strengths and weaknesses were for breeze levels. We learned that we maxed out at about 16+. Any of the races that were less than that we did very well in. The race we were fortunate to win was the lightest race of the regatta and we were able to extend away from Cole and Tanner who were in a very close second. My hat goes off to Cole and Tanner for winning the entire event. They had a fantastic four days of racing and proved that they are one of the best duo’s in the nation. As for my crew and I, an eighth place finish was enough to keep us content as we were expecting to place a little better until the big breeze rolled in.
I would like to thank the San Diego Yacht Club Competition Fund for helping me and my crews to sail these events and take away more than a regatta shirt, but little aspects to the boats which will strengthen our performances at the regattas ahead. Thank You again!