Thank you so much for your continued support of my sailing in allowing me to compete in the 2023 C420 North Americans at Sail Newport in Rhode Island. Albeit a more difficult and disappointing regatta results-wise, I still gained much experience and was able to use this event as an opportunity to acknowledge and improve on some of my biggest weaknesses.

The Opti Heavy Wind Regatta was held at St. Francis Yacht Club on June 16-18th. This was my first really windy experience, averaging between 19 - 22 knots each day. Staying in the boat became challenging with those gusts but thankfully, I was able to finish each race..some more soaked than others. Races were each about an hour long as we sailed from Alcatraz Island to the Golden Gate Bridge and back. It was a great experience with large fleets on the starting line, lots of current, and lots of wind. As we raced to the finish, “surfing" the current was a must to get that extra push ahead. Thank you for your support in helping me be a part of this awesome opportunity!

Thank you so much for your funding which allowed me to compete in Brant Beach, New Jersey at the Brant Beach Yacht Club for the C420 Women’s North Americans. Sailing in Brant Beach, New Jersey had quite the opposite sailing conditions than C420 Nationals: wind and flatter water. I was very excited when the forecast said 18+ knots of breeze and to be full trapping. The first day of the regatta, the conditions lived up to the forecast with big winds and even windier reaches, and the second day, the wind was lighter ranging from 8-12 knots of breeze. I learned that taking the low lane on the downwinds in lighter pressure isn’t always the best vmg mode if other boats are higher and faster and how the first beat of the race proves to be the most important in a shorter upwind race course. Overall, my skipper Sophia Devling and I made the best out of each day finishing 2nd out of 46 boats. I learned so much in New Jersey and will continue to use the lessons throughout the rest of my sailing. Thank you again for making that happen.

Thank you so much for your continued support of my sailing campaigns in allowing me to compete at the 2023 C420 National Championship in Chicago, IL. After three long days of racing, my crew Dillon and I ended up placing 16th out of 113 teams.

The first day gave us a light but building sea breeze, with fairly stable conditions and very long courses. We started off safe and consistent, getting off the line well mid-pin and extending left, giving us a 4, 4 to start the regatta off. However, we knew that if we wanted to contest a win, we needed to shift closer to the favored end of the line. Unfortunately, despite having a killer start, confusion in regards to multiple sound signals had us going slow the first few seconds off the line, which cost us greatly.

Thank you so much for your funding which allowed me to compete in Chicago at the Chicago Yacht Club for the C420 National Championship. I learned a great deal sailing with my skipper Morgan Pinckney about the different nuances of the wind, different pressure zones, how banging the left corner has its pros and cons, and staying in phase in each race. Also, to never ever give up no matter if you round the windward mark in 40th place because if you keep your head in the game you can make a come back, boat by boat, and finish with a strong fourth place in the fifth race of the second day. The conditions proved to be tricky with light breeze and very choppy wave patterns throughout the regatta. Overall, my skipper and I made the best out of each day and the tricky conditions finishing 3rd overall out of 113 boats. I learned so much in Chicago and will continue to use the lessons throughout the rest of my sailing. Thank you again for making that happen.

Thank you to the Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation for the support at the 2023 Wilson Trophy. The Wilson Trophy is hosted annually across the pond in West Kirby, England. The event is a 3v3 team race in Firefly boats. There were 32 teams coming from the USA, UK, and Ireland.

The West Kirby Sailing Club is a beautiful sailing club located on River Dee just outside of Liverpool. The river Dee has such extreme tides that in the morning the water reaches the club, but by the evening, it is a half mile walk out to the water. Due to the extreme tides, the Wilson Trophy is sailed on Marine Lake, which is a small lake that the club also has direct access to. As Marine Lake is very small, the conditions are great for dinghy team racing. The water is always flat, rotations are extremely quick and easy, and the spectating is as close to stadium seating as sailing can get.