Thank you so much for the support and funding which allowed me to compete this past December at the 2022 Orange Bowl in Miami, FL. After many days of racing I ended up 7th overall out of 78 boats in the C420 fleet. This event helped me learn and grow as a C420 sailor because we had to adapt to the challenging ranges of wind from 1-18 knots and temperatures ranging from 40-80 degrees. We had many good races and rounded the top mark in 1st in 3 of the races one of them being in gold fleet. On the first day it was very light and we only had two very shifty races. Day 2 it was 14-18 knotts with big oscillations and we got 2 top 5's. The third day and the first day of golf fleet was also windy and on one of the races we rounded in first and ended up getting a 3rd that race. The last day was the hardest day of the regatta because the points in the top 8 where very close and we had to do really well. The conditions the last day where very light and very shifty and with a top 10 in the last race we where able to secure our 7th place finish at orange bowl!! This was probably my favorite c420 regatta I have sailed in my life so far and I couldn't have done it without your support!

Thank you so much for your funding which allowed me to compete in Miami, Florida at the Coral Reef Yacht Club for the Orange Bowl International Regatta. I arrived in Miami a few days before the regatta to get some solid practice in, so my skipper, Noah Stapleton, and I would feel the most prepared for the regatta. The wind and temperature varied a lot throughout the practice days and the regatta. The practice days had temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s which pushed us out of our comfort zone. Despite the practice days, the temperature increased going into the regatta which made the sailing more enjoyable.

NHSF thank you for your support at the Orange Bowl Youth Regatta at Coral Reef Yacht Club, Miami. This event helped me grow as an ILCA sailor to understand my areas that I am strong in, as well as the things I need to work on. Before going to Florida, I had really been focusing on my big fleet starts, light air speed, and my nutrition. Leading up to Orange Bowl, I went to many local regattas and clinics to really focus on my starts.  I began working on punching the line sag, shooting for first-row positions, and creating a formula to be positioned on the front row consistently, while hitting all the important factors at each start. So when Orange Bowl came around, I was mentally prepared for the big ILCA4 fleet.   

I went to Coconut Grove to compete in the Orange Bowl for the 2nd time. It is one of my favorite events of the year. The international competition is fierce but also friendly! I always leave with new friends from different countries. This year they were from Hong Kong, Sweden and Spain. I participated in the clinic at CRYC to prepare, I think it’s great to get to practice where the event is going to take place. I started out the regatta doing ok, but felt I needed to get my head in the game. I qualified for bronze fleet, just like last year, there where more racers this year and the level of coipition was for sure higher. I needed to work on getting good clean starts and when I listed to what my coach told me to do it worked! Crazy right? I got 4th in that race and was stoked! I was placing higher than last year entering the last day and was sure I could move up a few more spots to really improve on last year. I had an amazing start and was in 3rd when they called the day for no wind squashing that dream. But I still improved over last year, and most importantly I had so much FUN! 

Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation, thank you so much for your support, and for allowing me the privilege of traveling to Miami, Florida for this year’s Orange Bowl Regatta in the ILCA 4.7. By participating in this event, I was able to gain experience in a variety of wind conditions, along with improving and broadening my scope of big fleet racing in the ILCA. The week before the regatta, I participated in a four-day clinic through Key Biscayne Yacht Club to help immerse myself in the vast local knowledge of Biscayne Bay. During each of the clinic days, new conditions emerged, with some days being light and steady from the North while others were puffy, stormy, and shifty from the West. Overall, the clinic was a huge help to me in understanding numerous aspects of the bay including Miami weather patterns, currents, along with becoming more in tune with my controls and boat speed over shallower and choppier waters.

Thank you so much for your generosity and continued support of my sailing campaigns. This past week I competed at the 2022 Orange Bowl in Miami, FL, and after 4 days of racing, placed 10th out of 78 boats in the C420 fleet. I had a blast racing and gained tons of experience, so I really appreciate your support which allows me to travel and compete at events like these.

We arrived in Miami a few days before the regatta started, and were able to get three solid practice days in to warm up and make sure everything on the boat was working. We even went out on Christmas day, and it was so cold I thought it would snow: low 40’s all day with 15/20 knots! Nonetheless, we toughed it out, and with those few extra days of practice, went into the regatta feeling ready and prepared.