Thank you so much for supporting my travel to Miami this December for the Orange Bowl International Regatta. I flew to Miami to begin practice for 5 days leading up to the event. The conditions brought warm weather and light to moderate winds. Practices went well as this gave my partner, Sophia Pearce, and I much needed time together in the boat.

Thank you for your generous grant to support my travel to Miami for the Orange Bowl Regatta. I arrived in Miami for 5 days of practice leading up to the event. The conditions were very different from last year, with warm weather and light to moderate winds. Practices went well and we felt extremely fast during our upwinds.

Thank you so much to NHSF for helping me attend the 2021 Youth Orange Bowl. My skipper Reade Decker and I spent months leading up to the event training. We were happy with our finish as we placed 7th out of around 85 boats. It was amazing to fly to Florida during December and sail in warm weather in conditions similar to those at home. The entire regatta including the practice days was very light, with a range from 3-7 knots. In order to perform well we had to put our attention to watching the wind and staying focused. Along with this, it was really important to have good boat handling to be able to go anywhere on the race course. There were postponements almost everyday of the regatta which was unfortunate but fun because everyone was able to hang out. Overall this event was one of my favorites and I am so glad I was able to attend! Thank you for making it happen!

The 2021 Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta was a very fun and challenging experience. The wind conditions were light the entire regatta, which made it important to stay focused. Several postponements throughout the day, at times it was difficult to play the shifts. It was anyone’s regatta. Even with all the distractions, the holidays, our first time sailing together in Miami, friends and family, Ethan and I raced well. We were able to keep our heads, remain focused, stay hydrated and take-home hardware with the best sailors in the nation.

Thank you to The Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation, our parents and supporters of Newport Beach 420.  Thank you to the Coral Reef Yacht Club, sponsors and vendors for hosting such an amazing event.  We look forward to sailing in the 2022 Orange Bowl!

My personal goal at the Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta hosted by the Coral Reef Yacht Club in Miami was to grow my knowledge and handling of a new boat, learn to sail in larger fleets and in the ocean.

Coral Reef Yacht Club hosted a four-day clinic the week before the regatta that my sister and I attended. I really was able to learn how the controls affected the boat, how sail ties affect the sail shape and my boat speed, and how to use the sprit pole, something that a sabot does not have. Learning an aggressive roll tack with the centerboard helped my overall boat handling substantially and it helped me work my way through the chop and the wind. 

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to sail in the 2021 Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta in Miami, Florida. As I normally sail sabots, I had never had to fly on a plane for a regatta before this one. I had also never sailed Optimists, which was the boat I sailed in this regatta. Because of these reasons, I was extremely excited to go to this regatta.