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. 

Thank you so much for supporting my first ever Optimist regatta, the Orange Bowl, which took place in Miami, Florida. I wanted to gain some experience in the Optimist because I had only sailed it once before, so completing a week-long clinic hosted by Coral Reef Yacht Club familiarized myself with the nature and skills required to succeed in the large and competitive Optimist fleet.

A year ago I met my i14 skipper Garett Brown. We were sailing 505’s when he asked me if I wanted to sail on his i14. I took it out for a rip with him and instantly fell in love. After a couple sessions he asked me if I wanted to sail i14 Nationals and I delightedly accepted his offer. 

After a month or two of training it was time to show up and do some racing. We arrived in Bellingham, Washington two days early to practice. It was especially nice because we had a couple world champions to line up against for some speed tuning. I learned a lot about how to specifically tune and rig an i14. The most interesting aspect is the angle of the rudder foil. The skipper plays it upwind and downwind but I can feel the whole boat rise and fall in the water with just the slightest adjustment. It is truly a wild experience.