Thank you for helping to make my attendance at the C420 New England Championship possible.  The event was hot with a lack of wind, but a great chance to train and sail for the upcoming summer events.

Day one saw light conditions which proved challenging. My crew, Tyler Wood, and I worked together to make smart tactical decisions in the light conditions.  On day two, our learning from day one yielded us two top ten finishes.  At the conclusion we placed just out of the top ten for this event of 70 boats. We hope for better conditions and results at the upcoming C420 events this summer.

I really appreciate your kindness and financial support in helping me compete in the C420 North American Championships at Rochester, New York. After a super long regatta of 2 practice days, 4 regatta days, and 15 races, we ended up finishing 10th out of 91 boats.

On the first practice day, we arrived on site midmorning, unloaded our boat from our trailer, and began setting everything up. After finishing settings, we headed out for a short practice on our own to get warmed up. The second practice day, we were one of the first teams to get out, so we had some private coaching with Outfit Sailing coach Lior for an hour before the reset of the group came out. After perfecting our light wind speed and boathandling, we headed in to get rest for the long regatta ahead.

Thank you so much for your generosity and the support of my trip to Stonington, Connecticut, where we competed in my first event of the summer: the C420 New Englands Championship. We finished 9th out of 62 boats, gaining lots of experience, learning a ton, and meeting new people.

Instead of flying out to the east coast, my mom, dad, and I all spent about a week driving from Newport Beach, CA, all the way to Stonington, CT. We had one practice the day before the regatta, and even though it was drifter conditions, it was still good to stretch my legs out after the long drive and get back in sync with my brother, Nathan. After some quick laps to perfect our boat handling and make sure everything on the boat worked, we headed back to the hotel to get some rest before the regatta.

This summer is off to a great start. It’s only the beginning of July, and I have already spent a lot of time sailing in many high-level events all around the country.

It all began with High School Fleet Race Nationals, the Mallory, in Cleveland at the Foundry. My Mater Dei High School team has been practicing all year for this event. High school sailing is a little different than regular regattas because it combines the scores of two skippers competing in separate divisions.  My crew Kennedy Leehealey and I competed in the A division and my teammate Reade Decker competed in the B division.

I have just returned from sailing on the East Coast, thanks in part to your generous support. Having the opportunity to participate in the Brooke Gonzalez Advanced Racing Clinic at Sail Newport set me up for success for this summer.

My partner, Tyler Wood, and I enjoyed two days of technical training with new coaches. We reviewed our setting and techniques with their new input and approach. Day three we raced against the 30 boats in the clinic. Placing 7th overall we felt that we improved from the coaching and competition. This was great training ground for our future events on the East Coast this summer.

I participated in my first ever match racing event as part of the Petersen Team representing Balboa Yacht Club. This experience has established a new found interest and passion for Match Racing. The Rose Cup combine two days of clinic training with three days of racing to provide a comprehensive match racing experience.