We want to extend our deepest gratitude to Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation for making it possible for us to travel and compete at the Orange Bowl at Coral Reef Yacht Club and C420 Midwinters at USSCMC. Thanks to your support, we were able to refine our racing skills, compete against top teams, and achieve our goal of a top-10 finish at both events. These regattas provided us with invaluable experience, allowing us to push our limits in a variety of challenging conditions. The events challenged us to improve our communication, tactical decision-making, and fleet positioning, all of which will help us grow as sailors. We were able to test and refine our strategies, learning how to adapt to shifting conditions and make smarter decisions on the water. Your generosity and belief in us made this experience possible, and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity. The knowledge and skills we have gained from these events will undoubtedly help us in future competitions. We look forward to continuing to represent Newport Harbor Yacht Club and making the most of the lessons learned from both regattas. We finished 9th out of 90 at Orange Bowl and 7th out of 141 at Midwinters.

This was my first foray into the East Coast circuit but highly recommended event by our NHYC sailing director. Naturally, I was nervous, seeing as my skipper and I had only competed in a few C420 local regattas thus far with mid-fleet results. I was told how much of a high wind venue this would be and we don’t get much of that so I didn’t know what it would really be like.

Thank you to the Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation for supporting my recent trip to Jensen Beach, Florida, where I had the opportunity to compete in the 2025 C420 Midwinters Regatta. Over five days of practice and racing, my crew, Wilbur Smith, and I experienced a wide range of conditions—from rain to sun and plenty of heavy wind—allowing us to refine our sailing skills and tactics in ways we don’t often get to. Racing against high-performance sailors in challenging, shifty conditions was an incredible experience. Thanks to the foundation’s generous support, I was able to improve my skills and gain valuable experience at this high-level regatta. Wilbur and I made it into the Silver Fleet, battling tough competition throughout the event. Unfortunately, we had two vangs snap on the final day, but despite the setbacks, the regatta was an unforgettable learning opportunity that will help me continue growing as a sailor.

The trip from Maui to Morocco was no easy task, traversing through 4 different international airports was a great experience, to say the least. Getting familiar with these large airports will help me be more confident when traveling in the future. On this trip, we had a solid crew from Maui. Traveling with 4 of your best buddies made the long trip way more fun and went by much quicker. The 56-hour trip consisted of a lot of laughing and plenty of entertainment. 

Thank you to the Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation for helping support my sailing at the 2025 C420 Midwinter Championship. This year, the regatta was on February 15-17 in Jensen Beach, Florida. It was hosted at the US Sailing Center in Martin County. My skipper, Carly Kieding, and I flew in on February 12 for two days of practice before the regatta. The weather and water were both a warm change compared to the rain that Southern California had been experiencing.

I was excited to return to the Orange Bowl with a strong fleet of 98 boats in the ILCA 6 class.  Day 1 started with medium air but faded as the day went on. Day 2 stayed a little strong and Day 3 was breeze on hitting 22-25 knots. With strong breeze on day 3, I improved my overall score from 24th to 18th.  Day 4 we had no wind and stayed on shore. It was a great regatta to identify key areas of focus as I prepare for the 2025 season. I much appreciate the support of NHSF and my parents to make these regattas possible.