Thank you for your support to the Orange Bowl Regatta in Miami.  The high level of competition that comes to the Orange Bowl every year is something that I look forward to because it pushes us all to perform our best. Competing in the ILCA6 in heavy winds, rain, and chop in large fleets was an unforgettable experience this year.

I want to thank NHSF for supporting me at the Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta in Miami, Fl earlier this year. I sailed ILCA 4s at this event and throughout the event I had good races and learned a lot. During the first two days, the wind ranged from 9 to 16 knots. The third day was much windier with 17 - 22 kts of wind, and waves and chop. Each day we had three or four races, and the races were around 45 minutes long. I got to work on starts in a competitive fleet and also work on upwind tactics. Thanks to the support from the sailing foundation I was able to get practice in these challenging conditions with a competitive fleet, and I can't wait to sail in another ILCA event later this year!

The C420 Midwinter regatta was a thrilling experience. My crew (Cash Espinoza) and I had fun every single day we were there. The wind was ruthless. So much so that the main sheet burned through my hand, but it was worth it. We got to enjoy the company of many of our friends every day of the regatta. We had a blast facing the long races and the extremely warm water. After sailing, all of our friends went to the same hotel, and we all enjoyed the large hot tub. The competition was stiff, but it didn’t keep us from having fun. I am grateful to all the volunteers who made this regatta happen.

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.