The 2024 Sunfish World Championships was held at Rush Creek Yacht Club in Dallas, TX - of all places. Interestingly enough, another NHYC member and I sailed a "Black Tie" regatta at this venue many years ago. I've also sailed many regattas and practice sessions on the lake while growing up in Texas. The old saying "should've been here yesterday" and "it's never like this" rang true this year in epic form.

The 2024 Youth World Championship, hosted in the stunning venue of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, brought together the world’s most talented young sailors to showcase skill, determination, sportsmanship, and culture. Organized by World Sailing in partnership with the Jeddah Yacht Club and Marina, the event was a landmark event in youth match racing, offering pristine conditions, state-of-the-art facilities, and the opportunity to experience a relatively unfamiliar culture for most teams competing. Furthermore, this was a special event for me because it was the first youth match race event I have been unable to compete in since 2016, marking my transition from competitor to coach for youth events. I can no longer sail because I have aged out of eligibility to compete. My role this year instead was to coach the U.S. Team, Callahan Racing, skippered by Justin Callahan along with members Mitchell Callahan, Michael Kirkman, Marbella Marlo, and Spencer Kriegstein throughout the event to offer advice, guidance, and experience to the sailors.

The I420 PCC was my first regatta sailing I420s and was very memorable. It was my first time sailing in San Francisco and my first I420 regatta. The first day started off with light wind and postponement, which was the calm before the storm lasting for the rest of the weekend. It was hosted by Tiburon Yacht Club, which was a venue I had never sailed at before and I learned a lot about the San Francisco Bay venue and its current from the locals. Sadly because of the huge storm we didn’t sail the last day, but it was so fun derigging and loading the boats in the rain with everyone helping, and we got to eat the food and cake that was generously provided while awards were given out. 

It was my first year doing the Women’s North American Championship and I was super excited because I was sailing with one of my best friends. The experience as a whole was very fun despite both of us being mainly crews and not having much experience sailing together. We were coached with only one other team of girls that we got to know really well throughout the practice days and the regatta. We were doing pretty well, but because we were a light and inexperienced pair we had some trouble once the breeze started to hit. The regatta felt pretty different with only girls there and I honestly enjoyed my time there more than any other regatta because I was always with friends on and off the water. It was a memorable regatta and I’m so glad I decided to do it this year.

Paloma Arrigo, first female and second overall in shifty lake conditions at Lake Hubbard, Texas, 2024 District 15 ILCA Championships

2024 ILCA District 15 Championships

When we decided to head to Dallas for the District 15 Championships November 9th and 10th, 2024, I looked forward to gaining some lake sailing experience. We braved thunder and lightning storms and a flight diversion to Houston but arrived at Love Field, Dallas, looking forward to a new adventure.

Thank you to the Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation for supporting my team and I and the VX One North Americans Warm up Event. The VX One Class organized a two-day warm-up regatta on November 9-10, 2024, at Shake-A-Leg Miami, leading up to the 2024 North American Championship. The event featured 20 boats and enjoyed classic Miami conditions, with winds ranging from 14 to 20 knots over both days. Competitors completed four races each day, totaling eight races for the event. Additionally, on the first day, several practice races were conducted utilizing Vakaros RaceSense technology, a tool that has become a favorite within the class for its advanced race management capabilities.