On July 27th, Garrett and I arrived in Torbole, Lake Garda for the International 14 World Championships. After several years in the pointy end of the US fleet, we had high hopes for good results. A combination of weight loss from travel sickness, boat breakdowns and slow upwind speed in breeze disappointed these hopes, but my takeaways from this event, I’ve come to see, are far more valuable to my growth as a sailor than another trophy.

After spending many years on the Olympic sailing circuit, the I14 boat park at the Worlds was a bit of a culture shock. Everyone wants to be your friend. While there is a healthy competition, particularly at the front end of the fleet, the majority of the competitors are simply happy to be there. No one’s ego or self worth seems all that attached to their scoreline. They love their boats, they are excited to exchange knowledge and see what other countries might be developing differently, they’re happy to see old friends and welcome newcomers.

This summer I competed in my second Jr. Sabot Nationals at SDYC. This was the first time that SDYC has hosted the regatta since the 50's due to the tricky venue. La Playa was one of the hardest and windiest places that I have yet to sail. I'm so proud of myself that I only capsized once, and that was on our practice day. Due to the strong wind I spent a majority of the regatta sitting on the rail and hiking out. By the end of Jr. Sabot Nationals I had fallen in love with heavy wind and wish Newport had more of it. I was close to reaching my goal of top 5 in the Iron fleet but ended up in 7th, I'm still proud of myself. Thank you NHSF for supporting me in my sailing adventures. I love that I get to travel and sail with my big brother Piercen. 

This Summer SDYC hosted Junior Sabot Nationals in which I had the honor to compete in. This was my fourth Jr. Sabot Nationals and one for the memory book! I received the surprise of a lifetime when Charlie Buckingham asked me to sail his sabot 7938 for the event. Having my team, coaches, family and Charlie cheering me was awesome. My goal was to place top ten in the gold fleet, unfortunately I missed my goal by ONE point! I guess it's true when your coaches tell you that every point matters! I look forward to competing in numerous regattas this year and want to thank the NHSF for your support as I pursue my passion and follow my dreams.

On July 25th, I traveled to Mission Bay Yacht Club for the 2024 CFJ Nationals. I sailed with my crew, Lucy McCray, and this was our first national CFJ regatta. That day, we unloaded our boats at MBYC and had a team practice before the races started the next day. From July 26th to 28th, we raced with wind from 8-10 knots, with minor shifts throughout the race days. There were 35 boats in the fleet. The most challenging part of this regatta were the starts. Over multiple days, I slowly improved and eventually was able to get a fair lane. Making sure to have a good hole, fast accelerations, and staying out of the big packs on the line were my biggest takeaways. Overall, I hope to continue training in this boat and get to learn and improve as much as I can. I have only been sailing this boat a short while, and while we did not finish as well as we hoped, this opportunity has been a great learning experience for me to see many amazing sailors! I appreciate the Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation's support for helping fund my growth as a non-calm sailor.

This past summer my younger brother, Porter, and I had the amazing opportunity to compete in Junior Sabot Nationals, which was hosted by San Diego Yacht Club. This was my 4th Sabot Nationals, and my brother’s 2nd. This year was so much fun, not only sailing, but also meeting new friends and hanging out with old ones. The conditions were absolutely amazing. Overall, I placed 18th in the Gold Division, and my brother placed 21st in the Silver Division. Overall, this has been a great year of sailing for my brother and I – we have both improved greatly and look forward to he upcoming year that awaits us. As always, this is made possible by your support, and we greatly appreciate it.

While competing in the Bacardi Cup this March in Miami, I formed many relationships with the international competition. One of them was a fellow under-30 Star sailor from Austria. We kept in touch, and he invited me to sail to the European Sailing Festival hosted by the Union Yacht Club Attersee on Lake Attersee in Austria. The festival consisted of a memorial regatta, a district championship, and the Star European Championships. We were generously given a boat by the Under 30 Star Sailing Foundation in Austria called “Future Stars” for the month-long adventure.