Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation: Sailor Stories

Diylan & Nathan Sih at the C420 National Championship

Results

Thank you so much for your support in allowing me to compete in the 2022 C420 Nationals in Long Beach, California. After 3 days of racing, my brother Nathan and I ended up placing
4th in the 86 boat fleet. Conditions varied throughout the regatta, some days starting out as drifters, others picking up to over 20 knots. We as well had our ups and downs, but all in all, this regatta was an amazing experience and has helped me grow a ton as a sailor and person.

Leading up to the 2022 C420 Nationals, Nathan and I had been putting in lots of training, and felt very prepared going into the first day. The wind started in a light southerly, and although it gradually clocked right throughout the day, it never filled to the classic Long Beach sea breeze, leaving us searching for power as we were one of the bigger teams. Nonetheless, our  ractice
paid off, and we ended the first day leading the regatta, our finishes being 1, 4, 2, 1. I had never been in this position before, so I asked one of my amazing coaches, Steve Hunt, for advice on how to stay calm and keep my head in the game, and after a 15 minute talk, I was feeling ready for the next day.

The second day was expected to be windy, and Long Beach fulfilled, bringing puffs over 20 knots by the middle of the day. We had rough starts on the first two races, but I remembered what Steve had told me about staying with it, so we clawed back and finished with an 8 and a 5. By the last two races of the day, my brother and I sorted out our starting routine, and finished strong with a 3, 2. However, the Diemar brothers were especially quick in the wind, and picket fenced the day, and were now leading the regatta. Nonetheless, we had avoided any big drop scores and were only trailing them by 4 points. Furthermore, we had a big point gap behind us - the Diemars and us were going to be fighting it out for the championship.

Going into the last day, our coaches briefed us on how it was likely going to unfold between us and the Diemars. However, this would end up backfiring, as I began to focus too much on the other team, and not enough on sailing my own boat around the course. This led to 2 deep races at the beginning of the day, separating us from the Diemars, and after that, I couldn’t get
back into the groove.

Despite a painful last day and a very hurt ego at the end of the regatta, we still finished in 4th with many huge lessons learned. This also ignited a fire inside of me that will hopefully help
us perform well at our next event in Canada. Thank you again for your generous support! I really enjoy competing at these larger events and wouldn’t be able to do it witho