Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation: Sailor Stories

Isabella Clark’s Summer of C420 Regattas

C420 NA Results

C420 Nationals Results

C420 South Shore Champs Results

I would like to start this letter by thanking the Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation for supporting my C420 US Nationals Championship (2024) experience. This venue was beautiful and the sailing was amazing, and I can’t wait to go back again. The sailing at this event had unexpected winds due to a hurricane blowing through, but before the storm blew in the wind was at its normal behavior. With winds blowing at a consistent 8-10 knotts and a lack of major shifts. However, the stormy weather made for some fond memories such as everyone jumping out of their boats on the race course because of the heat and zero wind (calm before the storm). Truly, the only downside about this venue was how shallow it was at certain locations. There was a certain pathway you had to take because of how shallow the other areas were and this pathway was a large detour. Also, it wasn’t surprising if you hit aground at least once, so a lot of people snapped their rudder lines. Other than that the breeze was good, and the current wasn’t a challenge compared to prior regattas this summer. Overall Brady Kennedy and I placed 19th and gained lots of experience through this regatta, due to the unexpected approaching hurricane. The unique experience of going to Long Beach Island was something I will remember for a long time, and I am so glad the foundation was able to help make this memory. Also, I highly recommend this little beach town to everyone too, even if sailing is not involved.

I would like to thank the Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation for supporting my first-ever CJ Buckley 2024 in Warwick RI experience. This was my first time competing at a club team racing event, and this event made for an overall good experience. On the first day of the regatta, a major storm blew in, resulting in torrential downpour and zero wind. Eventually, the rain stopped and the wind picked up to a moderate amount (about 6 knotts), but after only a few races the wind shut off again, and everyone was sent in, so the first day was a bust. The next day was when the bulk of the racing started. The wind was pretty up and down all day, which resulted in some interesting plays being made throughout the day. Although, the current wasn’t a challenge in this regatta. While overall our team didn’t manage to place into the finals the experience was exciting and different. Doing team racing via club was a fun adventure, and I am glad I was able to attend. Thank you to NHSF for supporting my experience at CJ Buckely.

Thank you to the Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation for supporting my final regatta of the summer, the C420 South Shore Championships at Sayville Yacht Club in Blue Point, NY. This was my first time competing in South Shore and it was an amazing experience. Similar to previous regattas in the summer, conditions weren’t the norm for part of the regatta as the tail end of a hurricane was passing through. This made for the first day of the regatta being cut short after the first race, which was very hectic, to say the least. Thankfully races were only cut short for this first day. The remaining two days were light wind (the first of the summer) with a stable breeze of about 8 knotts and almost zero current. At times it was blowing a good 12 knotts which made for some fun trapping conditions. In the end, Brady Kennedy and I finished in 11th overall. Overall my favorite regatta of the summer was South Shore, due to multiple factors, but mostly because the people of Sayville Yacht Club were very welcoming. I would like to thank NHSF again for the support provided to make this experience possible.

Thank you to the Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation for supporting my trip to Redwood City CA for the C420 North Americans regatta. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I don’t think I could possibly forget. Redwood City provided new conditions for me, twenty-plus knotts, large rolling waves, and not a singular light day. The currents were also a major factor in the races and were consistent throughout all four days of sailing. High winds with a combo of large waves provided very interesting and -for lack of a better word- sketchy downwinds, which had people capsizing left and right. These conditions were quite grueling but changed my perspective of what I thought I could do as an athlete. While four days of harsh heavy wind sailing may sound dramatic, in reality, it was a lot of fun. Also, my skipper, Brady Kennedy, and I placed 20th, which makes this regatta an even more fond memory. My first ever major club regatta in California was a wonderful experience and I am very glad I got to go. I faced a lot of new challenges and learned so much during this event. Again I would like to thank NHSF for the help in making this experience happen