Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation: Sailor Stories
To submit a Grant Request, please LOGIN or CREATE AN ACCOUNT.
Kennedy Leehealey at the Chubb US Junior Championship
Thank you so much to the Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation for supporting my trip to Marblehead, Massachusetts to compete in the 2021 Chubb US Junior Championship for the Bemis Trophy. This was a great opportunity for Morgan and I to sail against the best c420 sailors from all over the country. We also got the chance to learn from very experienced sailing coaches.
Morgan and I first arrived on Monday morning for registration and rigging. Unlike the other c420 regattas during this summer, we were only allowed to use the lines and equipment provided with our Zim charter boat. Though I was a bit disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to use my own sheets and blocks, it saved a whole lot of time when rigging and a lot of space in the luggage. We were able to just rig the sails, attach the compass, and go.
Tuesday was the clinic day before the three days of racing. We arrived early to rig, and then spent the morning meeting our competitors and coaches. There were sailors from all over, all with different skill levels. After our morning briefing and introduction, we got out on the water for some line ups and rabbit starts. Unfortunately, by lunch time the wind completely died and glassed off, leaving us with nothing to get back to shore with. We had to be towed in for lunch and ended up being sent home a little earlier. We went home to shower quickly and then returned for the opening ceremony.
The next day was the official start to the regatta. We had a very early skippers’ meeting and harbor start to get in as much racing as we could. The plan was to sail 10 races over the course of the three days. The first day was pretty light, but still we had enough to get in 4 races. The overall trend was oscillating large shifts, which was a challenge for us. We had a bit of trouble anticipating the shifts, and so occasionally we would be caught on the wrong side of the course at an unfortunate time. However, we managed to stay consistent in our scores and not sail our drop yet. The next day started out similar, if not a bit lighter, for the first 3 races. However, right before our 4th start, the wind completely shut off and shifted around over 100 degrees to the right, so that it was now coming from the land. It then picked up very rapidly to about 10-12 with puffs of 14 knots. This was an interesting last race to say the least. The wind shifted back and forth like 40 degrees, and it was extremely puffy because of the direction. The race got so volatile that the race committee ended up shortening the race by 2 beats and finishing us by the weather mark. This was a tough race for us, but still we managed to keep it at a top 10, which was a relief. The forecast for the last day showed absolutely no wind, and it turned out to be pretty accurate. We were postponed on land in the 90 degree heat for about 4 hours before finally, the race committee called the regatta.
Overall, Morgan and I ended up winning out of the 20 boats, which was very exciting for us. This was an amazing experience and I had a great time. I am eternally grateful to the NHSF for making it happen!