Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation: Sailor Stories
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Siena Nichols at the 2023 Orange Bowl Regatta
Thank you for your support to the Orange Bowl regatta in Coral Reef in Miami. This was my second orange bowl in an ILCA 4.
Coming into the regatta, the weather was slightly cooler than the week prior but it was a perfect 70-75 degrees. The wind everyday was expected to be good and peak at the start of the regatta and lighten up through the week. The 2 practice days I had were great, the wind was 15-20 knots the first day I practiced. This was a really productive practice day and I was able to work a lot on my unwind boat handling.
On the second practice day it was lighter to start and there was a slow increase to around 11 knots. This day was also really productive as we practiced with the other teams and did some races. With the wind at a really stable angle, I was performing really well and getting good places in these races.
When the regatta day came, the wind was offshore and it was pretty choppy. It was very shifty and puffy with it ranging from 2-8 knots. This day we were only able to get one race as the wind was very shifty and inconsistent. Day 2 was similar but started with slightly more promising wind. It was ranging between 2-11 knots. The start of the day was slightly more stable and the racing was good but I got a BFD on the race with the most stable conditions. This was a good learning opportunity though because I was able to watch the ILCA 6 races and starts. In general this day slowly became more shifty and unstable. The race committee was able to get 4 races off this day.
The third day started with a 3 hour postponement because of rain. It was pretty windy through the rain, but when it cleared it got a little windier. All classes were sent out and I sailed downwind to the starting area where it was probably around 19/20 knots. But, this day the race committee decided to send the ILCA 4’s in for the day and that was it for the day. I was disappointed because I usually perform quite well in the wind and it was good to get that breeze because I haven't raced in it for a while. But, I was able to get a good rest and reset for the final day.
Coming into the last day I really just wanted to get good races in because at this point my fleet only had 5 races in total. But, this day was much like the first and was full of postponements and we had an abandonment. The day's wind gots shiftier as the day went on and lighter as well. This day we were only able to get 2 races in as well.
Overall looking back at the regatta, I was able to learn a lot because the condition that I struggle the most in is that type of condition and I was able to learn lots about it. I really am looking forward to more regattas in that wind so I can really practice it. Thank you again for helping me get to this regatta and learn so much for the future.