Monday, November 8, 2010

Pumpkin Bowl

In the Pumpkin Bowl regatta at West Vancouver Yacht Club on October 16-17, 2010, I finished 19th out of 40 boats. I raced in a Laser Radial and there was a large fleet. It was freezing cold and we had many postponements. Unfortunately I also lost a protest at this regatta. Overall, it was not my favorite regatta, but was a good experience.

WIND Clinic/CGOD

The Wind clinic and CGOD regatta were lots of fun this year at the Columbia Gorge in Oregon. They took place from August 2-8, 2010 and were fantastic with tons of wind, typical for the location. The clinic was very useful, because we learned many new techniques to further improve our heavy wind skills. On the day in-between the clinic and regatta, some of the more experienced sailors sailed all the way to Hood River, which is about a 4 hour long downwind sail. The winds varied with gusts of up to 34 knots. It was an intense sail, but I was determined to finish it and did, earning a new name from my coach "the warrior". In the regatta, the skills I learned from this long sail helped immensely and I finished 7th of 24 boats. This was a great accomplishment for me, since I am still on the small side to be racing in a Laser Radial. Overall, it was a fantastic regatta.

Leiter Cup

Last Summer I raced in Leiter Cup (US Singlehanded Women's Junior National Championships). It took place at Coral Reef Yacht Club in Miami, FL from July 17-24, 2010. It included a clinic followed by a great regatta. The conditions were quite windy, and one day of racing was canceled because of a tropical storm, steady winds of 45 knts and gusts to 60knts. I placed 30th of 40 which was good considering it was my first time attending the regatta and my light weight for the wind conditions. It was really exciting because we had fantastic college coaches, a personal trainer, and even got to meet Laser Radial Olympic Gold Medalist Anna Tunnicliffe. It was an amazing opportunity and I am excited to attend next year in Richmond, CA.

Octoberfest/NYRC

Octoberfest took place October 25-26, 2010 at Sail Sand Point. I raced in my Laser Radial and got 3rd overall of 10 boats after a tight race. It was a blast and included people racing from both Canada and the northwest. At this regatta I also learned that I received 3rd place overall in laser radials for the Northwest Youth Racing Circut.

Johnny Adams Memorial Regatta

The Johnny Adams Memorial Regatta (JAM) took place on Bainbridge island this year on September 11-12, 2010. I raced in a Laser Radial and got 2nd of 16 boats. This was a fun regatta with great competition! It was also a part of the northwest youth racing circut.

Lido 14 Junior National Championships 2010

The Lido 14 Junior National Championships were a blast this year. They took place on August 22, 2010 at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, CA. I sailed with Mackenzie Wilson in this regatta as well. After a day of racing practice, we did not do as well as we had hoped, finishing 8th overall of 15 boats. I recieved the Barbara Caroll Perpetual Trophy for being the top female skipper, which was a great accomplishment. Overall, the trip was a great success even though our finish was not as great as we had hoped for with shifty winds that were unpredictable in the area.

Lido 14 Women's National Championship

The women's national championship took place on August 21, 2010 at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, CA this year. It was a fantastic regatta with great racing. My crew for the regatta was Mackenzie Wilson from Anacortes, who is a great sailor. We had a great time and were able to use Mark and Sarah Ryan's Lido for the regatta. We sailed very well together in this fantastic boat and ended up in 4th place with four 4ths in the regatta and one 1st which we were very proud of considering the great competition. We were the first junior team and overall had nothing but positive feelings about this regatta.