It's That Time of Year...
... To look back, think about my sailing experiences, and be grateful for what I learned in 2022. As we move into the New Year, I'm excited to share some of my experiences, stories, and lessons from 2022. Many of you have helped me in my sailing through the years, and I'm writing this newsletter to share my growth in the sport. I hope you enjoy this update.
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2022 In Review...
Winter - Gearing up to Sail 29ers in 2022
- US Olympic Development Program in 29er (Dec 2021)
- Orange Bowl Regatta (Dec 2021)
- Aimed to qualify for Youth Worlds
- Covid-19 crashed our training camp (March)
- 29er Partnership folds (April)
Spring - Started Sailing WASZP
- Belleville training in WASZP (May)
- Atlantic Coast Championships in Toms River NJ. (May)
Summer - Racing WASZP in Kingston
- Canadian WASZP Championships (July)
- North American WASZP Championships (July)
- ILCA 4 (Laser) North Americans (Aug)
- ILCA 4 Cork (Aug)
Fall - WASZP + Laser
- ILCA 4 Fall Cork (Sep)
- WASZP Fall Cork (Sep)
- CAN Foil Week in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Oct)
Winter - WASZP
- US Midwinters Championships in Jensen Beach FL. (Dec)
Up Next - WASZP + 69F
- 69F in Miami FL. (Jan 2023)
- Miami Sailing Week WASZP (Mar 2023)
- TBD WASZP Eurocup Imperia Italy (Apr 2023)
- WASZP ACC Toms River NJ. (May 2023)
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My Year at a Glance,
I started off the year new to the WASZP, having only sailed the boat a handful of times in 2021. It was evident that I was new when I competed at the Atlantic Coast Championships in May. I was getting lapped by much of the fleet, but it was exciting. I worked hard and improved tons in that week, from barely being able to foil gybe to foil gybing consistently.
During my training back in Belleville I had started to figure out the foil tacks. I felt good, but there were setbacks, a massive windstorm blew through Belleville carrying my sail away with it and a few crucial pieces on my boat broke. I lost a couple weeks of training but was still super determined to compete at the Canadian WASZP Championships. At this event I saw myself at the front of a few races, and won my first WASZP race. I felt on top of the world, but I was about to get humbled.
At the North American WASZP Championships it was crazy, with 20+ knot winds almost every single day. At 120 lbs, I was at a disadvantage, and I was slow compared to others on the upwinds. I did walk away from the event with a lot of knowledge I didn’t have going into it. NAs showed me just how much I needed to work. I finished the regatta 10th overall and 3rd U21. So I trained and worked hard. I also sailed ILCA 4 (laser) for the first time and volunteered to coach the 'Learn to Race' team at BQYC in August. As September and school rolled around, I competed at WASZP Fall CORK and had a solid regatta placing 5th overall.
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Can Foil Week
In early October, I was invited to CAN Foil week in Halifax. This was an amazing experience, I learned so much on the water, but I also had some amazing opportunities to learn off the water. One of my favorite experiences was from Alex Thompson and Scott Shawyer, the team at Canada Ocean Racing, and how they fund their campaign for the Vendee Globe, and create value for their sponsors. This was a pretty cool off the water experience, but my biggest highlight from the week was racing my WASZP against some of the world's best sailors. On the final race of the camp I was neck and neck with Phil Robertson, the driver for Canada Sail GP going straight into the finish and it was just a super awesome experience. If you want to see that moment click here.
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US Midwinter Championships
In December, I raced at the US Midwinter Championship in Jensen Beach FL. It was a great event, and showed how much I had improved this year. Midwinters had teh strongest fleet of the year and I finished 9th overall. More importantly I saw just how much closer I am to the front when compared to the start of the year. I had some really strong races and great moments. Overall, I learned tons. I finally figured out my speed upwind. With some more work I hope to be consistently reaching the front. That's my goal for the first half of next year, to be consistently in the group at the front of the fleet. This is going to take a lot of work, and that is why next year is shaping up to be a pretty awesome year jam packed full of events.
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Up Next
In the middle of January I will be sailing the 69F which is a 3-4 person foiling boat. I'm thrilled for this awesome opportunity. I am also looking forward to training WASZP over the winter with a focus on the Miami Sailing week in March.
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Thank you for reading my first newsletter! Please feel free to forward this email a friend and encourage them to sign up. I hope to update a couple of times in 2023.
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