Practice Time

This entire week I have been practicing with both Nico and Sam in preparation for the upcoming events this summer. I know that at these different events I will be encountering competition of varying skill levels, strengths, and weaknesses and am excited about having the opportunity to clash against these other sailors. I know that these summer events are going to be excellent learning opportunities and will give me the chance to showcase the skills on which I have been working so very hard to perfect. I will continue updating this blog with pictures and information as I travel with my family and teammates!

New Grip

This past week I worked on installing a new custom grip pattern on the deck of the F16. I took the boat to my teammate Sam's father's boat shop where we sanded off the existing grip, buffed the hulls, cut and applied the new grip, and then applied a final polish. Also while I had the boat there we re-seated the beams to help make the whole platform stiffer than it was before. The grip turned out looking extremely professional and artistic and I'm very happy with the results! A huge thanks to Sam and his dad for all their help; I would never have been able to do this kind of boatwork myself!

Wisdom Week

It has been an uninteresting week for me as I had my wisdom teeth removed last Monday; I spent the next couple days watching movies on the couch and eating pudding, jello, and sorbet through a swollen face. Even though this wasn't the most pleasant experience, it was nice to have a few days to relax and enjoy some sugary treats that I typically avoid eating. I just had the remaining stitches removed today so now I'm going to be back on the water as much as I can!

Summer!

It's the best time of the year: the end of a long school session and the beginning of three whole months of fun and excitement! I now have the free time to be with friends, sail more often, and do other fun activities that I did not have the time during the year to enjoy. Of course, this break from school isn't going to consist of only fun and games. In the morning of my first day of summer I took the ACT for the second time; four long hours of testing really take a toll on the teenage mind! Also, I am getting my wisdom teeth pulled tomorrow morning so I will be spending the next week lounging around the house and hopefully getting ahead on some summer homework. My only school assignment for this summer is to complete my Extended Essay, a project that I am going to finish early into the break rather than in the last week. What I am most excited about this summer are the several events in which I will be competing. I am looking forward to traveling with my family and teammates, experiencing new venues and locations, meeting new sailors, and competing against others from around the country. The different regattas that I will be attending this summer will provide several opportunities for my teammates and I to butt heads against some of the best sailors from all parts of the country. This summer is going to be full of travel, leisure, family, fun, and most importantly memories that cannot be replaced; I am very thankful for having the opportunity to make these memories!

Race Around Lido

This past Monday we had our annual timed race around Lido Beach on Memorial Day. The goal of this for-fun race is to predict your time for a complete sail around the island and then aim to finish in exactly that time without the help of watches or other digital devices. We headed out to our site on the north end of the island for some games and refreshments and then when the horn sounded we hurried out to our boats and began racing! This event is a tradition for Sarasota sailors and a great way to spend the weekend. Of course the multihulls always finish first!

Feels Like Summer

May in Florida can only be described by one word: paradise. We have nice warm weather throughout the day that isn't too hot, warm water that is full of lively marine wildlife, and a steady sea breeze every afternoon. Why sail anywhere else? Here in Sarasota, Florida we are sailing our multihulls several times a week and are able to enjoy the pleasant spring weather before the summer heat hits our area hard. School is coming to an end and summer is quickly approaching. All I have to do is get through my finals and I'm free to sail and enjoy some much needed free time!

Exams

These past few weeks have been extremely busy due to testing in school. As I am enrolled in classes that provide both IB and AP credits, I take both of these types of tests every year for certain subjects. This year I only tested for a total of five school days. Only five! I took exams in IB Physics over the course of two days in addition to the one day exams of AP Calculus, AP Language and Composition, and AP Physics. Despite the amount of challenging material on these tests, I feel as though I worked hard in preparation and will be thoroughly pleased when AP scores are released mid-summer. Hard work always pays off! Now that my early exams are over I am spending the remainder of the school year preparing for SAT Subject Tests and my finals, which are only a few weeks away. Once I finish taking those tests I'll be free to enjoy summer! Well, of course I'll be getting my wisdom teeth pulled out the first week of the break and I also have to draft my extended essay, but above all I will enjoy sailing more often and spending much needed time with friends and family. The school year is almost over and a busy and exciting summer is right around the corner!

2013 US Youth Championship

After sending in an application a few month's ago, I finally heard back from US Sailing yesterday and found out that I was accepted to compete at the US Youth Sailing Championship! This summer one of my teammates, Nico Schultz, and I will travel to the racing venue at Corpus Christi, TX and sail against stiff competition from around the country. This event is also one of the two that qualify full youth teams for the 2014 ISAF Youth World Championship. In order to attain the privilege of represent the United States in Portugal next year, the best youth team in the country will have to come out on top of the other competing youth teams at this event and another later in the year, which will most likely be the Orange Bowl in Miami. I'm excited that I have the opportunity to race against some of the best competition in the country this summer as it will help me gear up for other big events that I am planning on attending later this year, especially the F18 America's Championship that will be held in our very own Sarasota, FL.

Sarasota Sailfest

This past weekend I competed in the 2013 Sarasota Sailfest at my home club, the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. We had a large turnout of competitors with well over a hundred youth sailors from all parts of the state; we had almost 20 multihulls this year! On both days of the regatta we were greeted by a strong morning breeze from the East in the morning which died off in the afternoon as the sea breeze began to form. The wind became so light and scarce on the last day that even us catamarans, which can move pretty swiftly in even the lightest of wind, couldn't finish the final race within the hour and a half time limit! The Sarasota sailing teams made a strong presence on the scoreboard with teams taking first and second in the A-Class, third in the F18 class, and first and second in the F16 class.; I took first in the F16 class after 9 long races. Overall this weekend was an excellent learning experience as I sailed with a new crew; since he was also usually a skipper, I learned from his different sailing technique and knowledge. Working with different sailors has helped me develop my skills across the board and will continue to help me in the future!

Busy Time of the Year

It's April, my birthday month. The school year is coming to a close and finals, AP exams, and IB exams are all around a month away. This is definitely one of the mbusiest times of the year for high school students. Balancing athletics and academics is crucial over these next few months and even though I won't be able to sail as much as I would like, grades are still the priority and sacrifices must be made. Over the past week I had a few practices but I had to miss others on this weekend because of school commitments, even though the Sarasota Sailfest is right around the corner and I would like to spend more time out on the water. Out of all the life lessons sailing teaches me, time management and priorities are two of the most significant. Without mastering both of those qualities, a highly competitive athlete will not be able to sustain themselves very long out in the real world. Between now and summer I'll be digging through seemingly endless review books in all my school subjects more often than I will be sailing, but it will pay off in the end. The weather here in Bradenton/Sarasota, Florida is as warm and beautiful as ever; perfect conditions for growing my sweet potatoes!