Rolex Miami Olympic Class Regatta: #1 Ranked Spot on 2011 US Sailing Team Alphagraphics and Only US Windsurfing Representative at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico This year, the Rolex Miami OCR was the qualifier for the US Pan American Games Representative spot and the 2011 US National Team (2 spots). Needless to say, I accomplished the ultimate goal for this event: Top American Finisher. I finished 15th overall, in one of the most competitive, yet small fleets on the world cup circuit. Out of the 31 competitors, there were: 2...
Leading up to the Weymouth stop I was training to peak at this particular ISAF World Sailing Cup event. Next year, this event will be the first regatta of the US Olympic selection. Additionally, this is the venue of the 2012 Olympic Games. Therefore, I was putting a large emphasis on this regatta and treating it as my most important event of the season. A few days before the regatta started one of my best friends, Jamie Shepherd, passed away after a terrible boating accident. Jamie and I grew up sailing 420s together and we grew to become best...
More at bobsails.com Prior to the World Cup event in North Germany I spent 10 days with the Polish team touching up on a few skills. The training consisted of 3-5 practice races a day, which proved to be extremely productive. I arrived in Kiel, Germany three days before the event and utilized the time to rest, prepare and set up the tent that I would be living in for the next 8 days. Kiel Week is slightly different from the other World Cup events. The regatta takes place in coordination with the largest festival in Northern Europe. Approximate...
The conditions at the 2010 Rolex Miami OCR were uniform throughout the week. It seemed as if each day was a perfect replica of the previous, 6-13 knots of breeze out of the North and Northeast. As I noted in my previous post, these conditions are challenging for me. That being said, this regatta illustrated what I need to work on in upcoming months before I travel to Europe for more important competitions. Even though my results were disappointing on a paper, I do feel like I made significant steps in re-familiarizing myself with the board and...
Difficult Conditions and Interesting Race Management Lead to a Frustrating Start at the RMOCR. Monday, the first day of the regatta, brought a sense of frustration amongst the RS:X sailors. The morning greeted us with 15-20 knots of breeze; however, there was a legitimate chance of thunderstorms early on in the afternoon. Understandably, the race committee postponed racing for the safety of all the competitors. Still though, we were scheduled to start at 11am and the storms were scheduled to pass through around 1:30 or 2:00. It seemed as thoug...
