Miami- Training Camp

The first training camp of the winter season finishes tomorrow, with what we all hope to be a little breeze. Biscayne Bay seems to be in its normal pattern of minimal breeze over the past two days there has been a shortage to say the least. Today however, we made the best of our onshore-no breeze time by splitting up into groups and discussing different topics of a race and then presenting what we had come up with at the end of about 20 minutes. After we did some on the water training with slow speed races, and some high paced tacking duels, which made for a good session.
As well as sailing, I am also working on being able to continue my training over the winter. I am looking for people who might be able to house me in the Miami and Clearwater area, as well as people who would like the opportunity to donate to a non-profit organization and support my 2016 Olympic campaign at the same time. Much to do and so little time, shout out if that is the story of your own life! One that we should all be thankful to be living!

2011 US Sailing Developmental Team

Another goal has been accomplished as of recently. I am now officially a member of the 2011 US Sailing Developmental Team. This means that I have access to world class coaching, support at larger events, access to a nutritionist, the team trainer, and guidance from the team coaches. This is a very good step in the direction of sailing in the 2016 Olympics Games. Check it out @ http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Teams/2011USSDT.htm

Fall Season

The leaves are off the trees, the temperatures are falling into the twenties at night, the water is starting to get chilly and the sailing continues in Michigan. I have officially broken out my dry suit for sailing now, which I am glad to have. My off the water training has been a big focus lately, being that sailing a Laser takes a high level of conditioning and strength. Lifting weights has been happening four to five days a week, with the idea behind this being to gain weight, strengthen my legs, and increase power. Along with lifting I also do yoga, stretching and body weight exercises that focus on increased fluidity in the boat or hitting certain muscle groups like abs or hip flexers. Running or biking has been happening five to six days a week, with the idea of increasing cardio and leg strength. All this with the exception of, if I go sailing that is the only thing I do for the day because of time constraints with school work.

The first fall clinic which is my next event with the US Sailing Team will be over Thanksgiving Weekend.

District 18 Champs

My sailing adventure for this past weekend was to drive to Vermillion, OH to sail in the District 18 Championship on Lake Erie. I arrived friday night and stayed with the Shockey brothers who happened to be hosting the event. Saturday morning we awoke to the sound of rain drumming on the windows, and a forecast for a cold and windy day. Of course this was not going to stop the show from going on, so around noon the first race was started with the breeze coming from the North Westerly direction at around 14 to 15 knots. This breeze held for the first three races until a significant left shift came through and the breeze died off a bit. My scores were 1,3,1,4 consistent enough to be tied for the lead at the end of the day. The next morning was similar to the day before just amplified. More rain, more wind, and about 10 degrees colder! After looking at the harbor entrance, the wind direction, the 25+ wind velocity, and the 8 to 12 foot + wave height the RC would not let us sail in these epic conditions. After much persuasion from the locals I reluctantly decided not to go out on what I thought was sure to be an awesome sail, and so that was that. I packed up my boat, getting the best of the tie breaker I gathered my winning trophy, thanked everyone for a great time, said bye to my friends and headed home.

C-Scow Regatta

It was back to my home turf this weekend as I returned to Lake Fenton to sail in our club C- Scow regatta. It was a well attended event with many boats coming from as far as New York and Iowa! Saturday started off rainy and stormy but with good timing the RC had us heading out just as the rain had ceased. The wind had decided to show up as well which made the three races we sailed that day very enjoyable.It was Team O'Mara to the races with my Dad crewing and myself at the helm, we had a lot of fun and pulled off some solid races in the process! Our finishes were 3,2,3 which made us the most consistent finishers and also tied for the lead! The second day of racing was much less promising with very spotty wind at best dotting the lake. We all new it was going to be shifty small lake sailing conditions and Lake Fenton did not disappoint. During the course of the race we went from 5th, to 3rd, to 10th, back to 3rd, passed again back into 9th, and managed to luckily squeeze by a few in the end to finish 6th. It was a hairy race but it was good enough for 2nd place! What a fun weekend!

Training

I had a great day out on Lake Michigan today with JP De Solar from Chile. The skies were sunny and the winds were a wonderful 12-14knots from the North West. After classes I headed over to MBYC and JP and I got out on the water by 4PM. The conditions were as good as you could ask for so we stayed out until the sun set which was around8PM. It was a great way to get used to the full rig again, an intense session which was an excellent work out. My legs are hurting but my soul feels good, a nice way to end the day.

Lake Lansing

Lake Lansing Laser Regatta was held on saturday at the beautiful sailing club they have there. An amazing 37 boats showed which was more than we could have hoped for! There was some great competition and good company! After a nice day of sailing in 5-10 knots and a great battle with Tom Labelle I ended up coming in second to a worthy competitor. I highly suggest anyone in Michigan to come this event next year, same time, same place!

Also I will be hosting a speed clinic there sometime in spring of 2011!

CORK FINAL

VICTORY!!! Yesterday concluded CORK OCR, which ended with a forced race in around 2-3 knots of wind. I got off to a solid start but played the course pretty conservatively so I ended up in the high teens around the windward mark. On the first downwind however I pulled off a nice pass of about 15 boats by getting on the right jybe around the windward mark, and taking the pressure straight to the leeward mark! And from then on I had a nice beat to the next windward and was able to keep my position for the finish, increasing my lead to 15 points. Then after about an hour of waiting for more wind the RC called it and I went down in the books as the winner of CORK OCR 2010!

Thanks to all my supporters who helped me out this summer and thought of me as a worthy investment! And to Avon Sailboats for their continued support! I could not have done it without you!

CORK Day 4

Today started off with an exciting twist when after the third attempt to get a race off, the black flag went up. The fourth attempt ended on a general recall but I along with about ten other boats where over near the pin end. This meant I had to sit out the first race of the day. After a start in the second row a few well timed tacks on the first beat led me to take a second place finish in the second race! The wind had died down to about 4 knots by the beginning of the third race, and the black flag was still in effect. With the need to be cautious on the start line(due to my previous BFD(black flag)), I ended up with another poor start. After having a very slow upwind I rounded the windward mark in about 8th lo last, needless to say I had some sailing to do. After the fleet rounded the reach mark I took off at hot angle by the lee until I had gone far enough I could take that same angle towards the mark which worked out well. The next upwind was a much better than the first and I passed another chunk of boats. On the last downwind I managed to do the same thing and move up the ladder even farther rounding just in front of a large pack. I finished this race in 6th which I was very pleased with considering where I came from! One more day of racing to go, my black flag is my current throw out, and I am in the lead by ten points.

Cork Day 3

Windy is a little understatement for the conditions we saw for the three races that were run today. It was the most breeze I have sailed in all year! The first race got off to a good start with a New Zealander and I taking off at the start. We round right next to one another at the windward mark, reached off, and he said goodbye at the jybe mark as my lack off experience in this wind and awkward wave conditions became apparent. I hung on to second for that race. The next start gave me some work to do and after some trying downwinds I finished that race with a 7th, the New Zealander taking 2nd. After a solid 3rd start and a windward mark rounding with the lead group I hung on in the 20-23 knot breeze for a 4th to finish the day, which leaves me in first place by one point ahead of the guy from New Zealand. I have been working on recovering and getting my body ready for more breeze tomorrow!

CORK Day 2

Today started off slow with a two hour postponement while we waited for the wind to decide what it was going to do. The rain decided to come along for the ride as well, misting consistently all day. However, the first race got off around noon with an 8-10 knot breeze. After having a nice start I could not decide where on the race course I wanted to be which ended up costing me with all the tacks I threw in on the first upwind. I came out of that race with a 6th. The next two races went better, with an idea of what the wind was doing and a little more patience I finished the day off winning the next two races! This means I have qualified for Gold fleet and am feeling ready for next three days of racing to come!

CORK Kingston, ON

The first day of my last planned regatta in a Laser Radial is over! After this I make the push to gain as much weight as possible to sail a Laser Full. Today the wind was a steady 12 - 14 knots. The first race I thought that I could have been OCS(on course side) at the start so I went back and cleared myself. After this I had a lot of work to do so I got my head in the race and started going. I ended up getting a nice righty on the second upwind and managed to come back to 10th. The next race started a bit better coming to the windward mark in 4th. The three that were ahead of me tried the right on the downwind and I passed them on the left. Came to the windward in second and followed the leader until the very last moment where I shot the line and beat him out by a nose!

Goal Check: Earlier in the year my goal was to do well in the North American Grand Prix Points, I am currently sitting in 5th place overall. I am 29 points out of first place. This regatta is worth 30 points towards the grand prix so if I place third I will be tied for first and anything better than that I will be winning! Four more days of racing to come!

US Nationals Final

The last day of Nationals brought with it excellent breeze for a long awaited day of sailing! The breeze was already around 12 to 15 knots as we were making the 5 mile sail downwind to the course at 930 in the morning. I warmed up my downwind technique as I went and was feeling good because we were finally sailing in some breeze!

The first race was started under a black flag, so after my incident in Texas I decided to play it safe. Starting in a position were is was hard to be seen and yet had an exit route off the start. The first race I got to the top mark around 14th or so and I realized I had some work to do. The first big puff of the day hit us while we were on the reach and by taking it low and keeping it going fast I managed to slide by two or three boats. The downwind to follow proved to be a nice run, by taking the straightest path to the mark and surfing all the way I managed to pass another four or five boats. Then I picked the correct side on the next upwind and finished the race in second.

Race two started with a bad start and i was not able to save it after fouling a competitor at the top mark. The next race went well with a bullet in the rising wind, now around 18 to 22knots. The next one went much the same except a hit the leeward mark just before the finish and had to spin letting my competitor go by. But when it was all said and done I ended up 2nd overall which I was pleased with. CORK OCR this weekend! Lots to do and thanks to Avon Sailboats in Rochester, MI for their continued support!

Nationals Day Three

Yesterday races were cancelled due to a massive storm that was supposed to arrive. It ended up going north of us but it left no breeze behind to work with. Today we had an early start on the water which turned out to be about 5 hours of waiting till the first race, which happened to be very light. I had a decent start and was 6th to the top mark lost a little as the race went on. The light and very rough conditions were tough for me. I am sitting in 4th place, 8 points out of 1st. Hoping for more breeze tomorrow!

US Nationals

Today was the first day of racing in Milwaukee, WI. We are sailing on Lake Michigan which is a great place to sail, I love the great lakes! It is like sailing on the open seas except no salt in your eyes or sharks and jelly fish in the water! Nice!

I ended up getting very fortunate with a place to stay, a very nice lady at the Yacht club(Debra) offered me a place to stay when I was hopelessly searching for a spare room at 930 last night. So I have a wonderful house to stay on at the lake and great company.

The sailing today was better than expected with a three hour delay due to no wind. Once out on the race course the wind picked up to a steady 8-10knots from the east. I managed to get two solid races on the day in the lighter air and am looking forward to the rest of the week with an even stronger forecast!

Great Lake Champs/ No Coast Champs

Great Lake Champs in Sandusky, OH was a good time! It was fun to see my friends from Ohio and sail at a nice venue. On Saturday we postponed on shore until three in the afternoon when the race committee decided there was enough wind to go out. We sailed in the harbor right next to Cedar Point in around 3 to 5 knots of breeze with heavy wake from power boats. But it was steady enough to get a race off, after following the leader around three legs of the course I managed to get a pass on the downwind and hold off for the win in the light air! That was the only race for the day but the next one looked promising so RC decided to go for an early start at 9 the next morning. The breeze was around 12 when we got to the race course and it picked up through the day. As it built I got more confident and I managed to pull off four wins on the day! So when the regatta was finished I was throwing out a first place! It was a show of the skill I have developed over the summer, I believe I am becoming a smarter sailor which I am very pleased with.

I could not have done this without my work at No Coast Champs in Colorado where in sailing with the full rigs forced me to look at how I could be smart with my sailing because my boat speed was not equal to my competitors. I also got a better handle on my emotions during a race, learning how to stay calm and focused no matter what happens.

And THANK YOU TO AVON SAILBOATS FOR THEIR SUPPORT!! PICTURES OF NO COAST AND GREAT LAKE CHAMPS COMING SOON

Colorado!

Being out in Colorado is an amazing experience! I have just started to get used to living and being active at 9,000 plus feet. I worked out today for the first time and hope to do a large mountain climb on my bike tomorrow! It was a essential that I came out early for this competition because of the high altitude. The first day was brutal, the 10% oxygen kept me on the coach the entire day feeling like if I moved too fast I might lose my lunch.

Now though, I am going to start training on Lake Dillon, keep pushing my body to acclimate to the altitude and keep having fun in the endless activities that the Colorado Rockies have to offer!

District Champs/ New Program

Last weekend was the District 19 Championships at Gull Lake. This is a small lake near Kalamazoo, MI. When I arrived I realized I would be the only radial sailing against 25 other full rigs(meaning my sail was 33% smaller than everyone elses)... not the most exciting thing to think of at a small lake light air event. But since I was doing it for Grand Prix points and I was already there I decided to make a learning experience out of it. Since I knew I would be the slowest boat on the course the trick would be to do very smart sailing and catch every advantage possible!

The first race I was able to have a beautiful start and was able to hold out for fourth which I was pretty happy with considering. The next race I was able to get another very fast, clean start and was able to lead the race for two legs until I was over taken by two sailors on the second upwind. After these two races I had trouble getting nice starts and after it was hard to pick my perfect race to stay ahead of the full rigs. I also think people got irritated with the little sail beating them. Overall I finished 9th and won my fleet of course.

I have also lately taken some personal lessons on weight lifting for mass gain with a very knowledgeable guy at my gym. Just having completed my lessons I will work on gaining my goal of 15lbs by November in order for my body to peak at Midwinters East in February, 2011. I am very excited to start some new things and keep moving forward.

North Americans 2010

Coming home to the cooler weather of Michigan has been a very nice contrast to the Texas sauna! But down to the regatta. After the first day of racing I was in 10th place overall out of about 100 radials. Since that qualified me for gold fleet in the morning when I went to the club, checked the scores again, and saw over the night they had given me two black flags. This means the race committee thought I was over the line early with the black flag up which gives me the number of people sailing plus a couple points. Which means I was now in 59 bumping me back to Silver fleet.

I was very disappointed to say the least, it ruined my chances for placing above 50th and also I could not gather any grand prix points for this regatta. But I went out for the day, thinking that I might as well sail my best and learn what I could and I had a 1-2-1 on the day. I tried different starting techniques to not get called over the line and they payed off. I also learned some valuable strategy for all around racing. So what I got from North Americans was invaluable experience that I can carry on to all my future regattas.

North American Chamionship Day 2 Try 2

First a little background on this event. North Americans draws competitors from all across the world. I practiced with a guy from Malasia and aslo a group from Purue before the regatta even started to give you an idea. There are hundreds of top notch athletes competing here and it is a very prestigious, world ranked event.

This is the second day of North Americans, yet we are still to get a race down in the books. Yesterday was spent waiting on shore for the wind to steadily fill across the course till about 1400. This was when postponement was taken down and the 200+ at this regatta launched for the race course. After a few false starts on the full rig course and a couple more postponements the PRO(head race committe) decided to abandon for the day. Of course as soon as we were half way in the wind filled in for what could have been a nice day. However after a nice bike ride, some protein and yoga to recover I am well prepared for a long day today. The race committe has six races planned so it should be a full day! I am excited for the challenge!

Gulf Coast Championships

First of all Texas is HOTTT. I don't think ill ever fully adjust to the high 90s weather than Galveston has to offer every day. But thankfully I was well prepared with a full suit of white, gallons of water and accelerade, and way too much sunscreen.

Gulf Coast Championships was held Saturday and Sunday in the waters just off Seabrook sailing club. The one redeeming factor about this place is the sea breeze that fills in everyday around noon. So after checking in with race committe, they sent us out just around the time when the breeze was filling in... and the sun was the strongest. Overall the regatta went decently finishing 10th of 62, with one problem that I believe I have fixed over the past two sailing sessions.

I had serious trouble getting a clean start, and with a fleet of 62 a clean start makes about 80% of the race. So after races on Sunday I kept sailing, and all I practiced was acceleration which is what starting is. And yesterday I went out for three hours focusing whenever I could on starts and acceleration, joining in with other training groups on the water. By the end of the session I was feeling very confident with my starting capability. I will practice more today, and have a lay day tomorrow before North Americans start which should set me up very nicely to do my best at this major event.

TEXAS!

The past couple weeks have been full of finishing out my highschool duties, working, working out and preparing for the two events I will be competing in down in Texas. The trailer just got a couple new additions with some sweet storage boxes and really nice way of storing the dollies. It is going to make traveling this summer much more enjoyable! I have acquired an all white outfit including a fishing hat with neck flaps in preparation for the intense Texan sun. It will be something that I will have to take into account throughout the entirity of the two events, drinking more water and doing everything I can to stay cool.

The two events that are being held in Texas are first Gulf Coast Championships this Saturday and Sunday, and also North American Championships three days after, going from Thursday to Sunday. These are high class events that will be drawing competitors from all over the world. Both of these events are firsts for me and I am very excited to go test my fitness as well as the recently aquired skills from the clinics I have participated in this year! Check back in for updates as the regattas progress.

Crazy Days

Although my updates have stopped over the last few weeks my life has not! My last day of High School was friday, which felt amazing by the way. I hosted my Open House saturday which took an immense amount of preperation and energy. And last but not least after 12 years of playing I had my final piano recital yesterday. But back to saiing.

Besides working out I have managed to work in some training time. Over Memorial Day Weekend I drove out to Annapolis, Maryland for a training camp with the US Developmental Team. The conditions were rough to say the least. The amount of sailboats and motorboats that were out on the Cheasapeake Bay was incredible. With these large boats contantly traveling back and forth on all sides of us creating a washing machine effect and the wind being light and shifty we had some chanlenging conditions to deal with. However even those these are not great sailing conditions you must know how to sail in light wind and choppy waves. So with top notch coaches helping me learn how to sail as fast as possible, the weekend was a huge help for myself. Also the last day we were treated with 8- 12 knots and had some fun races to end the training session.

LFSC Laser Regatta- EJ O'Mara Sailing Fundraiser

The first Lake Fenton Laser Regatta and EJ O'Mara Fundraiser was a great success! The support I received from the LFSC club members, friends, and family was amazing!

The number of boats that showed up to sail was a little on the light side but,those that made it had a great day of sailing and enjoyed a wonderful homemade breakfast thanks to my mother's excellent cooking. A delicious lunch served on the water, which made it possible for Dave Nickels to get off six solid races. They were efficient and very well run. The weather cooperated very nicely with sunny skies and an 8-12 knot North-Westerly. At the end of the day I had the honor of handing out some beautiful pictures, compliments of my sister, as competitor's trophies. Speaking of my sister, Ariel, she made my day when I happened to look back just in time to see her tack, and get hit with some extra wind just at that moment. With her considerable athleticism she jumped to the high side to flatten out the tipping boat. However in her excitement, she forgot to put her feet under the hiking strap and with the force of her jump, not stopped with her feet being secured under the hiking strap she sailed right off the side of the boat straight into the water! The spectators were very entertained that she got right back up on her boat and continued sailing. However for me it was simply one of the funniest things to date I have seen on the water.

Special thanks go out to my family, the Olsund family, Dave Nickels, and the Beckmans without their help this event would not have been possible! And again thank you to each person that came out to support me and my dream of going to the Olympics in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! And for all of you who missed out and would still like to participate in the fundraiser please contact me at ejomara@gmail.com. And I do plan on scheduling another one of these regattas so you can also just come to the next one!

LFSC Laser Regatta- EJ O'Mara Sailing Fundraiser

The past couple weeks I have been preparing to host a Laser regatta at Lake Fenton on May 15! I am doing it as a fundraiser for my training, travel, coaching, and equipment fees for the 2010 sailing year. I am very excited to host this regatta and I hope everyone reading this can come! For more information and the NOR(notice of race) visit http://www.d19laser.org/. Also if you can not be there but would still like to participate in the fundraiser you can send a check made out to Lake Fenton Sailing School to 3130 Eugene St. Burton, MI! Any support is greatly appreciated and I will be keeping everyone up to date on the regatta!

Sailing :D

The last couple days have been a blast! Friday I went out for the first time in my brand new laser on Lake Fenton!(couldn't have happened with out the support of Avon Sailboats) It was blowing around 16 to 18 knots and I just went out and had fun. I could feel the difference in the way the boat handled and how easily it came onto a plane. And to make it even better Urs, a fellow laser sailor, happened to be out there to race around with.

Today I traveled down to Lake St Claire to go sailing with Tom Labelle. I met him around one at a boat launch, rigged up, and went out. It started off slow, but after about half an hour we were glad we had went with the radial rigs. It picked up to around 18knots and we sailed straight up wind. We worked on our endurance and wave technique until our legs gave out. After sailing upwind that far we had a nice long run downwind. We both worked on big turns while surfing the waves and jumping over them when we could. It was a blast and we both benefited I believe, thanks Tom!

CISA Regatta

The last day of the CISA clinic was a day of racing. It was light in the morning but picked up to around 12knots by the time we got the first race off. This was the time to put the three days of training to the test and to work on what I had learned in a racing situation.

The first race I had a good start but let two people get leveraged out to the right side of me. I came to the windward mark in third place and proceded to pass one of the two on the downwind and kept my position for the rest of the race. The second race did not start out so well, having weeds on my centerboard for the first half of the upwind. That put me in 7th at the windward mark, however I was able to stay attatched to the main pack and on the next downwind I went to work. With my newly aquired skills for sailing downwind I was able to keep the boat moving and worked my way past three boats by the bottom mark. That was a great accomplishment for me and I ended up in fourth in that race overall. There were three races to follow, one of which I fouled into a bad postion, and my scores were 6-2-1 which was enough for second place.

The CISA clinic is an overall great experience and I suggest it to anyone looking to improve their laser skills!

CISA Day Three

After three days of morning work outs, two sessions of intense training on the water, and debriefs after every one I feel like I have gotten lots of somethings accomplished. A couple things that stuck out to me was the improvement on my starting ability, a change in my downwind technique, and the ability to handle mark rounding both tactically and from a boat handling perspective. Zach and Brett have been great coaches each bringing something different to the table.

Zach has driven in the importance of goal setting for everything in sailing and also outside of sailing. Once I get on board with writing my long term, short term, and sub goals I believe it will help drive me to my destination. This along with the coaching, the sailing, and the great enjoyment I have gotten out of this grueling schedule tells me that I am ready to commit to full time training when the time comes.

CISA- Training in Long Beach

Exhausted is an understatement. After waking up at 6:30, arriving at the club at 8, doing a morning work out, sailing for 6 hours, debriefing, and listening to a speaker it is now 9pm and I am finally back to the house. It was a productive day however, the coaches (Brett Davis and Zach Riley) are amazing, both having great sailing careers with Zach having got a silver medal at the last Olympic games. This is a great oppurtunity and I look forward to the three days I have left here!

Mid-Wests Day Three

This past week has been a busy one. With adjusting to the time change, catching up on missed school work, chores, and piano. But back to the last day of Mid-Winters in San Francisco the sailing turned out to be great.

Before we left the dock I was sitting in third place ahead of fourth place by two points and ahead of fifth by 5 but knowing that by doing the 6th race they would drop high scores. As we headed out to the course we new we were in for a classic San Francisco windy day. The first race was started when the wind was still a bit patchy and staying in the pressure was important. Down wind the waves were easily surfable in the breeze but in the lulls those who could keep surfing gained huge distance. The first race after several place changes I ended up third.

The last race of the regatta was just once around the outside. I had a clear start yet I was on the wrong end of the line so I knew I would have some fighting to do in the solid 18knot breeze. Rounding the windward in 7th I wasn't too bad off because the top of the fleet was still close. On the reach I dove low and passed one person right off the mark. After rounding the next mark in fifth after someones mast step had broken, I managed to pass one more person down wind. Then I flipped at the leeward mark getting pasted by three boats i got right back up. Fortunately they went too high on the long reach so I passed them back along with another leader who had flipped twice. After rounding the last leeward mark there was no time to gain anyone else so I rounded out the regatta with another fourth.

Unfortunatley this was not enough to stay in third. After a good day from both fourth and fifth places I slid back to fifth. Loosing the tie breaker for fourth, one point out of third and five out of first. Though it was I finished on the disapointing side of those points it was a succesful regatta in the fact that I was very consistant never finishing worse than fifth after the first race, and had a good start almost every race.

Mid Wests. Day 2

Two more races were held today. The day started off very slow with the wind never staying still and never getting much past 4 knots. After an hour of postponement the race committe decides to go for it. The black flag was in effect so I wanted to be careful especially with the current pushing everyone over the line. I managed to squeeze out a lane for the drag race to the windward on port and was top ten rounding the first mark. After that I passed a few boats on the downwind and scraped a 5 out of that very slow race.

Once that race finished, the wind died and we sat around for about an hour and a half. What happened next was close to a mirracle. After hours of nothing the wind shifted and the breeze filled in from the west at 15 knots coming right under the golden gate bridge! This race was solid from start to finish, after a good start, rounding the windward in third and someone dropping out from a bfd I finshed 2nd to end the day! Im standing in third overall after two days.

Mid West

The 5 hour flight out was quite uneventful, and it's the first time I have seen mountains from the air. The streets of San Francisco are very steep and the cab driver was crazy! Thankfully I arrived at the venue unscathed, found the boat I am staying on, found my laser charter, and ate a pizza. Last night I got a solid eleven hours of sleep and the first race today started at a chill one in the afternoon.

The first race was cancelled due to a large lefty as I was in the lead. The wind picked up to around 12-15 knots and we had three races to follow. I had a slow start in the first one but ended up finishing seventh. The next two races I had clean starts and finished out the day with a 5 and 3. Two more days of sailing to come!!

Laser Mid-Winters San Francisco Bay, CA

Laser Mid-Winters will be my first competition of 2010. It is an ISAF sanctioned event and one of the many regattas that earns points for the 2010 Grand Prix . This years goal is to place well in the Grand Prix standing in the Radial division.


After several months of being confined to the gym and looking at frozen lakes I am very excited to get on the water and test my new fitness level and see what progress has been made. This is going to be an exciting start to what is sure to be an eventful year!