The Exciting Switch!!!!!!

Sailing in March in Miami

Last night it was announced at the Bayshore Yacht Club’s centennial anniversary in Detriot that Bora Gulari and myself are starting a Nacra 17 Olympic Campaign. I have been offered an incredible opportunity, and after months of deliberation and testing I have decided to take on the challenge. I am switching Olympic classes for the remainder of this Olympic quad to race on the Nacra 17 with Bora Gulari! I was approached by the Olympic coaches in February, as a top candidate to sail with Bora. The boat requires a strong woman who is accustomed to fast sailing and quick decision making. As an accomplished RS:X sailor I was deemed a perfect candidate. In March, I travelled to Miami to sail with him and right from the start our sailing felt smooth and easy, and impressed everyone, all while having a blast! 

This is a tremendous opportunity, since Bora Gulari is one of the best sailors in the US. I trust you realize that it is your support and our hard work that has gotten me into a position to be asked to sail for Bora, which I consider to be a great honor. I know I will learn unfathomable amounts (even now I can say I have learned a great deal!) and end up in a better position to begin the next chapter of my life. 

I know I am leading my Olympic family on a major detour, but I hope you will continue to believe in me, both now and in future endeavors. I would like to thank all of you, especially Charlie Felder, my coach Dominique Vallée, my supportive International Quebec Team, Phoebe Styron, Amanda Moretti, Greg Lee, and Herring Run Kitchens and Provisions, and my family for all the support you have given me, leading me to this incredible opportunity! 

Rest assured, this is not the end of my windsurfing days! 

Our new boat in Detroit!

About Bora Gulari

Bora Gulari was the 2010 Rolex Sailor of the Year. He is a two-time Moth World Champion and, as an aeronautical engineer, was a key developer of the class. Bora recently left the Prada team helmsman of the “Luna Rosa” in the Americas Cup. In 2015, he competed in the World Cup Miami in the Nacra 17, where as a novice in the class, he was able to round the top mark in the top five on several occasions.

About the Nacra 17

The Nacra 17 is the mixed gender multi-hull Olympic Class. The boat is a catamaran with lifting daggerboards, making it a semi-foiling boat, where both the skipper and the crew have trapezes, and the boat flies an asymmetrical spinnaker. The boats are extremely nimble and challenging in strong breeze, reaching speeds of more than 25knots.

Racing on Lake Garda

Last week I was racing on Lake Garda in the little town of Torbole, Italy. The wind blows through the mountains almost every day. It is a stunning place with great racing conditions. The Garda Olympic week is part of the EuropCup circuit.

Torbole is on the north end of Lake Garda.

On the first day there were three races. My first race was good but my widget had broken. While I was trying to replace it in between the races I had broke a batten clip so I had to change sails, causing me to miss the second race. My technique in the planing conditions is constantly improving and I was able pass people through lulls and gusts based on speed.

My starts have improved so much!

On the line and going at the gun!

There were three races again on day two. The first race went well, but unfortunately the other two races I made a lot of mistakes. I worked hard, but I made poor decisions in the shifty and gusty conditions of the final two races today. There was no wind on the third day.

I'm USA 39

The next day they scheduled racing to start at 8 am, so I had a 5:45 wake up call! The first race I was in first! but it was abandoned due to the crazy long course set for the conditions. The next race I worked hard to recover from a major mistake off of the starting line and made up some points. The final race went well, I finished third and in front of all of the French girls!!!!!

 The fourth day didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but in the last race I fought and pumped really hard and passed 3 girls in the down wind and 1 in the slalom, catching up to the front of the fleet!!!

The final day was the medal race, which means it is a race for the top ten, counts for double points, and the score cannot be discarded.  The water temperature seemed to have dropped, everyone was having problems with their feet being cold and struggling to get them in the foot straps. My race was going well, but it was very tricky. I made a few mistakes which put me back a little in the fleet. Finally at the final top mark I was moving up to the top half. I stumbled on me numb feet and fell in the jibe. I quickly got up and was catching up to the two girls who had passed me. I was gaining on them, but my frozen feet were to stiff to allow me to press and message the board onto a plane before them. 

It was a disappointment, but I feel that I showed that I am heading in the right direction. Falling is slow, but I am getting faster! I will be working on finding the solution to the mental block that keeps preventing me from staying on the board. It was a fantastic regatta, I hope to do it again!