I’m back!
I must say, there is no feeling like the one you get after returning home from a two-month training and racing block abroad. I always look forward to having all the food that I couldn’t have or wasn’t quite the same, like that avocado toast from the Coffee Shop or the French fries at the St Francis Yacht Club, or some homemade açaí bowls. Of course, I also look forward to seeing my parents and support team at home, and getting to kite all my home spots where I catch up with the locals and friends. Two months is usually the amount of time where that feeling is somehow extra satisfying, especially after one of the most unique blocks I’ve experienced.
In the midst of a 6-week training block in Baja in April, I got a call from Jimmy Spithill asking me to join the USA Sail GP team. It’s safe to say I was overwhelmingly excited, and agreed to join the team at the first event of Season 2 in Bermuda later that month. Never in a million years would I have thought my first job would involve sailing F50’s with Jimmy as my helm.
My first time in Bermuda was incredible - I’ve never seen such blue water. The week involved a lot of onshore learning and time observing from the chase boat. I also spent some practice sessions in position 6 on the yacht, which is an observation role positioned behind the helm. Learning from and being a part of this team is unlike anything I have experienced. I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to have this opportunity to learn from the best, and to pave the way for other female athletes into professional sailing.
As life began to return to (kind of) normal and competitive events began to be scheduled, following Bermuda, I traveled to France to spend a week training with the French national team. The goal of this trip was to check in and see where I was at after my last major international event in the fall of 2019, and taking a break from kiting in 2020. It felt so good to be back in the scene and learn so much from the Europeans, although I was pretty nervous going into the whole trip. I focused on learning as much as possible, without putting pressure on myself to have perfect results.
Following France, I competed in two Formula Kite Spain Series events, the first in Valencia, the second the following weekend in Castellon. I finished 1st in the women’s, and top 20 overall in both events, which I was extremely proud of. Fellow American and my training partner Markus Edegran and I worked together constantly to learn as much as possible from the European fleet. There were many hours spent debriefing daily video footage and going over various racing scenarios and riding techniques.
While in Castellon, I hired Torvar Mirsky to coach me and Markus. This was my first time hiring a regatta coach which is a big step forward in my Olympic campaign, and I hope to work with Torvar again. It really makes a big difference when you have someone dedicated to watching your races and acting as a sounding board to guide you through the event.
Amongst all of this, I was still finishing up my spring semester of university. There were some extra late nights finishing up my term papers for the Hawaiian time zone deadlines, and constant back and forth emails with professors in case I missed anything in zoom class. I must say, online school has been such a blessing, as it has allowed me to spend more time training, traveling, and competing than ever before.
Speaking of blessings, I have to mention all of the people that helped with this trip along the way. First off, the St Francis Sailing Foundation has been an unbelievable source of support throughout my entire career, supporting me from my first international event back in 2015 up until now. I am extremely thankful to have the St Francis community by my side. Next, I have to mention Ariane Imbert, the coach of the French kite team, for allowing Markus and I to join the team training, and for opening up her home to us while we were staying in France. We are very grateful to have spent so much time with you and your team! Last but definitely not least, Lupita and Tomas from the Club Eolo in Castellon went above and beyond in hosting Markus and me during the Formula Kite Spain event. We had the most amazing time, and we can not wait for the next one! The journey is truly made by the people along the way.
I finished off my European block with the Sail GP event in Taranto, Italy. The team made huge progress in Italy, and we were in position to win the event down to the last leg. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go our way as we had a collision with something in the water and broke a rudder. However, our performance is just scratching the surface of what we are capable of, and I know the team is very much looking forward to come back in Plymouth in July.
I returned from Europe on June 8th, and will be spending the rest of this month in the Bay Area. My plans include some kite training with the US Kitefoil Squad at Sherman, Thursday Night Racing at Crissy, learning to sail a WASZP, and of course my favorite avocado toast and Chai from the Coffee Shop ;)