On May 6th I had the chance to sail the Great Vallejo Race. I sailed this race on a Diam 24. This boat is a 24 feet trimaran, that is just one of the fastest boat I have ever sailed. It is the one design boat for the Tour de France à la voile. The boat accelerates very quickly and is very wet. The Diam 24 is a boat set up for three people to race and probably more to sail for pleasure. I was sailing the boat with Fred Bouju the owner and skipper, he is also the person that got my Mom and I to test his Open 5.70 just before buying ours in 2014. My Dad was on-board as well and sails quite often with Fred on the Diam. Fred is promoting the Diam24 in the Bay: I heard that another one is coming soon an hopefully there will be a formal class by the end of the year! Contact Fred at (510) 512-8366 if you are interested :-)
The conditions varied a lot: at first we had a good 15 knots which was very fun. Later on the wind died to around 3-4 knots, where we had a slower boat speed than the rest of the fleet. Towards the end of the race the wind picked up around 15 knots again which was again very fun.
While sailing this boat there are a couple of things that I loved doing. First every time we gybed with a good boat speed, we could feel a force pushing against you when you crossed the boat. This amazed me very much as I know the America's Cup sailors feel this too but of course with a stronger intensity. Second when we were coming back upwind I was able to steer the boat most of the way back which was very fun. The boat is very fast upwind: we reached around 15 knots of speed in 10-15 knots of wind.
Overall, I had a great time sailing from Richmond all the way to Vallejo, this was very exciting. I hope to be able to sail this boat again. Thank you Fred for inviting us to sail.
Here is a short video
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Bays #1, 10th and 11th of June 2017 @ Richmond Yacht Club
On the week-end of the 10th and the 11th of June I competed in the Summer Bays first event at Richmond Yacht Club. The conditions went from 2 knots up to 15 knots. This made most sailors adjust their sails a lot. The current was very strong, so strong that to win a race you had to prioritize the current more than anything. As we were sailing in a place that is very shallow, the chop was pretty big, this was also an important factor.
During this event I learned some interesting tricks to sail faster. I learned how to move my body downwind to catch a surf easily. I am looking forward to using it next week-end, during the Heavy Weather Regatta at St Francis Yacht Club. I also tried to win the start every single race, I won the start three races out of eight. This was a hard goal but got me to push the line more. I even got recalled once.
At the end of the event, I was happy because I improved my boat speed in light air. This has always been my weakness. I was surprised that my best race during the regatta was the one with the less wind (I scored 2nd). I also improved my starting technique which will be helpful when I switch class as starting is key to a good race.
I enjoyed sailing at this event, even if I had some pretty bad races and finished 6th overall. This event has always been special to me, as Richmond Yacht Club is the place where I learned to sail Optis. This club is for sure one of the most welcoming clubs in the Bay. I hope to comeback next year in a different class.
During this event I learned some interesting tricks to sail faster. I learned how to move my body downwind to catch a surf easily. I am looking forward to using it next week-end, during the Heavy Weather Regatta at St Francis Yacht Club. I also tried to win the start every single race, I won the start three races out of eight. This was a hard goal but got me to push the line more. I even got recalled once.
At the end of the event, I was happy because I improved my boat speed in light air. This has always been my weakness. I was surprised that my best race during the regatta was the one with the less wind (I scored 2nd). I also improved my starting technique which will be helpful when I switch class as starting is key to a good race.
I enjoyed sailing at this event, even if I had some pretty bad races and finished 6th overall. This event has always been special to me, as Richmond Yacht Club is the place where I learned to sail Optis. This club is for sure one of the most welcoming clubs in the Bay. I hope to comeback next year in a different class.
The fleet sailing downwind:
The starting line:
My brother Yann on the line:
A couple seconds after go:
Proud with my new Team USA rash guard:
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Cabrillo Beach Harken #3, May 20th- 21st 2017
On the week-end of May 20th-21st, my brother and I raced at Harken #3 in Cabrillo Beach California. Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club's venue (CBYC), was pretty windy and since it is a very shallow venue, we had to sail in big chop. This can be very penalising in an Opti, due to the bow of the boat being square.
The first day, I was very consistent with scores 5, 2, 3, 2. I was very happy with my day since I was 2nd overall and rounded the top mark about 20 seconds ahead of the third, during 2 out of 4 races, which is very good.
The second day, my hiking straps broke on the second race which caused me to lose my second place overall and become 3rd. Although having broken my hiking straps (which made me not able to sail at full speed upwind), I was still going faster than most people which made me very happy. Overall this was definitely my favorite Harken regattas.
A special congratulations to my brother Yann for finishing every race on the second day of racing even with winds going up to 23 knots!
The first day, I was very consistent with scores 5, 2, 3, 2. I was very happy with my day since I was 2nd overall and rounded the top mark about 20 seconds ahead of the third, during 2 out of 4 races, which is very good.
The second day, my hiking straps broke on the second race which caused me to lose my second place overall and become 3rd. Although having broken my hiking straps (which made me not able to sail at full speed upwind), I was still going faster than most people which made me very happy. Overall this was definitely my favorite Harken regattas.
A special congratulations to my brother Yann for finishing every race on the second day of racing even with winds going up to 23 knots!
This is the system I set up to continue racing after my hiking strap failure:
My ripped hiking straps:
My award for being 2nd Red Fleeter (age group):
Nacra 15 sailing May 27th and 28th 2017 @ABYC
On the week-end of the 27th and 28th of May, I attended for the first time in my life a Nacra 15 regatta. I sailed with my friend Luke, who I met 2 years ago sailing Optis at SFYC.
On the first race, a part of the boat broke which caused us to retire. The part that broke was a simple bungee that was not strong enough. Speed is key to victory in all catamarans, and to achieve that, you need a team that has sailed for a long time together, which was not our case.
On the second day, our boat speed had improved and we were almost faster upwind than the competition. The first race, we had our spinnaker (front sail) that got caught in the front of the boat. After rounding the top mark, we tried to undo the knot but ended up flipping. Luckily, we still finished the race. The second race we were able to round the top mark second but ended up capsizing and losing our lead on third place. This capsize caused us to break the same bungee again. After fixing it we continued sailing. The following race, we did our best to keep up with the others, we were just as fast as them on the upwind but still a little slower downwind.
During this regatta, I learned how to improve my boat speed downwind. I also learned how to fly the windward hull upwind which I will use on my family's F16 Viper. I would like to thank Luke and Charles Froeb for taking care of me over this Memorial Day Weekend. A big thank you also to Erwan Griziaux (Charles' crew & a real great French F18 sailor) for all the tips on how to sail better and faster: this really helped Luke and I achieve a better boat speed.
I can not wait to sail with Luke again!
On the first race, a part of the boat broke which caused us to retire. The part that broke was a simple bungee that was not strong enough. Speed is key to victory in all catamarans, and to achieve that, you need a team that has sailed for a long time together, which was not our case.
On the second day, our boat speed had improved and we were almost faster upwind than the competition. The first race, we had our spinnaker (front sail) that got caught in the front of the boat. After rounding the top mark, we tried to undo the knot but ended up flipping. Luckily, we still finished the race. The second race we were able to round the top mark second but ended up capsizing and losing our lead on third place. This capsize caused us to break the same bungee again. After fixing it we continued sailing. The following race, we did our best to keep up with the others, we were just as fast as them on the upwind but still a little slower downwind.
During this regatta, I learned how to improve my boat speed downwind. I also learned how to fly the windward hull upwind which I will use on my family's F16 Viper. I would like to thank Luke and Charles Froeb for taking care of me over this Memorial Day Weekend. A big thank you also to Erwan Griziaux (Charles' crew & a real great French F18 sailor) for all the tips on how to sail better and faster: this really helped Luke and I achieve a better boat speed.
This is the trailer the Froeb use to bring the boats from San Francisco to LA and back!
Luke and I after a stop at In-n-out:
Team trials 2017 @Brant Beach Yacht Club
Three weeks ago, I attended the biggest Opti regatta in the US, the regatta I have been practicing and waiting for the past two years: USODA Opti Team Trials at Brant Beach Yacht Club. This regatta is very special for me, as when Jerome decided to sponsor me, we agreed on a goal: the USODA Team Trials. I put a lot of time and effort into going to this event, which requires to be qualified.
For the sailors on the West Coast, the biggest challenge is to be able to sail, start, and do well in these bigger fleets that we do not have. This is why I went to the USODA Nationals and the USODA Spring Team Qualifiers.
Team Trials is just like Spring Team Qualifiers: a regatta where sailors have the opportunity to qualify for the US National Team, Development Team and to be selected to represent the US in international events. Team Trials has five events that you can qualify for, in order, Worlds, Europeans, Asians, North Americans, and British Nationals. My goal was to make British Nationals, which I missed because I ranked 85th total and the last selected boy was ranked 83rd, while the last selected girl was 34th in Silver so 114th.
Since Team Trials is such an important event, the US Team I qualified for, (Topsport Vlandereen in Belgium) this past November, decided to host us a practice at Brant Beach Yacht Club, one week prior to the event. Thanks to this practice, I discovered the venue which really helped me, I also met my teammates and my coaches.
Having 222 sailors competing, the racing officials are forced to split us into three groups of 74 sailors to make the starting line and the race course shorter. If you scored 20th in one race, that will count as a 60th overall because your score has to be multiplied by three due to the three fleets. The first three days you rotate between all fleets depending on your overall standing and the last day we are divided into Gold fleet (top 75 sailors) and Silver fleets (A & B). I was very happy to end up 10th in Silver meaning 85th total.
On day one, for the first race of the day I was pretty tensed, I was sort of nervous to start my first Team Trials race ever. I had on OK start and just followed what my coaches told me to do and finished 47th. I was not happy but I knew that this was a 4 day regatta so I was determined to do better next race. The second race I did a little better with a score around 30th. The next two races I got two top 25th which I was really happy with.
The second day I was really happy to go out for Day #2, the first race was really hard, I started and ever since the start I was not doing well, I finished 71st. From there, my scores became a lot better with a 30th and a 25th. Although this day was hard, I stayed focused and I believe mindfulness really helped me get back into the race and reset from that first bad race.
The third day, I woke up in 25 knots of wind, lots of rain, and temperatures around 10 degrees celsius. After rigging my sail I had to attach it to my boat so it would not fly away. We waited 45 minutes and then the race committee called the day off as the wind was gusting to 30 knots.
The last day of racing I was sad not to make gold fleet, but decided I would like to be the first SFYC sailor and do well in silver. My first race I scored 15th and I was really happy. My second I got 17th. My last race of the event I scored 26th which was an OK result.
At the end of the regatta when I looked at the results and saw that I was 10th in silver, I was really happy but wished that I was in gold. I definitely think that doing some mindfulness and workouts really helped me sail better and become a better sailor in general. If you want to learn more about my preparation you can check out my last blog post.
Overall this regatta was an awesome experience. I loved competing with some of the best sailors in the world. I really liked the venue although sometimes very choppy. Plus I had the chance to sail a Winner boat which is the best boat on the market.
At Team Trials, Collie Sails brought a Waszp which was pretty cool to watch. My Dad got a turn on it and learned a lot of new techniques. I can't wait to be representing the USA in Belgium this summer with the Flanders Team and my coaches Peri Brusa and Mitch Hall.
My teammates and I launching for Day #1 of practice:
For the sailors on the West Coast, the biggest challenge is to be able to sail, start, and do well in these bigger fleets that we do not have. This is why I went to the USODA Nationals and the USODA Spring Team Qualifiers.
Team Trials is just like Spring Team Qualifiers: a regatta where sailors have the opportunity to qualify for the US National Team, Development Team and to be selected to represent the US in international events. Team Trials has five events that you can qualify for, in order, Worlds, Europeans, Asians, North Americans, and British Nationals. My goal was to make British Nationals, which I missed because I ranked 85th total and the last selected boy was ranked 83rd, while the last selected girl was 34th in Silver so 114th.
Since Team Trials is such an important event, the US Team I qualified for, (Topsport Vlandereen in Belgium) this past November, decided to host us a practice at Brant Beach Yacht Club, one week prior to the event. Thanks to this practice, I discovered the venue which really helped me, I also met my teammates and my coaches.
Having 222 sailors competing, the racing officials are forced to split us into three groups of 74 sailors to make the starting line and the race course shorter. If you scored 20th in one race, that will count as a 60th overall because your score has to be multiplied by three due to the three fleets. The first three days you rotate between all fleets depending on your overall standing and the last day we are divided into Gold fleet (top 75 sailors) and Silver fleets (A & B). I was very happy to end up 10th in Silver meaning 85th total.
On day one, for the first race of the day I was pretty tensed, I was sort of nervous to start my first Team Trials race ever. I had on OK start and just followed what my coaches told me to do and finished 47th. I was not happy but I knew that this was a 4 day regatta so I was determined to do better next race. The second race I did a little better with a score around 30th. The next two races I got two top 25th which I was really happy with.
The second day I was really happy to go out for Day #2, the first race was really hard, I started and ever since the start I was not doing well, I finished 71st. From there, my scores became a lot better with a 30th and a 25th. Although this day was hard, I stayed focused and I believe mindfulness really helped me get back into the race and reset from that first bad race.
The third day, I woke up in 25 knots of wind, lots of rain, and temperatures around 10 degrees celsius. After rigging my sail I had to attach it to my boat so it would not fly away. We waited 45 minutes and then the race committee called the day off as the wind was gusting to 30 knots.
The last day of racing I was sad not to make gold fleet, but decided I would like to be the first SFYC sailor and do well in silver. My first race I scored 15th and I was really happy. My second I got 17th. My last race of the event I scored 26th which was an OK result.
At the end of the regatta when I looked at the results and saw that I was 10th in silver, I was really happy but wished that I was in gold. I definitely think that doing some mindfulness and workouts really helped me sail better and become a better sailor in general. If you want to learn more about my preparation you can check out my last blog post.
Overall this regatta was an awesome experience. I loved competing with some of the best sailors in the world. I really liked the venue although sometimes very choppy. Plus I had the chance to sail a Winner boat which is the best boat on the market.
At Team Trials, Collie Sails brought a Waszp which was pretty cool to watch. My Dad got a turn on it and learned a lot of new techniques. I can't wait to be representing the USA in Belgium this summer with the Flanders Team and my coaches Peri Brusa and Mitch Hall.
My teammates and I launching for Day #1 of practice:
The view from BBYC Beach :
The SFYC Race Team with our two coaches Nico and Tommy:
Henry and I with the SFYC flag:
The sunset from the beach we were launching from:
Me rigging my boat:
Henry and I in the airport flying out to New Jersey:
My awesome Dad and I:
A picture from Matias Capizzano of me (in the red):
A part of the fleet launching to the race course:
My coach and I talking about the day:
Thank you to my Dad and Mom for supporting me through this journey of Opti Sailing, you have been so helpful and supportive.
Thank you to Jerome for sponsoring me and making this whole journey possible.
Thank you to my family for their love and support.
A special thank you to Caroline for helping me with all the mindset preparation.
Thank you all for making my dream possible!!!!!!!!!
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