First Female, First Apprentice: Winning Back Confidence at Masters Midwinters & California Masters
I need to say that I love the Masters fleet. These people are the kindest and most Corinthian sailors I’ve ever had the privilege of sailing with. From the fierce competition to joyful laughter immediately after a tactical battle to the warm camaraderie onshore, I just love the masters events.
The past two weekends were no exception. I was the only woman who signed up, so I took it as an opportunity to have fun and train hard for my regattas later this year by sailing the 7 rig as opposed to my normal 6. (For those who don’t know, a 7 rig has a full meter squared more sail area and has MUCH more power than my smaller rig does - so, I have to work harder the whole time I’m sailing to keep the boat under control.) This made for two great core training weekends.
One of our practice starts from the Thursday clinic. I’m in the pink hat in the foreground winning the start at the pin, boat number 224002.
ILCA-NA Masters Midwinters West - March 5-8, 2026 - Heavy Winds And Working On The Details
I focused on my tactics, starts, and downwind speed starting from the full day skills clinic taught by Doug Hart. A three hour classroom analysis of starting maneuvers of some of the world’s best sailors followed by three hours on the water putting those lessons to the test with six other masters sailors in 16 knots of breeze. What a workout! Then we went back to the classroom to watch footage of our on the water training and break down what we did well and what we still need to work on for the next hour. This was exactly what I needed to really practice for racing the world’s best later this year!
The racing just got better and better over the weekend. We averaged 12-14 knots of breeze and by Sunday we were dealing with 19 knots sustained and gusts to 24 knots! Sailing the bigger 7 rig was super challenging in these conditions and made for excellent core training. I was very pleased to be the top ranked apprentice (ages 35-44) and—by default—the top ranked woman. Definitely felt like progress.
I really love this photo of me with the other winners of this regatta, Emilio Castelli, Eric Hauser, Chris Raab, and Gordon Briner. Such a fun group! Thanks to my home club, Coronado Yacht Club and Vela-LA for hosting such a great event.
ILCA-NA California Masters - March 13-15, 2026 - Light Air And Big Ocean Swells
Talk about opposites! This regatta was a 180 degree experience from last week’s regatta. Last week was heavy wind but smooth bay conditions. This weekend we had, at most, 8 knots of breeze and heavy seas. A perfect time to work on light air racing—always a point I need to focus on. So, I looked for the pressure, focused on clear air, and really worked hard on roll-tacks and surfing the swells to increase my VMG (“Velocity made good”) In other words, making sure all my boat’s speed was pointing me towards sailing the shortest distance to the next mark. Once again I was the top ranked apprentice and the top female in the regatta!
My two trophies from ILCA-NA’s California Masters regatta!
I’m really grateful to have sailed with these really talented men in such a wide range of conditions over these two weeks. Both because it was great practice for the rest of the year’s regattas where points are on the line and because they just make the sailing so much fun. Now, 4 days of Pilates before the big Midwinters West regatta at Balboa Yacht Club! The racing begins in earnest on Friday and I can’t wait to see what I can do as I continue to get stronger, lighter, and faster on the water.
Leading at the leeward gate!
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