ILCA District 24 Championship Recap: Wild Conditions in Santa Cruz

May 14

If there’s one thing Santa Cruz Yacht Club consistently delivers, it’s unpredictability.

Last weekend’s ILCA District 24 Championship was a perfect example. Over two days, we saw everything from nearly glassy, wildly unstable conditions to full-on powered-up Santa Cruz breeze and swell — the kind of regatta that forces you to adapt constantly and rewards sailors who can shift gears quickly.

Saturday was all about survival and patience.

Competing northwest and southeast wind systems created massive oscillations — at times approaching 180º shifts — making it incredibly difficult for the racecourse to settle into anything consistent. The ILCA 7 fleet even attempted a start in one direction before the breeze completely shut down as the opposing system took over.

The Race Committee made the right call to postpone, and eventually a light southerly filled just enough for us to squeeze in one race.

And what a strange race it was.

We were surfing upwind through leftover swell coming from almost the opposite direction of the wind, followed by a downwind leg that slowly transformed into a tight reach to the finish. Classic Santa Cruz chaos.

Ironically, these are exactly the kinds of conditions I’ve historically considered a weakness. Light air. Extreme shifts. Unstable pressure. The sort of race where confidence can disappear quickly if you let frustration creep in.

So I was pretty stoked to come away with the race win and end Saturday leading the regatta overall.

More importantly, it felt like tangible proof that the work I’ve been putting in is paying off — not just physically, but mentally and tactically too. There’s something really satisfying about starting to feel strength emerge in the areas you once circled as weaknesses.

Sunday was a completely different story.

Race one started similarly light and wonky, but by race two the breeze finally began settling into Santa Cruz’s more familiar pattern. The wind clocked right, pressure filled across the course, and conditions steadily built throughout the day.

By the final race, we were fully powered up and hiking hard through classic Santa Cruz breeze and swell.

Honestly, I loved it.

As the wind increased, I got a chance to really test the core strength and fitness work I’ve been putting in lately, and I was feeling good holding my own in a fleet made up mostly of adult men. That physical side of the campaign has become such an important piece of this journey, especially returning to elite-level competition in my 40s.

One of the things that made the weekend especially meaningful was that it also fell on Mother’s Day weekend. Charlie and Zoe were there cheering me on the entire regatta, watching the highs, the frustrations, the changing conditions, and all the little moments in between that make this sport what it is.

And honestly, that made the second-place finish feel even more special.

At the end of the regatta, Zoe came up to collect the trophy with me — one of those full-circle moments that reminds me why this journey matters so much in the first place. Not just the results, but the experience of showing my kids what it looks like to chase something difficult, keep improving, and stay in the arena even when the conditions are uncertain.

I ultimately finished second overall in the ILCA 6 fleet behind Toshinari Takayanagi, with David LaPier rounding out third. He and I rounded out the last race of the day with the ultimate downwind spar to the finish line. We were neck and neck the entire downwind leg, each of us gaining on the other in spurts as we caught waves. Even the Race Committee was whooping and hollering at our photo-finish. What a fun way to wrap up the weekend!

Huge thanks to the volunteers and Race Committee at Santa Cruz Yacht Club for staying patient through a seriously challenging weather weekend and still managing to deliver a great championship.

Regattas like this are exhausting, humbling, rewarding, and honestly a huge part of why I love this sport so much. Every weekend out there feels like another piece of the puzzle coming together.