Regatta Wrap Up - Palma de Mallorca, Spain

This was a tough regatta. From the competition to the weather it challenged me to dig deep and really think about the campaign and what’s next.

The Weather:

It. Was. Cold. Water temperatures were in the low 50s and air temperatures in the mid-50s throughout the week. I bought a new, thicker, wetsuit and a new spray jacket to wear under my life vest and still spent the majority of the regatta shivering. I came off the water each day with blue lips and couldn’t wait to get into the car and use the seat heater. We had very shifty, but strong, winds the whole regatta with averages in the high teens and it topped out in the mid-twenties.

It looks sunny in this photo, but I was struggling to stop shivering.

The Competition:

46 of the top 50 and 80 of the top 100 ranked women in the world were on the line with me. Of the 143 total women there, 27 had prior Olympic experience and every single one has the talent to be an Olympian. This was a deep field. They were strong, fast, and all had excellent tactical prowess. In any given race you would see four or five leaders then a cluster of thirty or more boats fighting for those next spots in the top ten. Mark roundings were tight and chaotic. There was zero margin for error, make one mistake and you could easily lose 10-15 boats because everyone was so closely matched.

I was, by far, the oldest competitor there. I realized that I could be every other competitor’s mother while I was at dinner with the rest of the US Sailing team on the night before the competition started. I overheard some of the sailors talking: “So, you’re 2002? Cool, I’m 2006.” And, after initially thinking, “Yeah, that tracks, I graduated high school in 2002 and college in 2006.” I realized that they were talking about their birth years…That was initially a gut punch, but I started to embrace it as the regatta went on because my soreness was being echoed by the kids. They were all talking about how difficult the conditions were and how tiring it was for them too. And, here I was, keeping pace and still doing it.

What they did have that I don’t-yet-was the core strength and endurance to hike hard, all day. I feel like, particularly in those heavy wind and sea conditions, that was the difference between me and the majority of the fleet. I ran out of endurance faster. And, now I know what I need to work on! To get a sense of the size and skill of the fleet, check out the video below from day two of the racing which focused on the ILCA fleets.

How I Did:

135th out of 143 overall. I had two races where I was in the hunt for a top 10 finish and suffered capsizes while rounding the leward mark. I had two finishes in the top 20, a 20th and a 29th place and was never close to finishing in last place. I had hoped to do better, but am proud of the effort particularly when I remember that I only began physical therapy following my abdominal reconstruction 12 weeks before joining the starting line in Mallorca. I’ve come away with the knowledge that I’m close to where I need to be, that I’m mentally strong, tactically sound, and I’ve got the support of an incredible group of people behind me every step of the way. I can do this!

Next Steps In My Campaign And For Second Wind Racing:

I got home Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. after a 22 hour travel day. I was awakened at 2:00 a.m. on Wednesday by my kids who were suffering from a severe case of jet lag. And, I was back in my Coronado Pilates studio at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning working on my core strength. I was back in the Pilates studio again this morning and will spend some time on my hiking bench this afternoon. In short, I’m all in and can’t wait for the next regatta: The ILCA-NA Pacific Coast Championships right here at home in Coronado next week!

Additionally, I had some time to think about this campaign and the future of Second Wind Racing while racing in Palma. The level of support for other nations’ sailors is overwhelming compared to what US Sailing can do for our sailors in these major regattas. The other teams are all in matching uniforms/gear, have at least one (but in most cases, multiple) support van(s) with extra equipment, lines, wetsuits, boat plugs, and more. The other teams have coaches, coach boats, and travel for the athletes arranged by and paid for by the national governing bodies. The US Sailors have none of this and are left to fend for themselves at these regattas.

I want to work towards changing that paradigm and help raise the tide for all US Sailors at these international events. I am committed to using every ounce of influence to help not only myself, but all US Sailors to compete as a team and to do better on the international stage. I can’t think of a better use of my time on the ILCA advisory committee than to create an actual team environment and raise the level of support for our athletes. More brainstorming to come on this!

Thank you all for being the best support I could ask for!

-Lauren

If you feel inspired, please help make this dream a reality by donating to the campaign!
All donations are for competition expenses only.