St. Thomas Sailing Center is hiring a full-time Manager/Head Instructor! It’s a new day in the Caribbean. The dawning of a new day on St. Thomas brings with it a new idea in sailing opportunities for everyone. That’s because the St. Thomas Yacht Club has introduced a unique concept of sailing instruction, boat access and racing through the opening of the St. Thomas Sailing Center. Now you can sail whenever you want, or race on a regular basis without the need to own a boat. Learn to sail or learn to race or perfect your racing skills with the guidance of a professional coach, and be able to do any of these things in one of the most perfect sailing venues and one of the most beautiful places in the world. Become part of a community of like minded people who share a passion for sailing.
This year round full time position involves teaching sailing to adults at all levels, management and maintenance of our fleet of IC-24s and Hobie Waves, as well as a desire to create and implement programs that attract new people from on island and abroad. We frequently add new offerings and approaches to accomplish these goals. The right candidate will enjoy being part of the St. Thomas sailing community and want to advance to directing the program. To learn more and to apply, visit the job ad HERE.
Blog
5O5 Pacific Coast Championship Regatta Report
Bellingham Yacht Club hosted the 5O5 Pacific Coast Championships from June 15th to the 17th on Bellingham Bay, Washington. Seven professionally run races occurred in varied conditions over the three days run by PRO John Pedlow. Thirty-two teams attended the event and the pool of talent was deep. Several current and former world champions were present including Mike Holt, Rob Woelfel, Mike Martin and Howie Hamlin. The list of titles won by the top talent is extensive. The competitors also included weekend warriors, college students and recent graduates. In fact, there was at least one competitor who graduated that same weekend from WWU. Teams traveled down from British Columbia, Canada and up from Oregon and California. Doug Hagan flew in from Maui and the former International Class President and current class liaison, Pip Pearson came all the way from Australia. The father-son team of James and Ethan Brown drove all the way out from Alberta Canada to race together on Father’s Day weekend. Walking around the boat park before racing it was clear that a great range of talent and ages were present, it was also equally clear that 5O5 sailors are united by their passion for the boat and class. Something that sets 5-oh sailors apart is their openness and congeniality. Boat set-up, sail trim, and tactics are openly and enthusiastically discussed by all competitors before, during and after racing. The goal seems to be to go faster together. Indeed the unwritten class goals seem to be, go faster, learn more and have as much fun as possible. For full results click HERE
Many of the competitors arrived early on Thursday, rigged and practiced on the bay in 10-15 knots from the south in champagne sailing conditions. The forecast for the weekend was for wind from the northwest, an unusual and often undependable wind direction for Bellingham Bay. Friday the wind lingered in the high single digits and was shifty. In race one, abundant weeds and lulls in the middle and left were painfully experienced by those on that side. In race two, the weeds had cleared and the left seemed favored. On Saturday, before racing many were busy making weed sticks to clear their rudders. As it turned out, the northwesterly filled in early with an unusual vigor. The wind and waves seemed to clear the bay of the eel grass, or maybe the boats were just going so fast they didn’t see or care about the weeds as they blasted by. Four races were run in 14-18 knots, with times gusting higher. It was full-on planing conditions. Finding pressure and lifts led to big gains at the higher speeds. There were abundant thrills and more than a few spills too. The racers returned to shore tired, sometimes bruised but always smiling. The 5O5 is pure joy to sail, whether you are in the front or at the back of the fleet. Jim and Susan Holstine hosted a fleet party at their home on Lake Samish after racing on Saturday and it was a fantastic finish to the fabulous day of sailing. Mike Martin said it was, “the best regatta party” he had ever attended, a notable comment from someone who has attended a plethora of sailing events around the globe. Sunday the northwest filled in late with its more typical, lackadaisical tendency. The RC got off only one race. Initially, there was some wiring upwind. However, by the end the wind shifted and faded to a whimper.
Former world champion, Mike Martin and his crew Adam Lowry took away the gold. They had sailed amazingly consistently with 2-(11)-1-1-2-2-2 finishes. Current world champions Mike Holt and Rob Woelfel finished second. Former world champion and legendary 5O5 sailor Howie Hamlin and his crew Jeff Nelson were awarded third place. But by the looks on all the faces after, everyone was a winner. It was a fantastic event. For full results click HERE
A special thank to 5O5 competitor Paul Pihl for the words on a great event.
Foley Wins 26th International Optimist Regatta
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Speed and tactics proved the winning combination that led 13-year-old Peter Foley to place first overall at the 26th International Optimist Regatta (IOR), presented by Electronic Merchant Systems (EMS) Virgin Islands, and hosted out of the St. Thomas Yacht Club (STYC), June 15 to 17. Yet it was the starts, meaning getting a front row seat on the start line without being early, that figured strongly into the Foley’s win especially in today’s final two races for the Championship Fleet. In fact, it was a combination of light winds, strong current and last day push the limits excitement among the sailors that led to many being over the start line too early and thus receive penalty points. As a result, there were several final day place changes on the scoreboard. Full results HERE
“I was in second place by 8 points going into today,” says Foley, from Coconut Grove, Florida. “My strategy was to sail my best and win the first race, which I did. Then, I was prepared to match race Ryan (Satterberg) if I needed to in the second race just to be sure and get ahead of him. In the end, he (Ryan) had two black flags (over early designations) and I only had one.”
Satterberg, from Santa Barbara, California, led the IOR/EMS the first two days and ultimately finished seventh overall in the Championship Fleet. Seventy-nine sailors completed 10 races in this fleet.
Foley also won the 13- to 15-year-old Red Fleet.
Meanwhile, it was Foley’s sister, Audrey, who led the 11-and 12-year old Blue Fleet.
“My strategy was to do my best, always find a good place on the start line, and stay in front,” says the 12-year-old Foley, who said she enjoys sailing against her brother and the competition it offers. Foley also won the Top Girl award.
Tanner Krygsveld, who won the age 10 and under White Fleet last year, led the Blue Fleet the first two days, before falling to third after two double-digit scores.
“It was the last day, all or nothing, and we were all really pushing the start line,” says Krygsveld, from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
In the White Fleet, Elliott Lipp, from Charleston, South Carolina, scored a black flag in the last race today, but two of these penalties sent class leader, James Pine, from Lakewood, Texas to third. St. Croix’s Ryan Moorhead expertly handled his starts to handily move up to second in this fleet.
“The waves were the hardest for me,” says 10-year-old Elliott. “I actually got seasick the first day. We sail in the harbor at home in Charleston and this was the first time I’ve raced in the open ocean.”
The Top U.S. Virgin Islands sailor in the IOR/EMS was St. Thomas’ Caroline Sibilly, who placed 11th overall.
“The conditions were tricky because the winds were lighter than what we usually have here, but it was a fun regatta,” says 14-year-old Sibilly. “We practiced time and distance at the start at the clinic earlier this week and that really helped me to avoid a black flag.”
In the Green Beginner Fleet, the champion was 10-year-old Alejandro Ferrer, from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 24 sailors in this fleet completed 22 races.
“My friends told me about this regatta and I wanted to come,” says Ferrer, who started sailing a year ago. “I did bad in one race today. I said to myself I must do better next time and that helped.”
In other awards, it was the Canada’s Daniel Connors, representing the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax, who earned the Chuck Fuller Sportsmanship Award, while it was Tony Slowik III, from the Austin Yacht Club in Texas, who was presented with the Pete Ives Award, given for a combination of sailing prowess, sportsmanship, determination and good attitude both on and off the water.
“The wind cooperated, and we had fantastic championship and beginner fleets. It was probably one of the best regattas we’ve had. As always, the St. Thomas Yacht Club and Virgin Islands Sailing Association (VISA) delivered again,” says St. Thomas’ Bill Canfield, who shared Principal Race Officer duties with Puerto Rico’s Diana Emmanuelli.
Some 110 8- to 15-year-old sailors representing five nations – the U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the USA and Canada – started the week by training in the three-day TOTE Maritime Clinic held June 11 to 13. The Clinic was run by top local and international coaches: Mykel Alonso (Coral Reef Yacht Club), Cyrill Auyer (US National team coach/Swiss coach/St Petersburgh Yacht Club); Mike Dowd (USA National team coach/Team CERT); Tino Galan (USVI coach); Bernat Gali (Spanish coach/Lakewood Yacht Club); Esteban Rocha (USA team coach for the Optimist World Championships/Lauderdale Yacht Club); Argy Resano (USVI team coach); Manny Resano (USA National team coach/California Yacht Club); Greer Scholes (USVI coach); and Omari Scott (USA team coach for the Optimist European Championships/Coral Reef Yacht Club).
The one-day TOTE Maritime Team Racing Championships took place, June 14. Out of 13 teams, the winner was Team USA Worlds, composed of Peter Foley (Coral Reef Yacht Club, Florida), Thommie Grit (Sarasota Yacht Club, Florida), Ryan Satterberg (Santa Barbara Yacht Club, California), Tommy Sitzmann (Lauderdale Yacht Club, Florida) and Stephan Baker (Lauderdale Yacht Club, Florida). This marked the first time that the sailors had competed together as a team.
The IOR/EMS was organized under authority of the Virgin Islands Sailing Association and it is a Caribbean Sailing Association-sanctioned event.
“We at EMS Virgin Islands would like to thank all the sailors, families and coaches; the race committee, principal race officers and international judges; and the St. Thomas Yacht Club for making this regatta such a success,” says Cobia Fagan, owner, EMS Virgin Islands, whose 8-year-old son, Coby, participated in the regatta for the second year and competed in the Green Fleet. “We are so happy to see many past participants return and several new sailors and their families visit the Virgin Islands and compete for the first time. We are looking forward to the IOR/EMS 2019.”
This year’s event will follow an eco-friendly theme. Sailors will be encouraged to recycle all plastic water bottles, use the reusable water bottle in the goodie bag throughout the regatta, keep all lunch bags and wrapping out of the water, pick up any trash on shore and accept drinks without straws.
The IOR is sponsored by EMS Virgin Islands, TOTE Maritime, the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, K3 Waterproof Gear and TRIO Sportswear.
RESULTS
TOP 5 FINISHERS BY FLEET
RED FLEET
1. Peter Foley, USA (27)
2. Stephan Baker, USA, USA (32)
3. Tommy Sitzmann, USA (67)
4. Jackson McAliley, USA (70)
5. Tony Slowik III, USA (72)
BLUE FLEET
1. Audrey Foley, USA (105)
2. Charles Gil Hackel, USA (106)
3. Tanner Krygsveld, St. Thomas, USVI (121)
4. Freddie Parkin, USA (124)
5. Pearse Dowd, USA (141)
WHITE FLEET
1. Elliott Lipp, USA (406)
2. Ryan Moorhead, St. Croix, USVI (424)
3. James Pine, USA (428)
4. Nathan Pine USA (474)
5. Gian Marco Piovanetti, San Juan, PR (555)
GREEN FLEET
1. Alejandro Ferrer, San Juan, PR (44)
2. Brayden Zawyer, USA (53)
3. Elinor Alfi, USA (105)
4. Ava McAliley, USA (107)
5. Coby Fagan, St. Thomas, USVI (110)
For more information, call (340) 513-2234, Email: internationaloptiregatta@gmail.com. For full results, visit the STYC web site at www.styc.club or www.regattanetwork.com Please also visit the International Optimist Regatta on Facebook!
ABOUT THE SPONSORS
Electronic Merchant Systems (EMS) Virgin Islands. EMS Virgin Islands offers an extensive suite of payment acceptance options through Electronic Merchant Systems, a proven leader of the industry. We work to give customers the opportunity to pay using their preferred method, including a feature rich, affordable POS system that includes EMV, Apple Pay and Google Pay. We’re continually adding new solutions, allowing business owners to make their products or services available to the broadest audience possible. www.emsvirginislands.com (340) 513-9759.
U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism. The U.S. Virgin Islands are located in the Eastern Caribbean 1,100 miles southeast of Miami, Florida, USA. Each of the three major islands–St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John–possesses a unique character of its own. Visitors can enjoy a wide range of watersports as well as immerse themselves in the territory’s rich culture by enjoying historical tours, culinary encounters, artisan fairs, parades, storytelling and other special presentations. www.visitusvi.com
TOTE Maritime. TOTE Maritime is a domestic ocean freight carrier headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, that offers freight services for containerized cargo between the U.S., San Juan, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. TOTE is the first carrier to operate liquid natural gas (LNG) powered vessels. www.totemaritime.com
Media contact:
Carol Bareuther
Tel: (340) 998-3650
Email: bareuther@earthlink.net
Skype: Carol.Bareuther
2018 S1D/Gill Coach of the Year Announced
17 June 2018, Annapolis, MD — Sail1Design has been lucky to be part of some great moments over the years, mostly when we do our job, and take part in recognizing youth, high school, college, and one-design sailors. Reading nomination letters, hearing from our community about unsung heroes, sharing in the joy of the winners…… makes the whole Sail1Design project, now 11+ years in the making, more than worth it.
Remember, we only choose candidates from nomination letters sent in, so we sit back, and take what we get. This year, we were faced again with narrowing an incredibly deserving field. Not easy. In fact, we almost couldn’t finish the job. Two candidates stood out, for different but equally compelling reasons. After going back and forth, and at first considering having two winners, we settled on one. This year, the S1D/Gill Coach of the Year Award goes to Scott Iklé.
Scott is the Head Intercollegiate Coach at Hobart/William Smith, a position he’s held for 25 years. His roots there go 
even deeper, however, as Scott is a 1984 graduate of the college himself. Scott is a full-time, lifetime professional contributor to the world of competitive sailing, and is a standout sailor himself. He’s been worthy of an award like this for a long time, so we are elated that he was nominated. Scott has been incredibly successful over the years at Hobart/WS, and while this year the team didn’t win any of the big ones, we fell in love with his nomination letter, which came from one of his players. I think the part that touched us the most was the fact that he was nominated by one of his players, along with her “meet us halfway” description (see letter below) to show us his dedication to their team. Scott’s collegiate team’s results this year were pretty incredible as well, across the board. While most college teams would kill to be in the top 3 of any of the National Championship events, Hobart was there in all of them: 4th at COED Nationals (3 points out of 2nd), 3rd (tied for 2nd in record) at Team Race Nationals, and 3rd at Women’s Nationals. That’s pretty impressive stuff for one team, and this across-the-board average finish place at the three 
National Championship events was bested only by College of Charleston. Congratulations Scott, and well-earned.
Thanks to our sponsor, Gill NA, our winner will receive an embroidered, beautiful Gill Race Series Softshell Jacket. Below is some copy taken from the nomination letter Scott received. What a tribute.
For Scott Ikle:
Coming into college, I wasn’t sure I was going to have the skill or courage to make it past even the first day of try-outs for the Hobart and William Smith Sailing Team. But here I am today, newly graduated from HWS after spending all 4 years with the sailing team I’ve called home grateful for every second I spent here.
To us, Scott really knows how to connect to everyone on the team. Scott knows what every person needs to push them to the next level. Scott also is not a coach who will pump your ego, but he will ensure you that you are able and have the potential to make things happen… Scott is willing to go that extra mile for his team, to meet them halfway. This year at Old Dominion University, Scott quite literally met us halfway, wading waist deep in the water to be eye level and connected for our “between set pep talk” (that’s a huge feat, for 
those of us who know that Scott wears two pairs of spraypants at practice). He knows when to push, and when to let go and let us shake off the bad race, helping us get ready for the next one. ….Scott has this unique ability to understand what his sailors need, whether it be in his office on campus, hanging onto his rib after a drill at practice, or standing onshore in between sets at a regatta. In my four years at HWS, Scott has taken a team of the most unlikely people, who in 2015, did not qualify for any ICSA Finals in Newport RI, to being a strong cohesive team that placed 3rd in Women’s Finals, 3rd in Team Race Finals, and 4th in Coed Fleet Race Finals. To all of us, Scott has proven to be so much more than just a coach, but a mentor, someone we can learn from while cracking some jokes along the way, but most importantly, someone we can confide in. Scott has made Bozzuto Boathouse and the HWS Sailing Team an eternal home for his team. And although Scott would probably deny this (being as humble as he is) I truly believe there is no person more deserving of this award than Scott Ikle.
S1D Coach of the Year Winners
2018- Scott Iklé
2017- Bill Healy
2016- Bill Ward
2015- Frank Pizzo
2014- Chris Dold
2013- Steve Hunt
Interviews with 2018 College Sailing National Champions: Womens, Team Racing, & COED!
The College Sailing Nationals concluded at the beginning of this month. The event was hosted by Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Starting on May 22nd and finishing on June 1st, teams from across the country gathered to compete in the three events. The first event was the Sperry Womens National Championship with 36 teams represented. The second was the Laser Performance Team Race National Championship with 16 teams competing. Lastly the Gill Coed National Championship had 36 teams sailing in the event. Sailors from each of the events championships took the time to answer questions about their teams and nationals for this piece. Take a look at what they had to say!
Sperry Womens National Champions: BOSTON COLLEGE
Here is what sailors Lily Magrath Class of 2018, Isabella Loosbrock Class of 2019, Emma Perry Class of 2019, and Sophia Reineke Class of 2021 had to say about this season and nationals.
Q. What were your team goals going into the start of this sailing season?
A. Every year during the off season our whole team sits down together and comes up with a list of goals and steps on how we plan to achieve these goals. This year, winning a national championship was on the top of the list of goals, but it was the little goals working up to the championship that helped us win. It was the extra workouts, time spent together as a team, and pushing each other hard every day at practice that helped us reach our larger goal. – Isabella
Q. How has the program changed in the years you’ve been attending Boston College?
A. Our team was much smaller this year than in past years, which has brought us all closer and the reason we consider each other family. This year I’ve seen so many of my teammates step up as leaders and push everyone around them to strive for excellence. – Emma
Q. How do your teammates push you to be better?
A. My teammates challenge me on and off the water, which is why this championship is truly won by the whole team. Whether it is the person next to me in the weight room lifting more, or getting burned off the start line, I am constantly pushed to be better by my teammates. We hold each other to extremely high standards on and off the water, which is what helps us continuously improve. – Isabella
Q. What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned from your coaches?
A. What our coach, Greg Wilkinson, really hammered into our heads throughout the year, especially at nationals, was that the only thing that mattered at any event was the next race. What happened the race before was irrelevant. Whether you won, got last, were first off the line, hit a mark, or got a flag, it was already over and in the past. The only thing that could improve your performance was doing your homework before the next start. Overall, I think we’ve all learned that letting your thoughts and feelings stand in the way of doing your job is detrimental to your performance. -Sophia
Q. How can you describe to readers how the nationals went and how you guys came out on top to take the Womens National Title?
A. Our focus going into semi-finals was to qualify for finals and to understand the sailing venue/conditions. Our focus during finals was to fight for every point. We only thought about the next race and instead of imagining what winning would feel like, we imagined what sailing the boat perfectly would feel like. We knew that if we sailed the boat perfectly and did our jobs well, the results would follow. – Lily
Q. What does this title mean for your team, your school and your sailors?
A. This title is obviously a huge accomplishment for the team. It would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of all 26 teammates and coaches. Talent and individual skill are not the deciding factor on who wins an event like this. It is the strength of a team and how well teammates can put aside their individual goals to try and achieve something bigger than themselves. Every person on our team was able to do that so we were able to come home with the win. This title is a tribute to our motto, “26Strong.” – Lily
The Laser Performance Team Race Nationals Title was claimed by the COLLEGE of CHARLESTON. Carter Cameron Class of 2019 and Alie Toppa Class of 2020 answered some questions for us.
Q. What were the team’s thoughts at the start of the spring season?
A. We were looking forward to a productive spring season. Our ladies had been sailing as fast as they had been, and we were excited to prepare for a competitive team racing season. We knew there’d be a lot of good teams and that we just had to work harder than the rest of them. – Carter
Q. Tell us about some goals that were set at the start of the season?
A. Based off the fall season, we knew we had some fast sailors on our squad, so we wanted to focus on being a more cohesive unit on the water, especially in team racing. Luckily we have a lot of fast sailors on our team, so we were able to mix it up with starting team race group and make them work together more. Also, we wanted to win another national championship. – Carter
Q. How did the team strive to achieve those goals?
A. We sailed a lot. I mean almost whenever a group of us had free time to get a group of boats on the water. We also met on shore a lot of times to watch videos, talk team race strategies, and get speed tips from each other. – Carter
Q. What were some of the highlights for you two during the season prior to Nationals?
A. Winning multiple regattas in the women’s circuit during the spring season was definitely a highlight us, setting the pace going into nationals. – Alie
Our team had success throughout the season, with multiple podium finishes in the men’s and women’s singlehanded and a second in match racing. It was also exciting to see some of our backup sailors go to regattas and do well too. – Carter
Q. What would you say the team improved most on during this season?
A. I would say that our team has really improved in working together in everything we do. Training with 18 competitive boats on the water everyday at practice to get our starters as ready as they can be is a huge team effort. Sailing with such a large and talented team at every practice is really what makes the difference for us, and gives us the ability to perform well at regattas, especially nationals. We take full advantage of the depth that we have on our team and I think it really pays off. – Alie
Q. Tell us about how your coaches helped improve the team this year?
A. I really do believe that we have the best group of coaches anyone could ask for. Ward, Mitch, and Greg all do the best job of any coach that I have ever had in fostering a culture of excellence within our team. With all that they do for us, they each have their own strong point, and it all comes together perfectly. – Alie
Q. What expectations did the team have going into Nationals?
A. Going into this year’s nationals, we had very high expectations after having a successful season. We knew that we could be very competitive in all three events. After finishing the nationals with a 1st in team racing and 2nd in both women’s and coed, we succeeded in standing out as the best overall college sailing team. – Carter
A. Finishing in second place in the women’s after losing the tie breaker for first was tough to swallow at first, but then I can only think of how hard we worked to perform at such a high level and to be so competitive, and it makes me proud to say I am a part of that team. – Alie
Q. Tell us in your own words how the team grabbed the Team Race Title and what it means for both of you?
A. Knowing that this would be a very competitive nationals, we tried to stay calm and focused. Knew the preparation we did throughout the season was enough for us to do well, we just needed to perform. Being able to do that was what we needed to win. While I never got in the boat, watching them from shore was just as exciting for me as if I was on the water. For our hard work to pay off for us was extremely special to me. I couldn’t hold in my excitement as I ran off the end of the dock. – Carter
A. Winning the event and defending our national title was so special, especially since all of the other teams are so competitive which made for very tight racing. To come out on top really proved how much making the most of our time on the water paid off. – Alie
Q. What are some things the team will work on next season?
A. While we lose our College Sailor of the Year and a few other of our starting sailors, we aren’t rebuilding, we’re only reloading. We have so many fast sailors and young talent on our team that can step up to the plate. We’re going to work on continuing teamwork in the team race sector, and keep pushing each other to work as hard as we can and sail as fast as we can. Don’t count us out next year. – Carter
MIT took home the Gill Coed National Championship. Rising seniors Trevor Long and Sameena Shaffeeullah had this to say about their year and nationals.
Q. What were the goals of the team going into this season?
A. I think it would be a bit naive to say our goal was to win nationals. Ostensibly, it’s every team’s goal to win. I think we took a bit of a different approach at the beginning of the year. We were lucky that both Ty and I returned as a team, it gave us very concrete goals and skills to work on having already known what our strengths and weaknesses were as a team.
Our primary goal would be to get our new crews up to speed since we had lost a lot of them to graduation last year. This was our goal for the first half of the fall. That said a huge shout out to Julia Cho, Marcus Abate, John Ped, and Michael Mastrandrea for jumping into the fire this year for being either freshmen or new to this level of racing in general. For the second half, I would say we focused a lot more on consolidating our racing strategy and removing the small gaps in our sailing ability and errors in our racing strategy.I think accomplishing all of these little goals was the primary driver of our season, and not the “winning nationals” bit. It was each small accomplishment and each little victory that made up the whole and led us to winning. Big goals are flashy, but small ones are much simpler to accomplish and add up very quickly with the right focus. – Trevor
A. I was also lucky in that I was able to return as Ty’s crew. After spending all of last year learning how to sail with him boat handling-wise and learning where I was most needed in terms of strategy, this year we were able to build on that foundation together and had a head start in becoming a faster boat.
Going into this season the team knew that we were capable of doing really well and our goal was just to do our best. Regardless of what that meant in terms of results, if we all believed that we worked as hard as we could and put in our full effort, we would have been happy. – Sameena
Q. How did the season go prior to Nationals?
A. I would say that we overall had a pretty good season prior to nationals. While we had our bad regattas, we also had our fair share of good ones. One really disappointing moment for us was when we did not make it to team race nationals, especially having made it the year before. However, we did not let this failure phase us and we shifted gears into fleet racing really quickly, putting our maximum effort into doing well there. – Sameena
Q. Tell us about some of the challenges the team faced this season?
A. We had some great seniors graduate last year, so at the beginning of the season one of our challenges was finding people to fill in for that role. The whole team worked really hard, driving others to perform at their best. This challenge made everyone a better sailor. The team remained flexible, and many sailors, Greta especially, balanced multiple roles. This season, Greta was skippering for women’s team racing and crewing for both the women and coed teams. – Sameena
A. I think confidence was a huge challenge for us. We hadn’t made it to Nationals for a while, so it was like a big ominous cloud hanging over us. I can’t speak for Ty and the others, but I was certainly uncertain in my ability to perform. I’ve really only started competing on this level in college, and on few if any occasions sailed with this much pressure to bear. I think the big hurdle for myself and others was certainly going into the event knowing we were ready to take it head on. – Trevor
Q. What can you tell us about how your coaches prepared you for Nationals?
A. I really wouldn’t say that we changed anything we did to prepare for nationals, at least not in the big picture. The coaches are always pushing us to practice like we’re trying to win nationals and we were able to carry that through into the postseason. I think the best preparation we got from the coaches was on the mental side of it all during the last half of the spring. We talked a lot about the mental game within the racing itself. Matt’s constant nagging of “only you can beat you” stands at the forefront of my mind, and really that’s the mentality we went with going into Nationals. We took each race as it came and just tried to sail our own race when we had the ability to, and if we had a bad race, we just thought about the next one. – Trevor
A. I agree with Trevor. The coaches constantly worked with us on our mental game. In times of frustration it is easy to fall into the mentality of needing to do something magical to win, like getting a personal puff on the complete wrong side of the course. The coaches constantly reminded us throughout the season that as long as we did the small things right–focus on good boat handling, sail the lifts, be on the line–everything else would fall into place. – Sameena
Q. Going into Nationals what were some of things you knew the team had to do?
A. To be honest, I think most of us had no idea what we were doing. To point out the obvious, this was the first time any of us had made it to Coed Nationals and we didn’t exactly know what to expect. I think the biggest challenge we had to overcome was keeping our energy up and focused. We came out of New England qualifiers excited, but a little deflated having not had the finish we thought we were capable of. We came into nationals with the intention of proving that we belonged there, this kept us practicing hard in the postseason and kept our energy up for nationals itself. – Trevor
A. At semis, we also did not have the finish we were hoping for, as we let some frustrations get the best of us. Going into finals we were once again reminded that our focus should be to keep our mental energy and calm. When we are relaxed, we sail well naturally and when we are frustrated we typically think too much and often over-complicate simple decisions. – Sameena
Q. Tell us in your own words about winning the title
A. Winning the title was really exciting. It worked out that we were doing well in both A and B division, which made it a lot less stressful. At times when Ty and I were doing poorly, we’d look over at our B division boat and more often than not, they would be somewhere in the top 10. If we messed something up, our teammates were doing well enough to make up for it. There was a point in the racing where Ty and I were winning our race and Trevor and Julia were winning their race– we passed right by them on the course as we were going upwind and they were going downwind and gave a little MIT cheer to each other. This is one of my favorite college sailing moments. -Sameena
A. Winning the title was a huge cathartic experience. It really felt like all of the work and stress from last season and the previous seasons was finally lifted off my shoulders. I was actually petrified up until the last race: I distinctly remember looking down at my hands on the last day and seeing them trembling from nerves knowing that the next few races could make or break the title for us. But as the scores and the day settled, and it became clear that we were going to win it just felt like a huge rush of relief washing over me. We’ve been through huge ups and downs together as a team. It was just incredible to share that huge release with everyone. – Trevor
Q. How are you both and the team going to improve for next season?
A. Next season, I will be sailing with someone new, as I primarily sailed with Ty and he has now graduated. I will have to learn how to adjust to a new sailing style and in doing that I will become a better crew. Also, I will be able to draw on past experiences and apply solutions that Ty and I have previously determined. – Sameena
A. For me I think there are two paths of improvement for next year. For myself I think that building the confidence to successfully fill Ty’s shoes will be my biggest growth point. I’ve grown pretty comfortable in B-division, building confidence in my abilities, Next year will put that confidence to the test. Second, and probably more importantly, I want to start diffusing the experience I’ve gained over the last two years of racing to the upcoming members of our team. I have a lot of competition yet to go, but it’s definitely better for the next generation to build off our learned experience rather than start fresh and erasing the progress we’ve made. – Trevor
Worlds Team USA Wins 2018 International Optimist Team Race Regatta
Thursday, June 14 2018, St. Thomas, USVI — Coached by Pilo Rocha, the 2018 USODA Worlds Team of Stephan Baker, Peter Foley, Ryan Satterberg, Thommie Grit, and Tommy Sitzmann just topped 12 other teams and won the Team Race portion of the International Optimist Regatta, held in St. Thomas, USVI. International Optimist team race regattas are 4-on-4 events (whereas high school & college team racing is 3-on-3). The course is usually a “digital-N” (see diagram) and this regatta was the first chance for the US World team to work together. With 5 sailors, they have the ability to try different combinations, and all 5 Team USA sailors sailed in this event to help secure the win.
The TOTE Maritime International Optimist Regatta Team Race in St. Thomas, USVI was comprised of thirteen teams of five sailors. As the wind picked up to 8-12 knots the weather became perfect for team racing, which was aided by flat water in making it a great day. In a close race, the 2018 IOR Team Race Championship Title came down to a best of three races between two USA 
teams-USA World Team (Stephan Baker, Peter Foley, Thommie Grit, Ryan Satterberg and Tommy Sitzmann) and Team Invisacrox (Nico Garcia-Castrillon, Spencer Dominguez, Kevin Gosselin, Truman Rogers, Kurt Stuebe). The USA World Team clinched the title, giving the United States wins for three consecutive years. “The team worked well together with good communication during each leg of the races. This is the first time these sailors raced as a team.“ USA World’s Coach, Pilo Rocha of Lauderdale YC said, “I was pleased with their performance and I look forward to working with them as they train for The 2018 World Optimist Championship in Limassol, Cyprus.”
Conditions so far in St. Thomas have been outstanding, and the fleet racing portion of the event is set to begin Friday, June 15. For updates check our the IOR Facebook page! Photos by Mattias Cappizzano; Please check out Capizzano photos for some outstanding shots!
1st Place: USA World 1
2nd Place: Invisicrox
3rd Place: ISV1
Matias Capizzano photos
