Blog

By Airwaves writer Sammy Pickell
The 2016 U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championships in Mississippi welcomed its sailors with the famous Bay St. Louis presence of both humidity and southern hospitality. The event offered 29 competitive teams from all across the country the opportunity to culminate their stories of preparation and hard work in three days of racing. For some, the event served as a stepping stone for other national events later in the summer, particularly allowing the top two
teams to qualify for the Youth Championships held in August. For others, placing at Ida Lewis would serve as the pinnacle of their sailing careers thus far. Ida presented every team with an equal opportunity to showcase everything they have learned about sailing a club 420.
Much of the preparation for the three days of racing came from the critical two days before the regatta. World class coaches at the top of their craft in both college sailing and high level competitive youth sailing helped prepare all the girls at practice clinics. Sailors and coaches tinkered with their charter boats and worked together on boat handling skills later out on the water, as steady southerly winds funneled in usually after scattered thunderstorms dissipated by the venue. Coaches not only emphasized the importance of fine tuning and rigging, but also of
hydration in the humid environment. Sailors also met their generous host families for the week and settled in at host homes of Bay St. Louis locals, another crucial aspect to building up peak performance. Emma Batcher from San Diego, California called a large summer house with 17 other girls her home for the week. “The host family’s importance can’t be overstated,” said Emma. “We are all able to do our best in an unfamiliar place thanks to the hospitality of our families.”
Emma Batcher’s host family may have held the key to her success. She and her skipper
Amanda Majernik narrowly made the podium, securing a fifth place after some strong finishes
throughout the week. Even more impressive, her skipper’s journey to Ida Lewis started off in the
front of the boat, as Amanda crewed at the 2015 Ida Lewis and only began her debut as a skipper
that same summer as well. Amanda and third place skipper Tanner Chapko, also from San Diego,
share similar stories. Tanner began her experience with double-handed boats as a strong crew,
working for years to master her trapping skills and jib trim. However, she soon learned she was a
force to be reckoned with in the back of the boat as well. Tanner and her crew Megan Lansdale
made success imminent as well as enjoyable with their many laughs during the week and mutual
understanding of each other as crews.
Another team on the podium hailing from California, the fourth place boat included fifth
time veterans to the Ida Lewis regatta Aitana and Lorea Mendiguren. Their journey together
began long before their sailing partnership did, as twins sailing against each other since they
were young. The twins began their Ida Lewis journeys barely old enough to compete and now
finished up their experience during their last summer sailing together before college. Reaching
this spot on the podium has been a long and memorable journey for them both. “I’ll miss my
sister and it’ll be difficult because I have come to understand what she needs from a crew, so the
transition will be tough,” says Lorea. “But I’m always up for a new challenge and love meeting
people who love sailing as much as I do.” Lorea and Aitana will part ways for the first time in
fall— Lorea to the University of Southern California and Aitana across the country to the George
Washington University. The twins will also part ways as teammates after five years of Ida.
Contrary to Lorea and Aitana’s long involvement in the championships, both the winning
team and the runner up are relatively new to the club 420 and are first time Ida Lewis
competitors. The winners of the entire regatta, Sarah Burn and Patricia Gerli, grew up in New
Jersey dominating the Optimist fleet; each immediately transferred this power into Ida Lewis—
one of their first club 420 regattas. Similarly, in the case of the second place team including
skipper Michelle Lahrkamp and Gabrielle Delbello, Michelle only finished up sailing optimists
last summer. Both sets of girls are only incoming sophomores, giving them plenty of time to
keep building on their already huge accomplishments from the week.
The podiums at national sailing events present much more than skillful sailors able to tactically overcome competition out on the race course. Behind each team called up to receive their trophy, separate stories of preparation make the end result incredibly special after so much time and effort spent training for the event. Each Ida Lewis clearly differs from the next, but the level of talent exhibited by young women on the water is a factor that surely won’t change as long as the regatta is around.