2023 TROFEO PRINCESA SOFIA REGATTA

Location: Mallorca, Spain
Dates: April 3-8, 2023

In April, I had the incredible opportunity to proudly represent Port Credit Yacht Club and Canada at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Regatta in Mallorca, Spain. This World Cup event in the ILCA 7 class gathered the finest sailors worldwide, and I was honoured to be part of it. The regatta, doubling as the Canadian qualifier for the upcoming World Sailing Championships, was thrilling.

Despite some unpredictable conditions, both the race committee and sailors faced the challenge head-on. The initial day's light air allowed only one fleet to race, and unfortunately, I wasn't part of that lucky group. A top 10 position in our race was cut short by a flag and a subsequent abandoned race due to disappearing winds. The following day brought a marathon on the water with three races over 7.5 hours, showcasing the adaptability of sailors as the wind shifted. The last day of qualifying had us eagerly watching as the yellow fleet caught up on a race before re-splitting into new groups—the sea breeze built up for the final qualifying day, creating a challenging yet exhilarating series.

52 Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía Mallorca, © Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca

Throughout the regatta, my starts posed a challenge, and navigating through dense fleets in moderate to light conditions proved tricky in the ILCA 7. Second-beat decision-making added another layer of difficulty, causing a few slides in the fleet.

In the overall standings, I landed in the 119th position out of 184 sailors. While it wasn't the placement I had aimed for, missing the fourth and final Canadian spot for the Worlds by 13 places, the experience was invaluable. The regatta tested me physically, mentally, and emotionally, pushing me to my limits and providing immense learning opportunities.

Despite the challenges, I am genuinely grateful for the chance to represent my country on the global stage and compete among the best in the sport. The experience has only strengthened my determination to improve, refine my skills, and gear up for the upcoming Olympic trials starting in January 2024. I am sincerely grateful for the unwavering support that made this incredible journey possible. Here's to the lessons learned, the challenges overcome, and the exciting journey ahead!

RESULTS

2020 HEMPEL WORLD CUP MIAMI

With the medal race wrapping up just over a week ago, my second Miami World Cup came to a close. Disappointingly, I was in the coach boat watching a number of my teammates instead of in my Laser racing with them. 

After day one I was sitting in 12th place and felt I could move up to secure a spot in the medal race.
Photo Credit: Pedro Martinez/Sailing Energy

Although impressively half of the 10 competitors in the Laser medal race were Canadian, the athlete from Trinidad and Tobago beat out the Canadians to finish 4th and secured a spot at his 3rd Olympics. Sadly this leaves Canada without a place in the Laser fleet at the Tokyo 2020 games. 

Unfortunately, this turn of events will bring some changes to the team. A few athletes will likely retire, meaning that valuable training partners will disappear. While 2020 was never my goal, I had hoped to experience a Canadian Olympic trials process and was looking forward to spending a bit more time with the senior members of our team to better prepare myself for 2024. 

Checking in with Canadian Team coach Larry Lemieux.
Photo Credit: Pedro Martinez/Sailing Energy

While my results for this event could have been better, I feel confident about the training I had going into the event. I am grateful for the reminder of the importance of staying focused on the process. After the first day, I was sitting in 12th place and felt that I could move up into the medal race. Unfortunately, I put extra pressure on myself to achieve this and lost sight of the process, which is what has gotten me to strong results. Over the following days, I fell to 23rd place after some flag trouble (penalties) and poor decision making. While 23rd is a significant improvement from last year, it's essential to acknowledge that the fleet was weaker, with 40 instead of 100 boats and almost no sailors from outside of North and South America. 

Regardless, I'll move forward, grateful for the valuable lesson, and a deep motivation to ensure that our country spot at the 2024 Olympics is qualified before the final regional qualifier, so Canada isn't in this situation again.

RESULTS
VIDEO REPLAY - MEDAL RACE (Laser begins 2:40)

2019 HEMPEL WORLD CUP SERIES MIAMI

Last week I had the opportunity to represent Port Credit Yacht Club, the Ontario Sailing Team and Canada on the world stage at the Hempel Sailing World Cup Series - Miami. This was an incredible experience to line up beside some of the best in the world relatively close to home.

Liam Bruce (CAN 215019), Josh Armit (NZL 212259) and Rob Davis (CAN 211542)

The regatta brought forth numerous challenges from long 7 hour days in the grueling heat to tricky light winds that were often affected by clouds. With such a high caliber fleet, I was well aware that the qualifying series was going to be a challenge. Being my first world cup event, I dealt with some serious nerves that lead to a few poor nights of sleep resulting in me making some big mistakes in the qualifying races. I ended up deep in the silver fleet after a trying qualifying series.

Laser fleet downwind leg. My Ontario Sailing Teammate James Juhasz visible in the center of the photo.

However, for the rest of the event, I found a good relaxed groove that allowed me to leave the experience very positive and excited for what the future holds. I finished up 76th of 101 boats and I am looking forward to getting back out there again at Laser Midwinters East in Clearwater at the end of the month. In the meantime, I’m back at school in Kingston training hard in the gym.

RESULTS