Ending the Season in Annapolis at the J24 North Americans
One of the joys in racing is going to places where most people share a deep love and understanding for our sport. Annapolis is one of those towns. Nobody blinks an eye when we tow the J24 down the crowded city streets. The Sea Bags Women’s Sailing Team joined 37 other teams from around the world in Annapolis, Maryland over the last week of October for the J24 North American Championship.
Our last event of the season was exhilarating, surrounded by passionate sailors in America’s sailing capital. On day one, race one, we got off the starting line with speed and clear air. Erica skippered, Emily trimmed, Hillary called tactics, Joy called breeze and compass, Laura on mast controls, and Jess controlled the bow. The Sea Bags Women’s Sailing Team rounded the windward mark in an exhilarating second place and held this lead to the leeward mark. By the end of the race, we had dropped to 9th place, but it was amazing to kick off a North American championship in this way.
Laura, Joy, Erica, Hillary
We had three races on Friday with great breeze, followed by four long races on Saturday. Unfortunately, our crew struggled to get off the starting line for the rest of the regatta. Because of that, we couldn't find a clear lane with clean undisturbed air, which made it really hard to climb to the top. We struggled with the current and hit the windward mark a few times but overall, didn't finish as well as we wanted. Final results were a 28th overall finish, 13th Corinthian, and top female team.
The women on the Sea Bags Sailing Team love competing at the highest levels in the J24 class. Next to a world championship, the North Americans is the best competition to be found, and we’ve been competing against these folks for 7 years as a team. It was incredible to compete against and connect with old friends again. And a major bonus was enjoying oysters and crabmeat chowder at dinner on Saturday night.
Looking ahead, we have a busy off-season planned working with Olympic-level and award-winning coach Mike Ingham. Our team is planning some virtual sessions with Mike and will review Go Pro footage from 2022 events to learn from our successes and opportunities for improvement. For now, our chilly winter will be spent reminiscing on the fun times we had together, perhaps gathering for a team ski weekend, and looking forward to being together as a team for the 2023 season.