Special Report
A debrief from US Sailing’s Youth Competition Manager, John Pearce, on the annual US Sailing Youth Thanksgiving Racing Camp that took place in Miami, Florida November 24-26. Phil Muller, US Sailing’s new Youth Performance Manager, led the camp and had a great weekend on the water working with the next generation of athletes.
Read below for the full download.
The 2023 US Sailing Youth Thanksgiving Racing Camp brought together youth sailors and coaches for 3 days of ocean training and competition off Miami Beach, Florida. 133 sailors and 21 coaches participated, including the US Youth Team sailors preparing for the upcoming Youth World Championship in Brazil this December, and international sailors representing Bermuda, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Peru, and the US Virgin Islands.
The camp was focused on race training in a regatta environment, including starting, mark roundings, and race strategy. Each day began with a morning presentation, followed by class briefings for the athletes and coaches in the 29er, 420, ILCA 6, and Nacra 15 boat classes. Presenters included Ed Baird of Quantum Racing and Victor Diaz de Leon.
Weather was a challenge throughout the weekend, with light winds limiting the training time on Friday, followed by rain showers. Conditions improved throughout the day on Saturday, with light winds filling in midday and training continuing until sunset. Sunday’s conditions were better, with moderate winds and choppy seas.
“It was a great bunch of sailors with lots of thoughtful questions and plenty of energy. Nice work getting on-the-water value in tough conditions. Memories were made and talent was improved.” – Ed Baird, Quantum Racing
The invitation process and schedule for next year’s US Youth Performance camps will be released in early 2024. Interested sailors and coaches should plan to attend the 2024 U.S. Youth Championship and U.S. Junior Women’s Championship regattas, which will be part of the invitation process.
Thank you to host club Miami Yacht Club, as well as Lauderdale Yacht Club, Quantum Racing, New England Ropes, Principal Race Officer Carol Ewing, and volunteers Chris and Terry Hamilton, Soledad and Jaime Coates, Wendy Mertz, Ian Brown, Patricio Racippio, Simon, Gabriel Yelin, and Martin Langhoff.
Next up for the US Youth Team is the Youth World Championship, December 8-16 in Buzios, Brazil. Fifteen sailors and four coaches will travel to Brazil to represent the USA against the best youth sailors from around the world. For more information on the Youth Worlds, visit the US Sailing website.
You can contact US Sailing’s staff by emailing youth@ussailing.org or on Instagram @youthracingcentral. More photos from this event by Allison Chenard, US Sailing Team are available!