I joined up with LISOT and US coach Larry Suter for this event being one of two Canadians on the team. We arrived in Miami on the 26^th and managed to get in two hours of training before the event. I was rusty as I had not been in the boat since September due to school. The weather this year was much warmer than 2010 although the winds were variable from 20 knots to zero and glassy.

Day one had very good winds with gusts up to 18 knots it was a very good learning experience. We managed to get in 4 races. I struggled with my starts and so it effected my placing. The wind and the current made it difficult to get off the line well.

Day two started with winds of 20 knots and dying to 7 in the PM. I was trying to be more aggressive on the starts so I obtained 2 i flags out of 4 races due to current. This made me have to circle the committee boat and effectively took me out of contention. It was better than being black flagged though.

Day three. No racing due to lack of wind.

Day four. This was by far my best day in light winds. We only got in two races as there was a 1:00PM cut off however I finished 10^th and 12^th to complete the regatta in 17^th place. I learned a lot from coach Larry and hope I will run in to him again in the future.  My team was fun to be with and three of us decided to do Cabarete together in March.

Fall Cork/Great lakes Championship Kingston.

This competition was my first Grand Prix event in a full rig. It was also the Great Lakes Championship for 2011. This was supposed to be a wind event however it ended up being light wind. I ended this event in 17^th place. Enough to obtain 9 ISAF points.

Quebec Championships Oka, Quebec

For this event I switched to full rig as was the case last year. We were not blessed with any wind and only managed to complete one race over the two days. I was satisfied with the improvement of light wind sailing skills this year and certainly this helped me place 1^st in this event and win the Quebec (District 2) Championship for 2011.

Canadian U 19 Championships St Margaret’s Bay Nova Scotia

Arrived early to get used to the water here. Training interrupted by a hurricane, as seems to be common for this site. We had one day of wind during the event and I was satisfied by my sailing that day. Unfortunately I was black flagged on a race when I finished third. Overall I had some good races in light wind however a DSQ  I could not drop did not help scoring overall. In the end I finished 14^th out of 42 males in the class.

Cork International Kingston

This year Cork was a difficult event for me, I had a couple of good results, however missed a race and there was no wind so I did not beat last year’s result. I finished 44^th in Gold Fleet. There were a total of 151 entries in the Radial class.

Arrived 3 days before the event. Saw the end of youth full rig and adult radial worlds. Very interesting conditions, I would not say more difficult, just different. The land plays a huge effect on the wind. It defeats the CORK theory of going left! Very much a sailing town! Shows how much more Europeans treat sailing as a sport than in North America. For the radial juniors approximately 300 male and 100 females registered. Had time to do a bit of tourism in the area and the old port from the Middle Ages. Interesting the ties to Quebec here as most French who immigrated to Quebec in 1600’s left from this port. Obtaining charter boat and measurements took 5 hours! Not well organized.

The day before our event I went out for practice on the water. Not as cold as I was expecting. Warmer on the water than land. The islands really affect the winds here. Opening ceremony was at 700PM. Met lots of people from other countries. Got my picture on the event web site holding the Canadian flag during the opening ceremony.

Day 1. Delay due to lack of wind. Finally got out on the water 1330. Managed two races in medium winds.  These people are a lot better than what I see in North America. Finished day 1 near the bottom of the pack. For the rest of the week the trend was the same. We did not start racing until the afternoon when the thermal built up and each day we did two races. My best result in the preliminary series was 51/69 with a black flag dropped. As the week progressed I was amazed how guys much bigger than me could do so well in light breezes. I had a number of races where I got a great start on the line only to have the front runners catch me before the first mark. They always seemed to point better than me. After four days we were grouped into Gold, Silver, Bronze and Emerald fleets. I was in Emerald. We managed 3 races over the last two days of light wind. I scored 40, 26 and 52 out of 66 boats.

Of course the closing ceremony was quite something. The first time I experienced something of this size. I was touching to see the kids who won stand there and hear their national anthems played. For the boys it was an Italian who won followed by a Brit and a French. For the girls it was Erika Reineke of the USA who won followed by an Israeli and a French in Bronze.

I learned a lot on this trip and hope to apply what I learned as soon as I get on the water in Canada again. It was an eye opener to me how focused and good you have to be to perform at this level.

We had two days of training with RSLYC team. Not as many people registered as two years ago. There were only 145 radials registered. The venue is very shallow water; we could stand off our boats at the start line. An eye opening event for me! The heavier people were beating lighter people in light winds. It showed that our training paid off. I had improved starts and the progress over the last while has been rapid. After two days of light winds I was assigned to the silver fleet. On day three we finally got some wind and I had fun placing well. The event finished with me at 20 out of 75 boats in silver fleet.

This is the first event of the northern summer season. Arrived Friday afternoon and rigged and went out for quick sail. Saturday morning races started. We were on the water all day Saturday however they could not get a race in due to lack of wind. Sunday, again light winds however they did manage to get off the 4 races. Unfortunately for me in my best race I had to take a penalty turn dropping quite a few spots. I finished the regatta in 22^nd spot out of 33. Not great however I am not good in light wind.

It was decided that most of the laser sailors on the Qc team would congregate at Royal St Lawrence Yacht Club for the 2011 summer season. This makes a big change for me after more than 5 years sailing out of Pointe Claire Yacht Club. RSLYC team will be managed by Jesse Lombard and coached by Emerson Krock. We hit the water for the first time May 7/8 weekend. Winds were light and temperature not too bad for early May. May 14/15 was cold and wet. We spent two days on the water with the Qc Team at RSLYC after a pep talk by Tyler Bjorn from Qc Team and team psychologist Angela Malorni. The winds were strong and it was cold and wet. It was fun being on the water with the 29ers and 49ers all together.

We were tested for fitness by High Performance Sport and Kenny Spracklin again in March. My conditioning had improved since the last test so I was happy.

Well the only good thing about Thursday was it was sunny. The wind started the morning promising from the east but quickly headed south and died. Sailing was a disaster. 180 degree shifts. I did not hike once all day as the wind was too light so I was at a disadvantage. Results showed it.  On the water from 9:30 AM till 5:00 PM and we only completed two races. Hopefully we will have a better day tomorrow.

Day 2 was a tease. It was blowing 20 knot everywhere except the race course! Less shifty than yesterday, wind topped at 10-14 knots and we got in three races. Did not improve my position much unfortunately and will remain in silver fleet with a lot of my friends. The race now becomes a laboratory to try experiments for the 2011 racing season.

Day 3 was worse. No wind so we were held on shore until lunch. Only managed one race all day and I was black flagged so not very successful. This sets up day 4 for experimentation.

Day 4 was my best day. We were sent out early then sat for 3 hours as there was no wind. When we started I felt I got a good start however I was again black flagged. Unfortunately we only did one race today or I could have moved up quite a bit. I was in my groove. This competition ended up being a good learning experience and taught me how to deal with frustration of lack of wind amidst strong competition.

I arrived at Clearwater, Florida on Saturday February 19 for a planned 4 days of training with the Quebec contingent coached by Jessica Lombard. Unloaded my boat on Sunday morning and some competitors for the upcoming mid-winters had already arrived however; it was clear there were many more still to arrive. We worked out the rust and got familiar with the waters of the Gulf on Sunday under light winds and pleasant temperatures. Water temperature is around 65 F so it is a bit cool.  Monday was a test with winds peaking at 15 knots. It was a blast and I learned a lot of new things from Coach Jessica in preparation for the event. Dry land training included more runs across the inlet causeway than I wish to remember! A good sized Canadian group has arrived, notably from Royal Vancouver YC, Ontario and Nova Scotia. For sure Canada is well represented. I saw competitors from 18 countries as far away as Australia.  All the big names are present. This is an “open” event however they do keep track of juniors and there are about 107 radials registered along with about 77 full rigs and 25 laser 4.7’s. We registered and reviewed the regulations on Wednesday PM. Then we took it easy in preparation of Thursday morning competition. The forecast is mixed with one day with good wind, 2 days of weak wind and one day of no wind. Could be better for me but I have to sail it.

What more can be said about Orange Bowl. It is one of the largest junior regattas in the world with sailors from over 20 countries. In the Laser Radial class there are 142 racers in 2010. On top of that we get the chance to mingle with lots of University recruiters for US college sailing.

2010 started off with a big snowstorm up north where a lot of the competitors were late due to snow delays from the north. On top of that it is incredibly cold here in Miami. The first two mornings there was frost on my boat cover. It was bitter cold on the water so many layers of clothes were required. We were split in two fleets this year due to the numbers and I was clearly in the tougher fleet with lots of the top sailors. Nonetheless on day one I placed well and was very satisfied with my finishes. The wind was blowing 15-20 knots so many of the smaller racers were in trouble. Unfortunately we only got in two races on day 1. Day 1 I was ranked 26^th.

Day two was a bit less cold but we still only managed two races. This time due to lack of wind. Unfortunately, no wind meant weaker results for me and also on the second race I had a fight with the anchor line of the Committee Boat. Day two I was ranked 56^th.

Day three promised fairer weather however there was no wind and we did not get any races completed.

On Day four the same thing continued and the race committee managed to get in one race in very light wind to make a total of 5 for the event. I finished 68th out of 142 competitors which was a disappointment for me however, given the conditions, it was next to impossible to be competitive. This is one of the largest junior events in the world and it is still something to be around all these sailors from so many countries. Hopefully next year there will be wind and less cold.

The Quebec Sailing Team organized training monitoring for the team at High Performance Sport and Kenny Spracklin in downtown Montreal. This program is specifically designed for sailors and we must maintain rigorous training schedules to remain on the Quebec Team. We started out with fitness appraisals on Oct 2-3 and then a follow-up and revision to the programs in Dec 11. The program focuses on core development, leg strength and finally upper body strength.

I was fortunate enough to get to train with the US Olympic Development Team at the Miami Olympic Training Center for three days over US Thanksgiving. A total of 20 Radial sailors including 10 from the US Olympic Development Team (Including world junior champ Erica Reinke)and two top sailors from Holland. I was the only Canadian in the group. Unfortunately for the three days the winds were light to nonexistent so it was definitely light wind training. Nonetheless, to be coached by the likes of Anna Tunnecliffe of the USA Olympic Team was an honour and an eye opener. It is easy to see how they do so well given the training and commitment. Anna gave me a critical tip re my vang and downwind sailing that really improved my downwind speed and stability. During the dry land sessions, we focused upon planning for a year in advance for regattas, physical fitness and even psychology of training to reach goals. Training at the same facility were some 29ers, 49ers and some European Star teams. I learned a lot and strongly recommend it to anyone who gets the chance to do one. I will head back whenever my school and sailing schedule permits it.

I was born in Kingston, Ontario in February 1994. I lived in Africa, Latin America and USA until I was 5 years old. Little did I know that Kingston would be so important to me in the future! I have lived in Baie d’Urfé, Québec since I was 5 years old.

I am currently in grade 10 in the science option at Kuper Academy in Kirkland, Quebec and am lucky to be in a school that puts so much attention to physical fitness and sports as well as academic excellence.

I started sailing at the age of 7 on my Dad’s Tanzer 22.  My first foray sailing a dinghy was when I was at Pointe Claire Yacht Club summer “learn to sail “program.  I completed the White Sail program and achieved my Bronze V. Then I was looking for a new challenge and early in 2009 Pointe Claire Yacht Club in Montreal created a Laser racing team, coached by Nicole Bastet. To prepare for this I spent a week at Cabarete in Dominican Republic to get my feet wet, so to speak, in a Laser. I immediately fell in love with the big swells. At PCYC we started directly with Radials.   It was the first year the team existed and I was one of the founding members.  Since then, I have travelled around Eastern Canada and USA  training and in regattas.   2009 was a year of learning and frustrations however I learned to love the water on a Laser. 2009 season was topped with a 3rd place finish at CORK International silver fleet.

Unfortunately in November 2009 I was struck with a burst appendix and had to undergo emergency surgery. I was in the hospital for over two weeks and then missed two months of school. I also lost 25 pounds during the ordeal. This ended my chances of competing in Florida during the winter recuperation and rebuilding of my body.

In March 2010 I was strong enough to partake in a Quebec Team training session in Sarasota Florida. This session was led by Zach Riley of the US Olympic Team and while the weather was cold, we were blessed with 20 knot winds every day. It was difficult but Zach inspired me to improve and be aggressive on the boat. Back in Montreal, we started the spring program early under the guidance of Nicole Bastet again. The summer season began with a couple regattas on the Quebec circuit. In Quebec we are not always blessed with good wind so during two regattas I experimented with Laser full rigs. I finished 2nd at Magog and then at the Quebec championship in September, I again finished 2nd in full rig and was the top junior in that class.

Other notable results in 2010 were at the Canadian Championships at CVL in OKA Quebec where I placed 22 overall against a tough crowd. At CORK International in August, where we were blessed with great winds for most of the regatta, I finished 21st in the radial gold fleet. I also finished 3rd and was awarded the Bronze and top male at theHudson Fruit Bowl regatta.

The season was capped with the CORK NQR regatta in September. Again Kingston blessed us with good wind for 3 of 4 days. I finished 24th in the Radial Open Class and earned the Bronze medal for U 17.

I am now working at physical training to enhance my abilities on the water. I look forward to Orange Bowl in December and Mid Winters in February in Florida. I also plan two training sessions in Florida, one with the US Olympic Development group and one with the Quebec Team.

It is my hope that this winter program will prepare me for a fulfilling season in 2011 where I can improve on my placing and learn to be a more complete Laser sailor. I still have two summers left in the U 19 category for Radials although I hope to sail full rigs when the opportunity presents itself in 2011. Further out I am hoping to combine my racing with my university education.