Road Trip: Newport to Sayville
Newport, RI | Sayville, NY - July & August 2021
The morning of July 26th we packed our car with tools and extra rigging supplies, packed a rib with our dolly and some water, and left Roger Williams University in the 49er. With a steady 10-12 knot breeze, and our good friend and fellow BU Teammate Collin Alexander driving the coach boat, we arrived in Newport harbor just over two hours later - that is, 29 tacks, 19 miles, and about 17,608 heartbeats later.
We spent the next two weeks training with U.S. teammate Ian Barrows trailing us in the coach boat. Newport gave us several days of sailing in big waves, and several productive days of light air short course practice. This was a good warmup for our upcoming trip to Long Island, where we met up with coach Mark and the rest of the U.S. boats. Our goal was to arrive in Long Island having improved our mark rounding and maneuvering skills. Working with Ian in Newport gave us personalized feedback and the opportunity to practice without the pressure of a large fleet around us.
After two weeks of sailing in Newport, we packed up the boat, strapped it to the top of the ford expedition, and headed south to the cross-island ferry taking us from New London, CT, to Orient Pt, LI. We joined the training and launched out of the rustic yet classy Sayville maritime museum to sail in the Great South Bay. For 15 days we trained in mostly light air, with two days of bigger breeze. We faced a number of challenges in the two weeks of training. Casey was balancing his last two weeks of college classes, and just days from the end of camp we prepared for the arrival of Hurricane Henri, directly on course for Sayville. Nonetheless, Casey finished his classes, we avoided damage to our boat in the storm, and finished the camp feeling we had measurably improved.
Working Coach Mark and the rest of the team helped increase discipline and set daily routines that improved our efficiency, allowing for more time on the water. By this point too, our strength and endurance was increasing, and we could push harder and longer during each drill.
Two weeks and at least a dozen Sayville sandwiches later, we had wrapped up our camp in Long Island. Mark was headed back to the U.K., and us to Torch Lake Michigan to join the E-Scow fleet for a week of sailing.
Three boat training at the Sayville Maritme Museum on the Great South Bay in Long Island.
