Dear Friends,

After finishing 2nd in the medal race yesterday, we ended up 3rd overall in the regatta out of 68 teams!  We were also the top American team, the next closest American team finishing in 15th.  It is very exciting to have ended up on the podium in our first European regatta together as a team, two weeks to the day after leaving our jobs.  Yesterday evening we received our trophies from the king and queen of Spain – wow!  This event was a grade 1 event, meaning it is one of the five most prestigious international events held each year.  All of the top teams in the world were in attendance and this is sure to help our world ranking!

We will continue to train in Palma de Mallorca for three more days, and Tuesday we ferry and drive to Hyeres, France, where we will be racing in two more events- the French Spring Cup in La-Seyne-sur-Mer and the SOF (Semaine Olympique Francaise) in Hyeres.

Many, many thanks to our sponsors – RBS Greenwich Capital, the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club, Kaenon Sunglasses, Gill, Harken, Samson Ropes, and the US Sailing Team.  Thanks also to all of the individual donors who make our campaign possible.  <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–>Without all of you we would not be able to leave the dock.

We will be updating our website with photos within the next couple of days, and will send out an e-mail letting you all know.

For racing details from the medal race, please read on!

The medal race was sailed in 5-6 knots.  The course was very short – a windward-leeward twice around that lasted less than 20 minutes.  The top ten teams were very close in points – it was mathematically possible for us to finish either 1st or 10th.  With so many boats and different teams to worry about, we figured it was impossible  to worry about the math – if we won the race we would have a very good  chance of ending up on the podium as we were only 8 points out of 2nd place and 4 points out of 3rd.  The 4th place team was 2 points ahead of us, and the 5th place team was only 1 point ahead of us, so as long as we beat those two teams in the race, we would beat them in the regatta.

The line was pretty square, with neither end of the line dramatically favored.  The fleet was stacking up at the right end of the line, so we decided to start below the pack with speed.  Our tactic worked well, and we started the race at full speed while many top teams were going slowly at the boat-end (right side) of the line.  We worked the left side of the first upwind in nice pressure, and tacked over in a lefty that took us to pressure on the top right side of the first upwind.  We rounded the first windward mark in…  1st!  We held on to our lead for the next downwind, and were barely 2nd at the 2nd windward mark behind the Dutch team that was winning the regatta.  We crossed the line in 2nd place with the 3rd, 4th, and 5th place teams in the regatta well behind us.  We immediately knew that we had earned a place on the podium!

Overall, we are thrilled with our progress as a team.  Despite making some mistakes, we sailed consistently well.  We are getting better every day and are thrilled to keep working hard towards our goals!

Best,

Erin and Isabelle