Helping to shape the sailors of tomorrow.
Youth Development
WVYC Melges 24
In 2023, the West Vancouver Yacht Club purchased a Melges 24 to start a journey of youth development in high-performance keelboats. I have been lucky enough to be a part of the sportboat fleet at WVYC for almost 10 years, and to see up-and-coming sailors getting an opportunity to race these boats was incredibly exciting. I volunteered my time to help get the program on its feet and set up a framework for young sailors to develop their keelboat skills. While the on-water aspect of keelboat sailing is often the focus of these programs, my goal was also to help these athletes grow into well-rounded sailors. By building skills such as scheduling crew, boat-work, problem solving issues on the water, and teamwork; the goal was to facilitate growth and an opportunity for youth to take responsibility for a boat and a program. I will continue to work with this program as a mentor, friend, and peer as they move forward on their sailing journeys.
The Canadian Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association, or CICSA, is the organizing body for Canadian University sailing and oversees 13 universities across the country throughout their season from September to April. The events vary from fleet-racing C420s, to keelboat regattas such as the Match Racing Nationals held last season in J22s. For 4 years I competed in CICSA as a member of McGill sailing, then with the University of Toronto. Through the circuit I had some of my best sailing memories and created friends who will last a lifetime. Along with this, it made me fall in love with sailing again.
Many sailors finish youth dinghy sailing then move off to university and do not stay in sailing, or return much later in life. This is a problem in Canada that I hope to be part of the solution for. By emphasizing collegiate sailing both in dinghies and keelboats we can keep sailors on the water throughout their collegiate years and beyond.
For 2023 I joined the CICSA Board of Directors as the Vice-President. My goal was to give back to a circuit that had benefited me so much, and to provide the upcoming sailors with even more opportunities to enjoy sailing throughout their time in college. I help in organizing events such as the 2023 Match Race Nationals held at WVYC, assist in scheduling and regatta operations, and provide guidance to team leadership on any questions they may have about the season. The opportunity to be CICSA VP has been a great learning experience for me, and I will miss the circuit as I leave the board this December.
