Rockwall, TX (September 17, 2024) – Rush Creek Yacht Club is pleased to release the following Rockwall County youth sailing regatta reports. Thank you for taking the time to read about our incredible youth sailors! We wish them luck as they enter the fall season and try to secure their spot on national teams.
The Rush Creek Yacht Club Youth Race Team consists of sailors from all across the metroplex. Local members are:
Rockwall/Heath
Carter Calk (RHHS)
JR Cutcher
Hayes Dando
Virginia Dando
Ashleigh Hoye (RHHS)
Henry Krueger (Dobbs)
Tyler Logan
Ian Park (RHHS)
Eugene Park (RHHS)
Luke Scott
Kylie Virag (Cain MS)
Kaden Virag (RHHS)
Lawson Wolfe (LLES)
Harrison Womble (Cain MS)
Seahorse Regatta -Lakewood Yacht Club – Clear Lake, Texas
Lakewood always hosts such a fun event for these kids. The weather was wild but the smiles were abundant! Congratulations to our team on an awesome regatta!
C420
5th – Harrison Womble/Anthony Prosser
6th – William Wise/Carter Calk
ILCA 4
1st – Kaden Virag
5th – Ashleigh Hoye
ILCA 6
3rd – Tyler Logan
6th – Ian Park
7th – Eugene Park
Optimist RWB
2nd – Luke Scott
20th – JR Cutcher
26th – Kylie Virag
Optimist GREEN
7th – Henry Krueger
9th – Lawson Wolfe
Dust Bowl Regatta, Oklahoma City Boat Club, Oklahoma City, OK
The Creekers brought back some hardware this weekend! Way to go team! Congratulations to all our hard working sailors and families.
C420
2nd – Aylin Kocak/Eugene Park
ILCA 6
1st – Tyler Logan
2nd – Ian Park
7th – Carter Calk
ILCA North Americans, New Bedford Yacht Club, Dartmouth, MA
Two of our awesome ILCA sailors raced their hearts out at the ILCA North American Championship in Massachusetts. Congratulations on a job well done, boys! Read Tyler’s report below.
ILCA 6
46th in Gold Fleet – Tyler Logan
Regatta Report by Tyler Logan
Wind conditions over the four days were light to windy. The first day was rainy with a long postponement only to be followed by an abandoned race for the ILCA 7s when thick fog rolled in. Day two there were three races which I did fairly well and was able to get into Gold Fleet. Day three was very windy with gusts up to 27mph and three races. It was hard and cold all day with smaller waves than I had expected. Day four, I thought there wouldn’t be much for racing because of storms rolling in, but we were able to get in two races. Light wind and small waves.
Compared to Midwinters in Florida, I felt the conditions were more consistent and the competition was much harder, but it’s also because I went from an ILCA 4 to 6. The competition is older and much more experienced than I am in the 6 fleet. I placed 46th overall out of more than 100 boats in the ILCA 6 fleet and am happy with my results. I learned a bit more about my boat speed and starts with a big fleet. I was also able to see some of the older Texas sailors and reconnected with sailors I met in Florida in February at Midwinters. We had a fun trip and I am looking forward to the next big regatta at Chicago Yacht Club at the end of July and Balboa Yacht Club in early August.
US Sailing Youth Champs, Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI
RCYC ILCA sailor Ashleigh Hoye and LYC ILCA sailor Gavin Galway tested their skills at the US Sailing Youth Champs in Bristol, RI, and came away with a 5th place in the Nacra 15 class!! What an awesome accomplishment and we are so proud of you!!
Regatta Report by Ashleigh Hoye
If someone would have told me on Spring Break weekend 2024, that in a matter of 3 months I would be racing a Nacra 15 at a national event, I would have told them they were crazy. Yet this past week I found it to be reality and I could not have been more grateful. One of my favorite quotes is, “Everything you’ve ever wanted is sitting on the other side of fear”. I knew if I were to commit to this, it wouldn’t be easy. But anything great never is. Going to this Youth Champs really expanded my mind to an even bigger world of sailing, not just the small bubble of TSA. I got to listen to amazing speakers ranging from U.S Sailing Representatives, Stanford’s head sailing coach, and even the 11th hour racing team who was once denied an opportunity, so instead they built their own. Not only did I meet mentors, but also friends in all different fleets. I was in Rhode Island for a total of 10 days, of which 3 were practice days, 3 race days, 2 days flying, and 2 off days. We had perfect breeze for the practice days with a steady 15-18 knots and some heavier puffs. Our race days were what I refer to as the “extremes”. Day one of racing blew 20 to 25, with gusts close to 30. The next two days were between 5 and 10. On day three, up until the last hour, we had no breeze at all. I can easily say day one was the most fun I have ever had on a boat and will forever be a cherished memory. My biggest advice and take away from this event is don’t pass up amazing opportunities, whether that be sailing on an IC24 on a Wednesday night, or taking a spot on an ocean race. There is always something to be learned for those who are willing. The greatest athletes weren’t made overnight, but over time, and for me this is the first step in that direction.
ILCA Great Lakes Championship, Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club, Chicago, IL
Regatta Report by Tyler Logan
The conditions were pretty good this weekend. It was supposed to have less wind, but it was consistently 15+ with gusts in the low 20s. We got in 4 races on Saturday. Sunday’s weather began with a light rain and a short delay. The wind was about 8 when we launched and then was 10-15.
The good thing was there is no underwater current, but the waves were 1-4’ near shore and choppy, but 1-3’ out in the main lake. The winds were from the south and everyone said that was a good thing, because if it was from the north, the waves would be huge.
I was able to sail with a GCYSA teammate from Rochester, NY, Aaron Griffith and he came in 4th and I was 5th. I also sailed with Grace Toney who I met in Fort Worth at the No Coast regatta after her mast broke. Grace is from Wisconsin and is a youth coach at Lake Geneva.
The temperatures were so nice. Mornings were about 65-70 and the afternoons in the high 70s to 82 when we left Sunday.
The downside was the travel from Texas to Illinois. The drive was almost 14 hours and driving through the night was long.
Next time, I would like to do the practice the day before to get to know how the lake is, because my first race I placed 9th because I had not been out on the water to test it out. Sunday Aaron and I got out first and did a few legs and returned to talk about the conditions. Having another sailor to discuss conditions was really good. The second race on Sunday was the last race and I had a second place finish, but it was so close to first. The two who dominated the fleet had been over early and I had a lead for most of the race. Overall, it was a great time, I’m happy with my scores and had fun.
I am looking forward to sailing in California next week for the National Championships in Balboa (August 9-11).
Rockin’ Rockport Regatta, Rockport Yacht Club, Rockport, TX
C420
Harrison Womble/Anthony Prosser – 3rd
Aylin Kocak/Eugene Park – 12th
ILCA 4
Kaden Virag – 2nd
ILCA 7
Ian Park – 3rd
Opti Blue
Kylie Virag – 5th
Clinic and Regatta Report by Kaden Virag
In Rockport we did a 4 day clinic before the regatta With coaches Charlotte Rose and Alex Dyet. In the 4 days of the clinic we had to deal with many varying weather conditions such as high and low wind velocity and many storms that made it difficult to sail in. There were around 15 ILCA’s from around Texas in this clinic and groups of optis and 420’s as well. Over the 4 days we were able to learn a lot even though most days had to be postponed due to the weather. After the clinic we had a day of rest and then we had the Rockport regatta. In this regatta there were high winds with storms threatening to send us in but we were still able to complete 7 races. I ended the regatta in 2nd and I had a great time over this week of sailing.
ILCA US National Championship, Balboa Yacht Club, Corona Del Mar, California
Kaden Virag (ILCA 4), Tyler Logan (ILCA 6) and Conrad Jacobsen (ILCA 6) spent last weekend at Balboa Yacht Club for the ILCA Nationals. Congratulations on an amazing performance by all 3 sailors, and for getting home in time to start school.
Regatta Report by Kaden Virag
I recently competed in the 2024 ILCA US National Regatta at Balboa Yacht Club In the ILCA 4.7 fleet. The first day at BYC was a practice day and we were able to get in some great practice time before wind died and we ended up having to head in. I had to learn to sail in the open ocean conditions and Coach Alex, GCYSA, was great at coaching. The first day of racing we saw lighter conditions with big waves. After the first day the top 3 were given pinnies for their life jacket representing their place. I was excited to be wearing the yellow 1st place pinnie heading into the 2nd day of racing. On day 2 it was lighter with similar conditions and I returned to the dock in 2nd place. Day 3 we had decent wind and lots of waves and current. At one point the fleet was surrounded by what looked like over 100 dolphins. After 2 races on day 3 I came in 2nd overall with a local sailor, Gage, coming in 1st. I was a part of the GCYSA team for this regatta along with Tylor Logan and Conrad Jacobsen, both sailing in the ILCA radial fleet. We all had a great time and saw/met friends from around the world.
Changes in L’Attitudes Regatta, Corpus Christi Yacht Club, Corpus Christi, TX
Regatta Report by Harrison Womble
Last weekend we attended the Changes in L’attitudes regatta at Corpus Christi Yacht Club. The first day we sailed with 9 of the registered 11 boats. Racing started out relatively light, then built to fairly heavy when the seabreeze filled in. Afterwards we all went to the beach and had a lot of fun. The second day it was a lot lighter and it stayed that way. By the seventh race we were in 3rd but one of our competitors got a bullet in the last race which push us down to 4th by one point which is unfortunate but I would like to congratulate them here. We were coached by Lakewood‘s 420 coach and he helped out a lot. The only other boat from RCYC that went down was Tyler Logan in the ILCA class who finished 4th as well. I would like to thank my crew Anthony for working hard all weekend and coming down to sail with me for this regatta.
Nieuwpoort Week Regatta, Nieuwpoort, Belgium
Luke Scott joined a team of 15 US opti sailors to try their luck in the North Sea. Nieuwpoort, Belgium hosted a wonderful regatta filled with a wide range of conditions, monster tidal changes, intense current, fireworks and nearly 18 hours of daylight! Team USA fought hard and Luke finished in 18th out of 99 boats.
Regatta Report by Luke Scott
I was so excited for my first international event in Belgium. We arrived Tuesday, June 25th and beat the jetlag by walking through Bruges before checking into our house. Wednesday was boat prep day and meeting our team and coaches. Thursday was the first real practice day with light breeze and lots of current. 13 sailors from Team USA had arrived by that point. Friday brought big breeze and swells – 20 knots, 2-3 meter swells and at least 1 knot of current. The team pulled out the drysuits and boy were we glad we did!
The regatta started Saturday with absolutely beautiful weather and a nice breeze of 10 knots. After rigging everyone changed into team shirts for the opening ceremonies and raising of the country flags. Two races were scored and the team hit the bed early that night. Sunday’s weather was similar so the RC got 3 races in.
The typical Belgian weather arrived Monday, so we pulled out the drysuits again for the final 3 days of racing. Monday was very exciting because I got a bullet in the last race!
The rest of the event was cold and raining but that didn’t stop me from having a great time. I finished 18th overall out of 99 boats, with 2 of my friends getting podium in silver fleet. This was easily the best regatta I had ever sailed. I am so happy to have sailed on Team USA, and am so grateful to have all my friends and family back home supporting me all the way through. Go TEAM USA and GO RCYC!
Submitted by Lindsay Scott, edited for publication in Blue Ribbon News.
Rockwall Heath youth sail around the globe with Rush Creek Yacht Club Youth Team added by Melanie M on
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