Interview With Salt Sailing

Intro:

I started sailing when I was six, and just never looked back. At the age of twenty, I try and sail or kite at least twice per week. I first learned to sail on one of those jenky little Sabots, the class was surprisingly competitive. Eventually, I switched into the Opti. I currently sail the 49er FX mostly, and a lot of go fast cats.. Because they do twenty five knots and are really fun.

Do you cross train and if so how has it helped your sailing? 

I recently got into kiteboarding. Kite foiling specially, it’s a super unique sport and incredible cross training. In my opinion it’s the closest thing you can get to sailing in 3D. Because its a kite, there’s no physical constraint of a rig limiting the sail to just 2 planes of movement. Because of this set up its all up to the user to make the proper sail (kite) adjustments and trim. Plus its excellent for getting in tune with your center of gravity and balance. Its hands down one of the most unforgiving things I have ever tried. If you dont sheet in the kite at the right time, or lean too far aft in a puff, you’ll immediately crash. Plus it’s nice to see how good you are alone as a sailor. Kite foiling has definitely taught me to be a better sailor among many other transferable skills. Plus the community is nothing but amazing!

What are some of your current sailing goals?

I am really looking forward to competing in the hydrofoil pro tour, as well as starting a 49er campaign with my crew in the coming months. We still don’t weigh enough but were both getting there. Being in SF provides so many opportunities to further your sailing. Its honestly incredible.

What are some of your future sailing goals? 

I would be so stoked to sail any of the foiling cats that are out there. They are super physical boats, and I would love to test myself against the other pros. The Volvo Ocean Race is also pretty high up on the bucket list, offshore sailing is really something special and I would definitely like to try out for a team in the future once I am a better bowman. 

What are some things you do to prepare for offshore sailing? How are you preparing for Transpac? 

List, then a second list, and a third list. On the higher tier programs, you get a pretty small bag, so everything you bring should be quality and well thought out. The first two days are often hard reaching with a CODE 0 or MHG, so having one pair of thermals and a quality beanie is huge. Then once you begin to get into the trade winds, you trade the thermals for sailing shorts and foulies. Point being, I make it a hard habit of double checking that each thing I bring has a purpose. 

Mentally, as the day gets closer, I drive to the boat and kind run through different mauvers as well as the proper rigging in my head. No two races are ever the same, but if you have a good idea of what your sail inventory should be as well as what will be on top of the pack, you can focus on where your haliyards are instead of trying to find the next sail. Small things like mentally knowing the order of the stack and arranging it based on wind predictions make a hard job just a little bit easier. 

What are you studying in college and how have your studies helped your sailing? How has sailing helped your studies? 

Sailing provides a pretty crucial outlet for me. Maritime schools are pretty boof. But being able to sail in one of the top venues in the nation let alone the world, helps keep me focused and on track with my studies. 

How do you balance you sailing with your studies? How often do you get to train during the school year? 

Not well…I try to train at least two to three times per week during the school year but when there’s quality breeze I tend to prioritize sailing over school. But conversely, because of this, when I am at school, I am able to fully dedicate myself to catching up and getting my classes completed. Its pretty easy to stay motivated when you know that if you get your Homework done today, you can kite in prime conditions tomorrow.

What advice would you give to young sailors? 

Time on the water and OTB (other peoples boats), you can watch as many youtube videos and listen to a ton of lectures but when it comes down to it. You should try and get as much time on the water and time in other peoples boats as possible. There’s always someone somewhere who will take you out. Each day after sailing, I would ask myself (and still do) What did I learn today? I’ve never had a day where I didn’t learn at least one thing. 

And lastly, make friends. I’ve made some really quality friendships over the years, getting on good boats is about networking. Think about the impact that you have on others as well as yourself. If you make a good impression, others will notice and pretty soon you’ll be on some top tier programs.

“A well liked sailor is a great sailor” -Dave Perry 

What is the one weird thing you can ot live without in your offshore gear bag?

I absolutely need a quality headlamp and gerber multi tool. It’s so crucial to be able to just switch it on and have it be set at a setting that I want. Especially when you’re doing a peel at two am and are still half asleep. If I had to mess with the setting from white, to bright white to red etc. It would kill my night vision and probably get some nasty remarks from the guys in the back of the boat. But with my nice headlamp, I just hit one button and I get a warm red light that doesn’t kill my night vision. 

The gerber multi tool is only like twenty dollars and it lasts forever. I sow the cases on to my harness and just throw the tool away when the knife gets dull or the pliers become stiff. I love my multi tool.