July SITREP

Just over two months left before the start of the Mini Transat

These past few months have been extremely busy as we get closer to the start of the big race. Summer feels like it is flying by so time for an update!

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Towards the end of May I packed up Terminal Leave one last time, leaving the boat on its trailer in La Trinité-sur-Mer, and flew back to Annapolis, MD. There were a few big reasons for heading home at that point. First, we achieved the final task in the long qualification process by completing the Plastimo Lorient Mini race in April. All boats racing in the Mini Transat (even when already qualified) have to complete at least one race this year. Second, since I am not a resident of France and do not have a visa, I am allowed to spend only so much time in Europe over the course of each year. Third, I needed to return home to finish a masters program and graduate. Finally, I also needed to work to help fund this mission of racing across the ocean!

U.S. Patriot Sailing in the Annapolis-Newport Race

*Patriot VII (USA 51) sailing upwind after the start of the Annapolis-Newport Race (Photo: Wilbur Keyworth)*

Being back in Annapolis, this gave me the opportunity to support U.S. Patriot Sailing this summer. That began by joining the team for its first offshore event in the Annapolis-Newport Race. This 475 nm long ocean race is challenging from a navigation perspective between the initial 100 nm in the Chesapeake Bay and the varying conditions out in the Atlantic Ocean.

As with any offshore race, months of preparation all came together with some final last minute projects to get us to the starting line. One of these last minute unplanned projects included making a keel repair. Just days before the race, the diver informed the team after cleaning the bottom that we had damage on the trailing edge of the keel, likely from a previous event where the boat was kept on a mooring for a couple of weeks. The team was able to haul out the boat the night before the start, make the repair and launch the boat the same day as the start of the race (thankful for the few hours of postponement to the start).

We started the race in early June with an initial light forecast going down the bay with mostly upwind sailing. However, the offshore forecast had not improved. With a nor’easter approaching this meant strong winds, big seas, and a hard upwind beat up the coast. As we approached the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, after about 24 hours of successful racing, we made the call as a team to retire from the race.

We had not broken anything yet and the crew was in good spirits, but risk management was key. We knew the next 36 hours would consist of potentially boat breaking conditions and it simply was not worth the risk of hurting anyone. Our highlight was beating the other J109 out of the bay (we could see them behind us the entire day) and we were doing well in our division. It was also the first time one of our teammates had sailed in the Atlantic Ocean since he flew all the way here from Australia for the race.

*Patriot VII approaching the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay as the skies darken, temperature drops, and wind increases*

We sailed out the mouth of the bay for only a few minutes for the sense of accomplishment within the team and to show them what the growing sea state with increasing winds felt like as a learning experience. We saw other boats turn up to a close hauled course towards Chesapeake Light with reefs in their mainsails and small jibs as they pounded through steep chop.

The sail home back to Annapolis certainly was not easy. The wind had increased and rotated, the temperature dropped, and we were sailing upwind with a double reef in the mainsail. While it was not comfortable, we agreed it certainly was better in a delivery mode within the protected bay than racing offshore.

Overall, I believe we made the correct decision based off the information we knew, the type of boat we were racing, and training of the crew. Additionally, as a non-profit we also have to balance the organization paying for repairs if anything breaks, where that could take away from participating in future events this season. The conditions sounded pretty nasty offshore according to the boats who kept going. In the end, our entire division ended up retiring as well, which included boats and crews who have completed this race numerous times previously.

See more about the A2N race on Scuttlebutt Sailing News:

Graduated!

In June I graduated from the National Intelligence University with a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence. I started this program in August 2019 and I am so happy to have finally walked across the stage to earn this diploma. Between COVID shutting down the school, my transition off active duty to the reserves, and starting a solo ocean racing campaign…it was a challenging yet rewarding experience.

Attending the National Intelligence University (NIU) is not your typical university experience. The student body is comprised of all organizations and agencies within the US Intelligence Community. There is a mix between military and civilian students, as well as full time and part time students.

NIU is the Intelligence Community’s sole accredited, federal degree-granting institution. The main campus is located in Bethesda, MD and it also has Academic Centers located around the world. The faculty of NIU are subject matter experts from around the intelligence community who bring a wealth of knowledge and practical experience, as well as academic qualifications, to the classroom.

About NIU

NIU is a unique and technologically advanced university that focuses on the profession of intelligence and is the only institution of higher education in the nation that allows its students to study and complete research in the Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmentalized Information (TS/SCI) arena.

During my final two years on active duty I was working at the Pentagon full time providing daily intelligence support to Marine Corps and Navy leadership (primarily the Commandant of the Marine Corps and Secretary of the Navy), then driving over to campus in Bethesda a few nights a week to attend class. While I have spent a lot of time the last few years in France, I kept coming back to complete my classes in the winter months.

There were many late nights writing papers and driving between Annapolis, Arlington, and Bethesda. I even finished part of my thesis while in France this spring. Then I finished the rest of the thesis and turned it in the day before the Annapolis-Newport Race started!

Even though the diploma has my name printed on it, I did not complete this process alone. I could not have graduated without the help and support from so many friends and family along the way.

Huge thank you to Jane for being there for so much of this journey! We met while I was starting my second semester that first year of class.

Thank you Mom for continuing to call and ask when I was finally going to be finished and graduate. So much support along the way and understanding my drive to focus on completing this masters while also preparing for the Mini Transat.

Finally, big thank you to Dr. Meade as my thesis chair! He provided the guidance I needed along the way and backed me when I kept asking the school for extensions to finish the 2 year program over 4 years. There are so many others to thank as well. Just know I am incredibly grateful for each of you who helped me along the way. THANK YOU!

Back in Annapolis

In addition to supporting U.S. Patriot Sailing and finishing my masters, I have also started working a summer job at the U.S. Naval Academy! As a sailing coach with the Basic Sail Training program, I initially helped teach the newly graduated Ensigns (Navy) and 2nd Lieutenants (Marines) who recently graduated from USNA on how to sail Colgate 26s. Once these officers learned the basics, we quickly taught them to be instructors and how to teach the Plebes (incoming freshmen) how to sail. Everyday now for the duration of Plebe Summer we have morning and afternoon sessions with Plebe companies rotating all 1,200 individuals through the program four times throughout the summer. With the instructors on about thirty sailboats, the coaches provide support from powerboats.

The instructors have made incredible progress over the last few weeks as most have gone from not knowing much about sailing to leading their own boats out on the Severn River. Being a part of this process has been personally rewarding to me as well. Not only can I help the instructors develop an understanding (and possibly a passion) for sailing, but I also have the opportunity to help prepare the new officers for their upcoming assignments. A majority of the instructors are Marines and are headed to The Basic School next in Quantico, VA where they will learn to be provisional rifle platoon commanders and will be assigned a specialty (MOS) for follow-on training.

Spending this summer teaching sailing is an excellent opportunity for the officers to ask questions, discuss possible career pathways, and mentally prepare for their first assignment beyond the Naval Academy. It has been a real pleasure meeting and getting to know so many Ensigns and 2nd Lieutenants. I look forward to seeing these officers again one day as they lead Marines and Sailors out in the fleet.

*Light air sailing out of Santee Basin at the U.S. Naval Academy*

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More updates coming soon! Going to discuss the status of the boat, the improvements this season, and final preparations for the Mini Transat. We still are looking for support to help get this campaign to the starting line. If you are able to help, please donate either on through U.S. Patriot Sailing (tax deductible!) or through my GoFundMe page. THANK YOU!

Donate: U.S. Patriot Sailing

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Finally…keep an eye out for the August edition of SAIL Magazine. Big article about this campaign!