Bogdan starboard in Miami; International sailing competition can’t compete with this sailor

Junior Brooke Bogdan traveled to Miami to compete in the 2021 Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta at Coral Reef Yacht Club. This is a sailing competition that features kids from 8-18 in a five-day event which is one of the largest regattas in North and South America.

     Bogdan placed 79th in her division of over 180 other young sailors, explaining that she “did well considering coming out of an injury and having only one day of practice.” The regatta started December 26 with, “a practice day where we practiced from noon to four making sure everything was ready for the races.” They also worked on crucial skills that will aid them in the upcoming competitions described by Bogdan.

     The regatta featured more than 700 kids from various regions of the world, and Bogdan noticed “there were a lot of kids from Peru, China and obviously the United States.” There were more than 20 countries represented with various past regatta kids achieving notoriety in the sailing world. The Orange Bowl Organization is a well-known organization for youth sports and provides scholarship opportunities for students. It supports community organizations through celebrations that provide charity money.

     Weather is a crucial component in sailing, without wind the boats are not able to move. During the regatta, Bogdan recalls that, “Monday consisted of only one race, the rest got postponed because of a lack of wind.”

“Most of the race days had beautiful sunny weather with light wind, this made it perfect to be on the water.” The perfect sailing conditions are winds from five to twelve knots, under five there is not enough wind to sail and over twelve the wind can be too much to handle.

     Bogdan began sailing when she was very young because of her mother, “when my mom was in college she used to sail in Annapolis and so she wanted to share that experience with me.” They found the Northeast River Yacht Club where she first began sailing. Bogdan’s father likes to joke that “it was cheaper than daycare, although he has continued to pay for it all these years compared to normal daycare.”

     Although Bogdan has been sailing for over twelve years, injury and Covid-19 has hindered her ability to sail regularly. “This competition gave me the ability to get back on the water and get back to what I love.” Unfortunately, injury is very common for sailors, water can be unpredictable, especially overuse injuries because of the repetitive training and movements.