Can't Stop, Won't Stop

It's been two months since our Transpac dreams ended, but the cool thing about dreams is you can make more every night. With newly available time this summer, the women of Flow State Sailing have been busy dreaming -- here's what we've put into action:

JUNE 4 - 7

Days after returning from Hawaii, Sarah was off to get her offshore fix in the Annapolis to Newport Race with the J44 Kenai. After a stellar race, which we followed eagerly from the Yellowbrick tracker at home, Sarah and the Kenai team placed 3rd overall!

Sarah sending it on Kenai

MID JUNE

Anyone need sailing lessons? Megan, Annie, and Sarah started working at junior sailing programs across Fishers Island Sound, namely GLP, Ram Island YC, and Watch Hill YC. They are all veteran instructors who truly enjoy teaching the next generation how to love our sport and the water.

Mid-June also marks the start of Wednesday Night Racing! One of the best parts of being home this summer is the ability to participate in our favorite local racing. Annie and Sarah race in the big boat fleet with the Mudheads while Megan and I go head to head in our Lasers over in Stonington Harbor. We've all competed in these races since we were kids, and are happy to keep the tradition going for another summer.

Wednesday night views in the Mudheads fleet

JUNE 19

The entire Flow State Sailing fam made it to the race course for the Sails Up 4 Cancer charity regatta. Annie was a member of the event's executive board, working on communication and outreach. During the event, she skippered Jalapeño to second place in the Ensign class. Sarah, Megan, and I rounded up a couple friends to send it in the spinnaker class on the Melges24 Equal Opportunity. With Sarah skippering, we worked our way through the fleet and also took home second in our class.

JUNE 21-25

After a lot of sailing in Fishers Island Sound, Sarah and I took a break from the mainland to compete in the STC Block Island Race week. Gear bags strapped on our backs and zipping around on bikes, we crisscrossed all over Block Island when we weren't racing. While on the water, I trimmed headsail for the J109 Vento Solare while Sarah did bow on the J111 Bravo. Despite foggy conditions cutting the amount of racing, we were happy to compete in 2 competitive one-design classes.

A good race for the Vento crew

JUNE 26

Wanting to get in on the Block Island fun, Megan took the ferry over to help deliver the J122 Alliance back to Newport. We started out in a large fog bank with minimal wind, but ended up with prime reaching conditions after getting by Point Judith.

Thanks to Eric & Mary for letting us drive Alliance the whole way home

JULY 10-11

After jumping onboard as practice crew for the IC37 Pacific Yankee, I was asked to stay on the runners for the first day of the Sail Newport Regatta. Sarah, a regular on the IC37 circuit, took her usual spot on Midnight Blue. The fleet was tight, but the Pacific Yankee team took first place. I was really pleased to have contributed to 2 of the team's 3 first place race finishes.

JULY 16-18

Back onboard Midnight Blue, Sarah competed in the 3-day IC37 National Championship in Newport, RI against 17 other entries.

JULY 17

Annie took the helm of Jalapeño once again for the Mudheads Benefit Cup, which is a charity event for the Center for Hospice Care.

One of the lessons we learned in MudRatz is that Real Pros Give Back

Meaning that people at the top of the sailing game give back to where they came from - their sailing communities and local communities. While we aren't pros, we still try to give back when we get the chance like with the Benefit Cup and Sails Up 4 Cancer!

Pre race bottom cleaning!

So what's next for August? We've got big plans!

First up is the Rolex Fastnet Race, starting August 8th. I was asked to join American entry Hiro Maru for the 695nm race from Cowes, UK, around Fastnet Rock to Cherbourg, France. Navigating the international travel rules has been a challenge, but so far so good! Negative tests are coming back and I'm serving out my period of self-isolation doing boatwork onboard.

I will be joined for the race by a UK Magenta alum, Ella Boxall, whose local knowledge is sure to give us an edge! With a last minute change to the UK quarantine rules, Megan is going to jump on a plane and arrive just in time to join us for the race too! She gets to miss the isolation period...the lucky duck!

Sarah also has big things in the works. She is the Marketing and Social Media Manager for the VXone fleet, who will be hosting the VXOne Women's Championship in mid- August. Sarah will be competing with her regular VXOne crew. Annie is never one to miss an opportunity, so she is considering racing as well, joined by up-and-coming MudRat Ellie.

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It looks to be an exciting end to a very unexpected summer, but what can we say? Sometimes the best of plans goes awry. All we can do is go with the flow!

Cheers from across the pond!

Lindsay