Life on the Road: Five Weeks of World Championships in Michigan

Five Weeks, Zero Drama, and a Whole Lot of Fudge

The past month has been a whirlwind. Between 49er training, gym sessions, the Melges 24 Pre-Worlds and Worlds, the J/70 Worlds, 505 Pre-Worlds, and the IC37 North Americans, we've been living out of our sailing bags for five weeks straight. And honestly? We wouldn't have it any other way.

A huge part of what made this stretch so successful was our setup in Harbor Springs, Michigan. Thanks to Anthony's incredible network in the sailing world, we scored accommodations that most teams only dream about—one of the nicest houses on the lake with arguably the best dock, right next to our training partners from Sentinel Racing. Both Melges 24s lived right in front of our house alongside the coach boat, which meant we could walk from breakfast to boat work without even putting shoes on.

Learning from the Best

One of the most valuable parts of this experience was watching how the veterans approached each day. Stu was up before everyone else, spending 30-45 minutes stretching and working out knots with his roller bar—whether that's because he's approaching 50 or just because he's incredibly disciplined about his body, I'm not sure, but it was impressive either way. Anthony was always tinkering in the garage before anyone else made it down, splicing soft shackles or fine-tuning something on the boat. He just couldn't help himself.

Dave Ullman had his own routine too—he'd be down at the coach boat early after being up since 4 AM, though honestly, I could never quite figure out what he was actually doing down there. But that's the thing about being around people who've been doing this twice as long as I've been alive: they have their systems, and those systems work. We never had a day where something was missing or forgotten.

The Boring Team That Wins

I was just telling Stu that our team might be the most boring team ever—and I mean that as the highest compliment. There was zero drama, no egos, and no one stepping on anyone's toes. When roles needed to shift—like who was handling the jib during certain maneuvers—it was always just, "Oh, that works better, let's switch it." Criticism was delivered neutrally and received constructively. Because of that environment, we all fell into place incredibly fast.

It's not the most exciting story to tell, but that's exactly the point. The best teams make it look easy because they've done the hard work of building trust and communication long before race day.

A Taste of Michigan

We did get some authentic Harbor Springs experiences along the way—Franny's hometown didn't disappoint. The famous fudge shops lived up to the hype. I walked in skeptical, thinking it was just an intense chocolate bar, but I was wrong. Genuinely one of the best things I've ever tasted. We brought some home for Mom.

The weather reminded us we weren't in California anymore. During Pre-Worlds, people were swimming after racing. By the end of Worlds, diving the boat each morning felt substantially colder. Fall came fast in Michigan.

Now we're already looking ahead to the next chapter. The grind continues, but experiences like this—surrounded by world-class sailors, learning new routines, and building toward our Olympic goals—make every early morning and cold dive worth it.