Palma Regatta 2025: A Hard Week, But a Real One
My first international regatta back post-injury — and I’m still unpacking how I feel about it.
There were highs, clear improvements, and little wins. But also disappointment, fatigue, frustration, and that tough voice in my head asking whether I’m still meant to be here.
It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t easy. But I showed up for every race, and I learned a lot about where I’m at — and what’s next.
Eighteen Races, Three Formats, One Messy Mental Map
We raced 18 times across three formats:
7 course races
7 downwind slalom races
5 upwind sprint slaloms
The wind ranged from 6 to 18 knots with flat to medium chop — and mentally, it was a different race every day. Some of it felt great. Other parts felt like I was holding on by a thread.
This was the most physically demanding week I’ve had since surgery, and it hit my shoulder harder than expected. I thought I’d managed the load well in training, but the intensity and back-to-back race schedule caught up fast. I raced every single heat though — even the ones where I timed out. That felt like a small win in itself.
Bright Spots
Despite the overall result (59th), there were moments that reminded me why I love this:
In slalom, I had consistent, confident starts and clean gybing — something that used to really trip me up.
In upwind sprints, I held my lane in a few tough moments and made smart calls, even trying three-tack upwinds to avoid congestion.
In course racing, I had a top-10 mark rounding in the first race of the regatta and stayed upright through every mark rounding (only one fall all week).
And off the water?
Crochet, bike rides, good food, and a supportive crew — especially Emily, Mara, and Jenny — all helped keep things balanced when the racing didn’t.
Progress (Even If It Didn’t Feel Like It)
There’s stuff to be proud of:
I stuck to my recovery and nutrition plans.
I stayed consistent with warm-ups and post-race resets.
I debriefed every race, tracked my focus/composure/confidence, and kept trying to improve session by session.
I didn’t check out emotionally. I kept showing up, and even when I wanted to shut down, I pushed through the mental spirals — and stayed in it.
I also started getting more curious on the water again — watching how other girls were sailing, checking their kit, setups, tuning. Those observations reminded me I still care. And that I’m still learning.
Moving Forward
I left this regatta tired. Emotionally raw. I even asked myself if I should keep going. But somewhere underneath all that was a small, steady voice saying: You’re not done.
I want to race again. I want to build on what’s working and fix what’s not. And I want to do it in a way that’s less about proving something, and more about building something real.
Next up: Hyeres. A reset. A new block of training. And hopefully, a version of myself that races a little calmer, a little more freely — and with a bit more trust.
Massive thank you to my sponsors for helping me get to this start line. Your support makes this possible, and even in the hard weeks, I don’t take that for granted.