At the beginning of the racing season this year, my team set 3 goals for ourselves.

- Finish in the top 5 overall for Series I
- Beat Thumper at least once (gotta kick our stiffest competition's butt!)
- Move up to finish in the top 3 for Series II

We know that it will take a while to build our team and figure out how we work best together.

We've accomplished the first 2 goals! Quite a feat for a re-formed team, with mostly new team members, on a larger boat (a C&C27) than we're used to sailing.

I have a reputation to uphold. As a skipper, I usually place in the top 3 and can't imagine anything less, even with a new team and a new boat!

You can follow our results -- Makai is our boat -- at http://nsc.ca/nsc_racing/results/current_year/women/women.htm

It's a rush to win a race -- to hear the gun as we cross the finish line, to get the "bullet", to hear the results read from last place to first place back at the clubhouse, and hear our boat's name being called in First Place!

It's even more satisfying to realize the efforts of teamwork built over an entire season. I get a thrill from building a team, learning together, setting goals, and improving our performance.

We finished DFL in one of our races, so could only move up from last place! When we reach our goal of finishing in the top 3 for the last series this year, we will know that we built a kick-ass team, with competent women sailors, who had a tonne of fun together!