As we gear up for the race start in 8 days (!!), we’ve been getting a lot of questions from people about how we’re gelling the crew. What’s our practice schedule? What are we doing to meld this team of individual rockstars into a dream team? Well, we’re doing a lot. As I write this, Emma, Callie, and I are all in Annapolis starting to prep and practice. The rest of the crew will be pouring in soon.
But we’re fortunate enough to not be starting from scratch. In fact, we have two pairs of crew members who have raced together in the past! Callie and I have raced together, and so have Ellie and Lily.
I interviewed these pairs to share a little perspective on what it’s like being on the boat with each other. Check it out:
Maya and Callie
Q: What races have you sailed with each other in the past?
We’ve sailed the 2022 Newport-Bermuda race and the NYYC Annual.
Q: What's your favorite thing about sailing with Maya/Callie?
Callie: My favorite thing about sailing with Maya is the versatility that she brings to the boat. While Maya has an assigned position like everyone else, in my experience, she has consistently gone above and beyond the requirements and limitations of that position to facilitate the team’s success. During the Newport to Bermuda race, Maya occupied a coaching position as a part of our mostly-youth team. She was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful, and it was clearly important to her that whenever she helped complete a task she made sure to show us how it was done, empowering us to work independently and building our confidence. In addition to being a fount of knowledge, Maya is a great presence to have on your crew, as she is good-spirited, calm, and a great conversationalist.
Maya: My favorite thing about sailing with Callie is her attitude and reliability. First of all, she’s hilarious. I have a bunch of Callie one-liners floating through my head at all times that keep me laughing. She’s always eager to jump on any task, even the ones that no one is particularly excited to do, like making the freeze dried meals, pumping the bilge, packing the kite, etc. I knew that anytime something needed to happen, I could ask Callie and it would get done. She is also very curious and passionate about always improving her sailing. She asks great questions at the appropriate times.
Q: What do you think is one of Maya’s/Callie’s greatest strengths on the boat?
Callie: One of Maya’s greatest strengths is her persistent, solution-oriented mindset. Throughout all of the intense moments during Newport-Bermuda (broaches, spin wraps, etc.) Maya consistently remained calm and relied on her instincts and knowledge. Even when a situation seemed overwhelming, Maya approached it with calm and the confidence that she could fix it, and in doing so, kept us calm and confident as well.
Maya: Callie has a real natural talent and feel for the boat. That’s not something you can teach, but she has it. She has experience and skills that she’s learned and trained, but there were so many times throughout our practices and the races where Callie would be on the helm and would steer really well based on the feel of the swells. Or she’d be in charge of the vang in particularly punchy downwind conditions on the way to Bermuda, and she would be really naturally attuned to when she should ease it and pull it back in. She also learns quickly.
Q: What's one of your favorite memories sailing with Maya/Callie?
Callie: During the Bermuda race, I often found myself on watch with Maya, who was a floater. One of my favorite memories with Maya happened during one of these watches very early in the morning, probably around 3 or 4 o’clock. We were in the Gulf Stream, and had been confronted with squalls and rainstorms throughout the day prior. The sky was a blueish-black with ominous clouds overhead. I was helming while Maya trimmed, and throughout the shift Maya explained how to use the clouds to predict weather as well as how to steer through the waves that surrounded us. Despite my exhaustion, I was fascinated by Maya’s knowledge and the stories she shared, which carried me through an otherwise arduous night shift.
Maya: I have two. When we were sailing through the Gulf Stream, Callie was on the helm and I was trimming the Fr0. It was 3 or 4 AM and there were a lot of cloud-driven winds happening. I remember being really impressed with how calm and cool Callie was on the helm. I kept checking with her to see how she felt driving through the conditions, and she was very collected at all points, then she appropriately passed the helm off when she was fatigued. My second favorite memory was when Callie was below deck with the other bow crew packing the kite. Both of them were feeling seasick. It was super hot, and frankly, miserable. They had a rough task. And I remember overhearing Callie, in her super chill and nonchalant way, say to her teammate something that I find myself repeating a lot to myself when I’m offshore: “We can’t get out of this, so we might as well get into it.” Just goes to show – her attitude rocks!
Q: What are you most looking forward to sailing with Maya/Callie again?
Callie: I am so excited to sail with Maya again for so many reasons! Firstly, I can’t wait to catch up since it’s been nearly a year since we raced together. Beyond this, I am also excited to be a part of a team organized primarily by Maya. I have immense trust in her leadership, and I cannot wait to race with the group of women she’s assembled!
Maya: EVERYTHING! I love sailing with Callie. She’s going to rock the bow, I have no doubt, and I can’t wait to leave with a bunch more classic Callie quotes that I’ll repeat in my head nonstop.
Lily and Ellie
Q: What races have you sailed with each other in the past?
Lily: Ellie and I have grown up sailing together, and I have been lucky enough to be a mentor to her. From C420s to Melges 24s to sailing from Newport to Bermuda, Ellie and I have been together through it all. My favorite race I have done with Ellie in the past is the Newport to Bermuda Race last summer. We both were on the same watch, and she was always feeding me candy to stay awake during the night shifts. She is such a joy to sail with, and I look forward to doing many more races with her in the future.
Ellie: I first met Lily when she was sailing 420s and I was in optis, and I thought her pink 420 was the coolest thing ever. We first sailed together on the MudRatz Melges 24s. We are both on the sportboat team and competed in Charleston Race Week in 2021 and Melges 24 Gold Cup in 2021. Lily was the skipper of Equal Opportunity before me. We are both on the MudRatz Offshore team, and sailed together on Mad Blue a J105 as well as Spitfire a Farr 45. This past year we both were onboard Spitfire in the Newport to Bermuda Race. We also have spent a lot of time in the car together. Lily has given me a lot of rides when I wasn’t old enough to drive.
Q: What's your favorite thing about sailing with Ellie/Lily?
Lily: My favorite thing about sailing with Ellie is her constant drive and determination to get better in all aspects- as a sailor, teammate, and friend. Although she already does all of these with ease and excellence, she is so driven and continues to be wise above her age.
Ellie: My favorite thing about sailing with Lily is she is super encouraging and a role model to everyone. Lily always puts the team's needs above her own and is a mentor to younger sailors on the boat.
Q: What do you think is one of Ellie's/Lily’s greatest strengths on the boat?
Lily: One of Ellie's greatest strengths on the boat is assisting others with important roles easily- whether it is running to the bow to help unwrap a kite from the forestay (scary memory from Bermuda) or keeping spirits high on deck. I would say that whenever she is awake, she is constantly "on" and completing tasks to the best of her ability.
Ellie: Lily is very organized, and is always thinking one step ahead. She is insanely good at running the pit.
Q: What's one of your favorite memories of sailing with Ellie/Lily?
Lily: My favorite memory of sailing with Ellie was during our 12-2 am watch on the way to Bermuda. It was pretty windy and the swell was bigger as we were near the gulf stream. I was driving, and all of a sudden all of our electronics went dark. I was now driving strictly by feel and the stars. It was one of the most challenging and rewarding times I have driven at night, but I was still nervous. Cole Brauer, our onboard coach, immediately jumped downstairs to diagnose the issue and Ellie kept me sane sitting next to me trimming the main. About an hour and one battery hot wire later, we had our electronics back. But without Ellie, I definitely wouldn't have been able to stay calm at the wheel. I am always thankful and lucky to sail with the coolest girl ever!
Ellie: One of my favorite memories sailing with Lily was our night watch in the Bermuda Race. One of us was driving and the other was trimming the kite or main. Also we had a huge bag of gummy bears right next to us.
Q: What are you most looking forward to sailing with Ellie/Lily again?
Lily: Based on the last answers, you can definitely tell that Ellie is a force to be reckoned with and I always look forward to sailing with her. I am looking forward to making history together as crew members on the first-ever all-women's team to compete in the Annapolis to Newport Race!
Ellie: Everything, Lily is an incredible person and a ton of fun to sail with.
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