The National Sailing Hall of Fame organized an interesting panel discussion (post-racing during the Helly Hanson NOOD Regatta) for young sailors Friday night at Severn Sailing Association. Sailing commentator and NSHOF president Gary Jobson moderated a discussion with Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, Annapolis sailor Terry Hutchinson, and Yachtswoman of the Year, Stephanie Roble (Miami, FL). A couple dozen young sailors showed up in racing gear to listen to these pros share knowledge about their successes and challenges in the sport.
Among the many gems they gave the audience were to keep a smooth attitude, stay calm, and to not hyper-focus on each race as much as consider the big picture and learn to sail consistently. Hutchinson said that a big lesson for him was to not get wound up about the things he could not control (such as weather) and to focus more on what things on the boat he could control. Both agreed that keeping a written log after each race was valuable to improvement in the sport.
