For many of the sailors, this was their first experience sailing here and the coaching team spent some time this morning preparing them for the conditions.  The coaches broke the sailors down into doublehanded and singlehanded fleets and reviewed San Francisco Bay's tides as part of the clinic.  By lunchtime, the fleets were out on the water and headed towards the racing venue.

And it blew - with lumpy seas. 

After three years of light air championships, this was quite a change of pace for the U.S. Youth Sailing Championships.   While there were some broken parts and more than a few capsizes, the sailors had a great day tuning up.  Some were practicing right near Alcatraz Island and most could see the Golden Gate Bridge.  By the end of the clinic, even though it was only 4:30, the sailors were glad to come in and knew there would be some challenging conditions facing them in the days ahead.

The evening closed with a debrief from the coaches and a Mexican dinner.