Episode #207: Nikki Barnes & Ryan Squires on Their 2028 Olympic Campaign

Welcome to Good Jibes Episode #207. This week we catch up with Nikki Barnes and Ryan Squires, in person, at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club to talk about their campaign for the 2028 LA Olympics. The duo is chasing Olympic gold in the Mixed 470 class.

   Listen in as Nikki and Ryan chat with Good Jibes host Ryan Foland about the moments they each knew they wanted to become Olympians, how to transition to a 2-person team, how to coach yourself on the water, what’s unique about the 470, and how they’re prepping for LA ’28.

Here’s a sample of what you’ll hear in this episode: 

• Their Olympic journey and forming a team
• The need for sailing opportunities for women beyond separate events
• The pressure and pride of representing America on the Olympic stage
• How capsizing and flipping boats shaped Nikki and Ryan
• The technical and physical demands of sailing the 470

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast spots — follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!

Learn more and support Nikki Barnes & Ryan Squires at American-Wave2028.com and Ryan Foland at Ryan.Online. 

Check out the episode and show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes:

• Nikki Barnes & Ryan Squires on Their 2028 Olympic Campaign, with Host Ryan Foland
  • [0:16] Welcome to Good Jibes with Latitude 38
  • [0:28] Welcome aboard, Nikki Barnes and Ryan Squires!
  • [1:50] Sailing stories that shaped Nikki and Ryan
  • [5:09] The Olympic journey & forming a team
  • [8:50] How Nikki’s criteria for a teammate led to partnership with Ryan 
  • [12:13] If you want to support Nikki and Ryan, check out American-Wave2028.com
  • [14:56] Join our Crew List at Latitude38.com 
  • The Challenges of Elite Sailing
  • [15:25] Self-coaching and ways to learn
  • [23:22] The Olympic pathway and funding challenges
  • [27:14] The technical and physical demands of sailing the 470
  • [32:05] Get your own copy of the magazine at Latitude38.com 
  • The Olympic Journey
  • [32:49] The pressure and pride of representing America on the Olympic stage
  • [36:08] The need for sailing opportunities for women beyond separate events
  • [42:11] Trying to build a “home waters” advantage
  • [45:20] What’s next for Nikki and Ryan?
  • [49:08] Be sure to support their Olympic campaign at American-Wave2028.com
  • Make sure to follow Good Jibes with Latitude 38 on your favorite podcast spot and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts
  • Check out the September 2025 issue of Latitude 38 Sailing Magazine
  • Theme Song: “Pineapple Dream” by Solxis.

Transcript: 

Please note: this transcript is not 100% accurate.

00:03

One of my greatest joys of sailing is helping other kids find that same passion and that spark and want to do something crazy like try to  sail in the Olympics.  Ahoy, everybody!  Welcome to another episode of Good Jibes and we are here on location  in Long Beach in the beautiful Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. We are out on an iron table and I am joined with two future gold medal Olympians.

00:28

And  one has an awesome name. His name is Ryan Squires. And then we have Nikki Barnes. And then we have our media consultant. Tell us about Faith. How is Faith? Everybody say hi, Faith. Hey, Faith. Hey, Faith. You know, if you’re going to have a social media marketing manager, you’ve got to have Faith in them. It’s a great name.  So I ran into you when I was down here sailing the other day, and you were buffing out this sweet little boat, getting ready to go. And then I saw you out on the water, and I’ve been following you on Instagram.

00:56

talking about this whole Olympics thing. So I’m really curious to get to know you a little bit and then to dive into what it means to be an Olympian for you, how you get there, how we can support you  and how you as coaches can help to really have a unique perspective on what it takes to get to that next level. So Good Jibes is a podcast really for West Coast sailors. We’ll talk about this. You’re on the West Coast, but even if you’re not from the West Coast, that’s all right.

01:24

We talk about racing sailing and all things Olympics on this show. Now we have a 40 year old magazine behind us Latitude 38 and it is just really a publication that joins people who love the ocean love to be on the water in the water. You know there’s a state sustainable thread throughout and it’s just a great community that loves to hear stories.

01:50

So we want to hear your stories, in particular, a sailing story that might have shaped you in the past. Ryan, I’m going to have you go first. What is a sailing story that shaped you? Sure. I’ll kick it off here. And it was my first capsize. ah It was probably my second sailing camp at the Hoover Sailing Club in Columbus, Ohio. We’re sailing on a little drinking water reservoir. But it was still intimidating, hopping in the boat in an Opti for the first time by myself.

02:15

And I can remember the moment where I had a coach right behind me. The wind was picking up. We started to have some puffs coming across the water and I was feeling a little scared. I was worried about the boat tipping over. I kept holding onto that main sheet and I was even pulling it in as I was starting to get overpowered. And what do you know, the boat flipped over. I was terrified of that happening. It was like the worst thing that could have happened at that time for me.  But I fell backwards out of the boat.

02:43

The boat kind of sailed off and just  lightly flipped over and my coach was right behind me and she was like Ryan are you OK and I was like I’m fine you know I fell in the water the boat flipped over it seemed like the worst thing in the world but I was OK  and that moment  really was kind of a pivoting point for me building confidence in sailing and that was really cool for me.  Sweet it’s sometimes what we’re most afraid of that gets us further along than we would think  and.

03:13

How about you, Nikki? Yeah, well, actually, it’s funny because my story is also a flipping story. If you take a look at me, you’ll see the front tooth that I have is a little bit chipped. And so it was October 31st, 2023, the first year that I became a mom. I was sailing the 470 for training in Italy, and it was just a calm day. We went out in our highest settings.

03:41

and we were just looking for some lighter sailing. And within five minutes of being out there training with the Italian team, the breeze picked up to 20 knots and the waves picked up to 20 feet. Wow. Well, maybe not 20 it’s okay. It’s all right. We’re going say. We’re going with it. Yeah. Yeah. So, so we had to come in, you know, we went upwind, then we had to go downwind. And these were the biggest waves I’ve ever sailed in my life. And there’s just, my husband is also coaching us at the time.

04:10

and we had a gnarly wave, went super fast, and then we flipped. And in that flip, I hit something in my mouth, and I looked around, and I was about to panic, and I looked at my husband and I said, David, blah, blah, blah, blah,

04:39

because I gave him my fear, I was good to go. That was my first realization that  after becoming a mom  and being a sailor,  I could sail pretty fearlessly. There’s little that would scare me after that. ah It was a really cool, pretty recent, but really cool day. My best day of sailing so far. Well, they say that you have to cut your teeth, and that’s literally  part of it.  I think that’s awesome.

05:09

How did this whole Olympic journey story start like how … did you to get to know each other how did faith get involved with this what’s the backstory on it. Yeah so I have been campaigning in the 470 since 2017 I went to the Tokyo Olympics and from there our boat changed from being a female boat. And a male boat to a mixed boat.

05:32

Okay, so that’s in order to get gender equality for the Paris Olympics from athletes to officials. They wanted so that was like the requirement. Yeah. Okay. So we were one of the classes that helped meet that requirement not just for sailing but for the whole Olympic Games. Very cool. And LA is on the same progression. And that’s why the 470 estate makes I campaigned for Paris after having giving birth to my son in 2023. And I

06:01

was looking for a teammate and I spent seven months, I looked over eight to 10 different partners and our Olympic director, so Rosie Chapman, she recommended Ryan and said, this guy’s gonna be a world champion one day and I said, all right, let’s give it a try. And Ryan, how’d it go? Yeah, it was great. Naki hit me up on WhatsApp and asked me to go sailing with her and it wasn’t.

06:28

I had to completely change my plans, but I was like, I get an opportunity to get in a 470 with Olympian Nicky Barnes. I absolutely dropped everything, drove from South Carolina down to Miami. And I think we started out with just two or three days together and really just had a great feeling in the boat. We really worked well together with our personalities. Before that, I had dedicated myself to an Olympic pathway in the Ilka.

06:55

um I spent the winter with the uh ILCA Olympic Development Program, but I was ready to  join forces with Nikki pretty much right off the bat. Yeah, I was so stoked by the opportunity.  Sweet! How cool is that? How did Faith get into this? Faith and I have been dating for year and a half, two years now. met  in the Northeast working in New York,  and she’s been following me around ever since graduating college,  and supporting our team is our

07:26

Let’s give it up for Faith. How awesome. You guys are a sweet little team. So Faith is in the boat out there and you guys are charging and I’ve been able to, since I’ve met you, I’ve been able to keep eyes on you because you guys are on Instagram and your handle, if I remember is American Wave 2028. Yes. Yes, is. Checking with Faith. Checking with Faith. All right. And I actually saw the day that I was out sailing you were, you guys capsized. Yes. So it’s still happening, but

07:55

Capsizing means you’re pushing it to the right limit. Is that right? You’re coach? You’re pushing the limit  and you’re finding ways that you can reduce your margin of error.  And I think on that particular day, we actually capsized on purpose. We did it for the gram. OK. Well, it worked. Got my attention. was like, oh, they capsized too. This is great. know? Yeah. I’m a non-Olympic laser sailor.  Sorry, because  I only know it as a laser. have.

08:22

Sandy Bottom, she’s a 1980 something and she’s a little rough around the edges, but she gets out there. And then I joined this club and I see this Ilka word and then people are telling me, no, it’s the legal thing and everything. But it’s hard for me to call my laser an Ilka, but. Fair enough. Lays Ilka maybe. But how was that transition going from one completely different boat to another? And for those that might not know the Ilka laser, probably everybody probably does, but just from you having that path.

08:50

to then jumping to a whole different boat and talk a little bit about this new boat. How was that transition? Does everything translate? There’s a lot of things that translate. When I spent time with the ODP program in the ILLASER, we were able to… I love how you called it ILLASER. ILLASER, yeah. I’m starting to think about it. I got to focus on a lot of mechanics in the boat, understanding sail shape, how we’re able to mode the boat to go fast or high or through these different situations around the race course.

09:19

And being a single person in a boat gives you a really direct feeling to everything that’s going on. Because you’re the owner of everything. You’re responsible for everything on that boat. So while there’s a lot going on,  you’re really able to get a very intimate feeling with the boat, the sail, what’s happening with the race course.  And you build a very well-rounded sailor personality. So I think there’s a great benefit in starting in a single person boat. I’ve been sailing the Laser since 2014.

09:49

So about 10 years now.  And I never pictured myself transitioning to a two-person boat, but had to jump on the opportunity with Nicky.  And the cool thing about joining a two-person team  is there’s a lot that you give up. When you go from a skipper role to a crew role,  you can really focus  in  on the game of sailing, the tactical decisions,  understanding more technical tuning to the boat.

10:18

So while I gave up the tiller it really opened my perspective to a much more intimate relationship with racing and that’s been really cool. Awesome now Nikki you’ve gone through a few different partners and iterations how is it being like the queen of the boat and then bringing bringing people on and have you always have you always lend it to be towards the tiller or you have to probably know both to be good at it what’s the scoop around that. The only reason I tried so many different partners was because I wanted to

10:48

I just had a very particular  look for a teammate. was looking for  somebody, not just an incredible sailor, but somebody who’s well-rounded, somebody who is willing, like, you’re,  let’s be honest, when you’re in a relationship in the boat, it’s like the marriage without sex.  And that’s how they’ve always described it, even when I had a female partner. It’s like a marriage. And so this is somebody that we’re spending so many hours with that it’s  a…

11:17

You know, you have to really have a good feeling about them. A big criteria when I was looking for partners was if I’m going to look for a skipper, they have to. Maybe not have an ego, meaning I’m skippering, but we’re two people on the boat. It’s not my show and I’m getting a crew in there.  And sometimes there’s skippers who would crew and they say, oh, give me the tiller or they would tell me how to steer the boat from being on the wire.

11:46

And so with Ryan, it’s really cool because he is such an incredible feel in the boat. And he pretty much steers the boat from, I guess what I’m saying is, we can be 50-50 in the boat. And that’s  such a rare partnership and super hard to find. But I found it with Ryan in two days, knew instantly that he was going to be an incredible partner in the boat. And so  it’s been a lot of fun so far. Good to have a little king in the boat.

12:13

Yeah, that’s what Ryan means. Anybody who’s curious, little king.  Not a big king, little king. That’s good. It’s a good spot to be in. Let’s talk about the fact that this is something you’re campaigning for. There’s a process with it.  And this is something that people like me and others can get excited about being part of that journey.  how can people support you? Like, I got my sticker and I put it on my mobile podcast thing over here. I might need another sticker. But how do people

12:41

get involved, right? They follow you on Instagram, but and this isn’t even just for you. Like the Olympics are coming to LA. Yeah. How can we as people who like totally admire and are inspired what you guys are doing? What are ways to get involved or support? Like what’s ideal? You get to talk to them right now. There’s  thousands of people listening like going, what do we do? Yeah. Okay. So one is, yeah, we’re,  I mean, when we post on Instagram, on social media,

13:06

follow, like all that jazz, but send us messages. Like if you see something funny in there or weird or interesting. So don’t be afraid to DM. Yeah, don’t be afraid to DM. And then second thing is we send updates. We send detailed updates of what we’re doing. And like just the behind the scenes that maybe you don’t see in an Instagram reel or TikTok, sign up, subscribe on our website to the updates. And that’s the best way to see,  okay, they’re training here. uh

13:35

Okay, they’re gonna compete in Spain next. Wow, this is really cool. This is how we can follow. And that’s the best way. What’s the website? Our website is… We’re looking at Faith.  Faith, come over here. Come over here. Grab Ryan’s mic there. can squeeze in. know each other. Hi. Hey. I’m Faith Camerata. I’m the marketing and campaign manager, as I call myself. Our website is  www.american- uh

14:07

wave2028.com kind of a mouthful but if you just search up … American Wave on Google it should be there. can also just go to the Instagram and is that … your link in is that your link yes okay so linked in our … Instagram alright so in your Instagram one more time for people because they’re wait let’s get him grab a pen no … open up your phone yeah let’s use you grab your phone … okay open up Instagram out go to the search function hit that do they have to hit the at symbol or you just know alright so no there we go and then they’re going to type.

14:34

American Wave 2028. Boom. All right. That’s it.  then then they’re going to DM me and said, Hey, Faith sent me. Faith sent me to your page and I will likely be the one responding. Nice. And then they can also say that you have faith in Ryan and you have faith in Nikki and we have faith in America to kick ass in this. Awesome. this Olympics. Hell yeah.

14:56

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15:25

just happy days of sailing. If you have a boat or want to crew, add your name to the Latitude 38 crew list at latitude 38.com. You don’t know where such a simple act will take you. So let’s talk about you being coaches, coaching yourself. Is that a thing or you actually have other coaches and maybe give us a little history of the fact that you’re coaches. I think this is very inception. This

15:52

Yeah, so Nikki and I both have a long background coaching.  I started coaching when I was 14 years old. I’m 25 now, so it’s been a little over 10 years.  And it’s really how I’ve supported myself to sail.  Sailing is an expensive sport. It takes a lot of time and resources and it takes a lot of money. All through high school and college, I was able to,  you know, had a lot of support from my family, but I was able to pay most of my own way by coaching.

16:19

Leveled myself up through the coaching sphere, been able to travel around, work with tons of kids and teams. And one of my greatest joys of sailing is helping other kids find that same passion and that spark and want to do something crazy, like try to sail in the Olympics. Coaching is a great passion for me.  And I think there’s a lot of self coaching as well.  I think it’s Bob Adam from Zim who says the best coach you can have is yourself.

16:46

when you’re able to do that kind of self-analysis at the beginning of the day, at the end of the day, or maybe after each race, it’s something that you internalize even more than when a coach is shouting at you from outside a coach boat. Not to say one is more valuable than the other, because our team coach, Stu McNeigh, is the best in the business, absolutely. Shout out to Stu. Give it up for Stu. Give it up for Stu. Is Stu on Instagram? Do we need to follow him too? Yeah, he’s awesome. He is at Stu McNeigh. At Stu McNeigh. You might have to spell that.

17:16

Stu  STUMCNAY on Instagram. Google him, he’s gone to five Olympics. Yeah. He’s an absolute legend in the 470 class and he’s really well regarded all around the world.  We just went to the European Championship a couple months ago and it was really cool to see how all the countries just hold him in like the highest regard. So Stu is a fantastic coach to us.

17:44

But I would say Nikki is also a coach to me. I didn’t  have much crewing experience at all before I joined  with her.  And every day she coaches me on how to be a better crew. So I think we have more than three coaches even, myself, Nikki, Stu, and we’re working with other people to help us build the greatest team in America right now. Hell yeah. Damn, Skippy. Let’s go.

18:11

All right, I need a coach because you say kid, but I’m not a kid, but I don’t know what the hell I’m doing on my laser. I have never traditionally  been taught. I’ve just sailed in Catalina. I’ve never been in a regatta with it. So I’m like the perfect person who’s coachable. So I just want to know maybe the one or three or 114 tips you can tell me right now, maybe just three. What are the three best things you can teach me? I’ve got the number one best tip for you and it is to become your own coach. The best way you can do it is with legitimate resources.

18:41

theinternationalsailingacademy.com. Like get myself trained as a coach so I can learn what the coaches are teaching? Precisely. Okay. Yes. At theinternationalsailingacademy.com,  they have tons of laser sailing resources where you can learn top tips and tricks from world champions. You can watch the videos, you can learn the mechanics, you can go out on the water yourself.  And my second tip would be… Wait, hold on. That’s some Mr. Miyagi shit right there. Like that’s it. You’re pretty much like…

19:10

You just handed me the golden goose right there. The golden ticket right there. But you also have to do your own analysis. OK. So take a camera out with you. Where do I mount it? I mean, I got the GoPro, but I don’t you just mount it on the back. You can mount it on the transom in the laser specifically. I’ve had great success mounting it to the bottom of the boom right by the goose neck. So kind of in between your vang and your goose neck. If you put it right there under your boom, you’ll get a wide view of everything.

19:38

And if you use a 360 camera you can even tone up at the … sale look at your leech look at your feet your hands. I I’ve also all my stuff you know from the 80s and stuff so … I’ve blown out the boom a couple times so it’s like. Down lower so I’m limited on space but tell me about the … 360 where would you put that same thing the same 360 camera I’d put it in that same place okay yeah all right.

20:04

That’s it. I have all that I need now to become an Olympian. And that’s what’s so exciting. This is great. Wait, I do want to mention. So this is a West Coast coach that I’ve known since high school.  But we’ve recently really been working on our starting routine. And so we’ve gone to Steve Hunt’s  website. I don’t know if you know Steve Hunt. don’t know Steve He’s an absolute legend of a sailor and a coach. bad. No, I’ll look him up. Look him up. His website’s incredible. His courses are super cheap.

20:34

but reasonable  and he just outlines his lessons in such an easy way from Opti to Pro. It’s he covers it all and how you can get a really strong foundation you’re sailing. Go ahead guys, you can walk through just do live podcast. We love ABYC. Here’s the magic that happens. Give it up for the ABYC crew.  ABYC the place to be, especially for being, you know,  well, it’s part of their handle. What is their handle? Their handle is Alameda’s

21:04

Bay ABYCA used to be, listen, Faith is on it. She’s looking this up. She’s like her, she’s your road manager and she’s our show producer pretty much. She’s amazing. She’s a multi-tool. she actually, the other day on the water, we, she was coaching us  and she was just filming and she said, Hey guys, you’re really slow in this moment. She’s never sailed the 470 before. She has a sailing background, but the fact that she outlined a piece for us.

21:31

We are able to work on it and we’ve gotten so much faster because of her coaching. Coach number four or five. Yeah. Right. And then the iPhone is coach number six. Yeah. And then this other guy’s website is number seven. Do we get the A-B-Y-C? right. Faith is on. Here she comes. It’s Alameda’s Bay  YC is their Instagram handle. And Alameda’s is kind of funky to spell because I misspell it. A-L-A-M-I-T-O-S Bay.

21:57

So inception we’re here at Alameda Bay at the Alameda Bay Yacht Club looking  at all these people coming by Alright, so I’m gonna play back the lesson so that I realize I have thought about doing the  Sailing ASA 101. I did 101. Yeah, 102 all those things. I’ve also have a  1977 count 34 so a big non racer slow boat that just does not go fast and anything you do to tune it doesn’t really matter But that’s that’s okay. That’s part of it

22:26

But I’ve never thought of doing any coach training. So this goes out to my my fellow Lesilkas  and those people who are interested in sailing, sailing, like, I don’t know what it is. I wouldn’t necessarily think to go hire a coach, right? I’m a little later on in my life and you see the kids getting coached. like, yeah, I am out there. can have fun,  I don’t know  what I don’t know. And so I have never thought until this moment  of

22:55

becoming a or you become a certified coach or what? No, they just have a lot of online resources, some stuff you can read and videos you can watch. for it. I can just… It is, I think it’s a small monthly subscription for the International Sailing Academy and that’s how they deliver really top top curriculum. Got They develop it with world champions and Olympic medalists. So it’s really the best kind of stuff you can get for later. a connection there? I do not, other than I’m just friends with the coaches.

23:22

Because we should get them on the podcast and maybe I can negotiate a subscription for some media trade.  but a playback. Learn the things that coaches learn. Put a camera on the boat, which I have both, but I haven’t figured out where to put them. Now I know. And then your point was also to check out this other dude and talk about the starting. So Steve Hunt.  SteveHuntSailing.com.  SteveHuntSailing.com. He’s a legend. So if you’re out with your buddies and you say, oh, our tacks are not so great.

23:51

You go to his website look up tacking maneuvers … whatever and you’re going to go down a rabbit hole but … Steve Hunt sailing. He’s incredible yeah sweet I should get him on the podcast … yeah he’s in San Diego. All right let’s get back to the Olympics how we’re going win this thing you guys competed recently here at ABYC when there’s one you’re going somewhere else like … what is this lead-up look like is it I mean this is still a few years away yeah so.

24:20

Typically in a quad we won’t have our team trial until about a … until the Olympics is the quad the four years in … between yep exactly great great question so we are just … trying to increase our. Overall ranking in the world how does that even work I have no idea how many people are you competing against other people from the US for spots is it spots in general.

24:48

So first off, need a spot for your country at the Olympics. We’re the host country, so the US automatically gets a spot. OK, sweet. Which is awesome. Country qualified. Now is that a spot for each of the boats that are competing? So there’s a quote on how many boats can compete. So I don’t know how many it is for the 470, but it’s usually between 21 and 23. For the Ilka, it’s a couple more. In general, in the whole fleet, like everybody in the world.

25:18

for the Olympics. Yes. OK. So 21 spots, 20 spots open. So that’s not every country in the world. Right. So there’s cutthroat qualifiers like Europe is one of the hardest countries that you can qualify for. Because there’s just all kinds of people fighting for small spots. Yeah. So you can get your country selection, which will be in Gdynia, Poland in 2027, 2026, 2027. I think it’s 2027.

25:48

And they’ll get their country spots. That’s the early selection. Then there’s last minute selections as well  for the country spot. And then how do you finance all this stuff? Is this something that’s out of pocket? Are you raising money with it the whole time? Like a whole quad seems like a large, a large amount of time. Yeah. So the U.S. is one of the only countries that does not give funding to their athletes. And I’m talking about the U.S. I  was about to boo, but I mean, we don’t want to  boo. We should.

26:16

But uh other countries you’re serving in the military and then they’re paid and  they can sail and the military pays for their sailing or interesting. The British Federation actually they have a lottery and so  the country you pay for the lottery and part of that goes to the athletes. So their Federation is very well funded. So for us we have to fundraise individually through sponsorships. Thanks Faith for

26:44

all the reach outs to companies. Also, if you’d like to sponsor our team, go to the website and faith will answer you. Yes, well, that’s the website. If I can remember, it’s american-wave2028.com. You got it, Ryan. Perfect. Or easier, go to the grant. Go to the grant. Go to the grant. America Wave 2028. So sponsorships or donation. That’s how we are self-funded. We’re always asking for donations and

27:14

our estimate is it’s we’re going to need about 2.5 million. To change yeah just for a bare minimum able to go to regatta’s pay for sales that keeps us competitive with the fleet finishing top 10 in the world and let’s talk a little bit about the boat because for people who don’t know the boat I mean you guys are tooling on it before after during I’m sure like describe the boat to somebody doesn’t know and how high performance this is there’s a lot of moving parts and are you also.

27:43

engineers at the same time? ah think every sailor is a born engineer, but most people are probably familiar with  420s or FJs, very popular in high school, college sailing. They’re at every yacht club all around the country. But we sail the 470, which is just a tiny bit longer, but a lot more lines to pull. So we can really manipulate the shape of the sail, the tuning of the boat.  And it’s quite a bit faster, mostly because there’s so many mode changing.

28:13

that we can do. So do you love that? is it something that just, I mean, with the laser, Lasilka, we’re looking at three lines in a main sheet. Yeah. We’ve got a few more than that. Yeah. No, it’s amazing. So my primary job on the upwind is to make those little changes. And I just do paperwork in the back of the boat anyways. I’m just kidding. I was to say, I didn’t want to say that. No, I joke because Ryan has such an athletic job in the front that.

28:42

whenever I do anything athletic. It’s more a joke compared to what he has to do. He’s the muscles  and the brains of the boat.  But yeah, if you move ah our jib car ah centimeter, we immediately feel it on the boat. It’s a matter of the boat being stuck or fully released, full powered. It’s very, very sensitive to any adjustments we make in the sail, the rig, the tuning, and also anything we do with our bodies. So just some slight shoulder movements, some slight footwork.

29:12

and we can have a very big impact on the boat and our overall speed. That’s insane. I wouldn’t have thought that was that nuanced and nitty gritty, which is crazy. Yeah. And we actually have a class rule where above 10 knots, the Oscar flag goes up and we get free pumping. And this is where the older generation of sailors might not really like the 470 because they think, oh, you’re just pumping the boat.

29:39

and you’re making it go and it’s, you know, that’s cheating. That’s not real sailing. But actually if you pump improperly or not coordinated at all, the boat will stop. So it’s really, it’s to you. You’re taking a risk. Yeah. But it’s an incredible way to make the boat athletic. And you actually absolutely have to be in tuned with the environment and how the sails move. And I think that’s what makes the 470 so special.

30:06

Now is that unique to 470s on these other boats you can’t do that?  I think there’s pumping in the 420 as well. OK. Yeah. But not in the other Olympic class boats. Not in the other Olympic class And then up to 10 knots. So you can’t do it up until a certain speed. And once you’re at a certain speed, it’s on. Right. Yeah. What’s the ideal amount of wind for you to be just right? Like not too much, not too, like what’s the warm porridge? For us, we like it when it’s absolutely cranky.

30:33

anything above 16, 17, 18, that’s our sweet spot. We like to let the boat unload and take off like a rocket ship. Yeah, the faster the better. Yeah, that’s it. And you’ve got a little spinnaker on that thing as well, right? Yes. Learning to fly the spinnaker has been the right word. You call it a shoot. You call it a shoot, call it a spin, call it the fast sail on the front. If it’s not flying, you just curse at it. You’re dying. It’s not flying, you’re dying. Yeah.

31:02

have just been learning how to fly a symmetrical spinnaker since I’ve started in the 470 and it’s a very delicate, delicate sail. Very, very small things make a big difference, just like everything else in the boat, but it’s so easy to lose the power in the kite. And Nikki and I have to work really hard together as we’re sailing downwind, surfing the waves, pumping the boat to keep the kite fully powered.

31:29

And it’s something that’s taken a lot of time and feeling to develop you can see it with your eyes You can feel it in the main sheet, but you also develop this sense inside of you where you can Anticipate when it’s about to lose its power when it’s about to gain its power and it’s very subtle subtle changes Sounds so much like excellence in the details. Yes, which is really at the core what you guys are doing but with when that’s blasting and with

31:58

lines are flying in witness and craziness and just all the high intensity

32:05

You may be asking, how can I find my own copy of Latitude 38 magazine? Well, it can be as simple as walking into your marina, a Marine store, club, or any California waterfront business. You’ll likely connect with sailors when you walk in the door, and you’ll also find many more sailors as you read through the pages of Latitude 38. Bringing home a copy of Latitude 38 is also a great way to redecorate your coffee table, and reading one will help you unwind from the distractions of the day.

32:33

It’s almost as good as a day of sailing itself. To find a copy of Latitude 38 near you, go to latitude38.com and click on Find the Magazine at the top of the page. Then go out and meet some sailors.

32:49

Now, did you both know that you did you see like something in the Olympics in your past and you’re just like, this is it? I mean, I think at a certain point we all want to be Olympians. But was there a moment where you’re like, boom, that’s it and just locked into it? Yeah, for me, um it was my first OptiWorlds in Montevideo, Uruguay.  And I won a race in the event, which was super rare. And the next race I got 74th. ah

33:17

But so big difference. uh was my first.  Just a shoulder maneuver. Just some some slight thing.  Something. Yeah, exactly. So but I went to the award ceremony and I remember the kids up on stage and the song was playing. They had their medals. The song was playing.  We are the champions. Yeah. And I remember just being so mad that I wasn’t up there on the podium, just on that stage. And I said from that moment,  I’m going to be on the podium every time. And,  know.

33:45

Of course that doesn’t happen. that’s the fire. But I wanted to get to the top and the top of our game is the Olympics. So that’s where it was born for me. Proof is that second place is amazing because it just gets you so fired up. Yeah. If you were on the podium that time, you probably would have been like, hey, I’m here. And then it wouldn’t have lit that fire. Yeah. How about you, Ryan? My fire was ignited when I was 14. It was my first year in the laser. I did a clinic  at a little club called North Cape.

34:15

Yacht Club in Michigan, which is the home club for Anna Tunnicliff. She won the gold medal  in 2012. She came to Coach the Clinic kind of giving back to her home community and she brought her gold medal with her  and showed me that  I had it in me  and I had the potential to  do something like that myself and the fire was lit and I’ve been burning ever since then. That’s so awesome.

34:45

Well, I think that that aspirational spirit to get on the podium to be the best is one thing, but then like representing your country is a whole nother thing. I mean, how do you feel that that’s a crazy pressure or is that just fuel to the fire or a combination? I think it’s a combination. I think it’s mostly fueling the fire,  but it’s also representing America in the right light. You know, we want to prove that we’re not only

35:12

The best sailor is out on the race course, but we do it the best way possible. We have respect from the other countries, but they’re also intimidated by us because we are the best. Yeah. So I  grew up in the U.S. Virgin Islands and  I competed for the Virgin Islands my whole life until I went to college.  And  I truly believe I’m  sailing the American dream. I never thought I’d be able to own a house  or be able to continue traveling to countries to sail.

35:42

but living in the US and I served in the military for five years. Thank you for your service. Thank you.  I just have been given so many opportunities through that service uh to be able to live this dream. And so I think that’s  as an American, know, I’m a newly, a new American sailor, but it’s been,  I wouldn’t have had these opportunities if I wasn’t in the US sailing.

36:08

that word opportunity. I always try to have real conversations here and  I’m always excited about people who are helping to share from an accessibility, from an inclusivity, from getting more women involved, especially in racing. I’ve talked with so many female racers and it’s just there’s not even that many avenues and spots and there’s so many issues with it. Representing America,  just assuming that that’s something that you guys believe in and are  passionate about, I’d be curious your thoughts. uh

36:35

We know what it’s been. I’m curious what we can do  to continue to make it better. And you’re going to have the limelight. You’re going to have the opportunity to share. So this is kind of  literally a microphone for you. What can we do? And uh I don’t want to dwell on what’s wrong with it. not trying to be negative Nancy. But what are you seeing that’s working? Or what are you excited about? Or  what are things that we can all do to help support?

36:58

I love to see the growth of high school sailing programs. It’s definitely the most accessible way for kids to get involved with racing for the first time. High school programs have been popping up all around the country. I started the first high school sailing program in Ohio in 2013, and now I think there’s over 30 teams in Ohio. So a state where there’s not a ton of high school sailing, but it’s growing everywhere. Wait, wait. Are you going to go back and do a clinic to show them your gold medal? Absolutely. OK, good. Yes.

37:28

just like Anna Tunnicliff did for me in 2014. And when you do,  I’ll meet you out there and we’ll broadcast live from there. It’ll be a full circle moment.  But the cool thing about high school sailing is that they make it a bit more simple. The boats are simple.  You  typically have boats provided from a yacht club or a US sailing center.  So kids can get involved for a very low cost. They can join their teammates who already have experience, get out on the water, learn racing skills.

37:57

ah I’ve coached a few high school sailing programs and I love to see kids who get roped in from their friends have a great time and excel with the sport and then trying to do some other forms of sailing as well. Now if there’s a high school out there that they’re listening either it’s a parent or it’s  a teen who’s listening to this and being like that sounds cool. Do think they could just like try to contact a local the nearest yacht club and  start I mean you should started something like

38:26

How would somebody, that’s possible? just bring it up to the ASB or something? Bring it up, propose it to your local club or US Sailing Center. There are US Sailing Centers all around the country. Bring it up to your local club. My club didn’t have any high school sailing before we started it. We proposed it. We showed there was a pathway for high school sailors to get involved. And they were really excited because it was bringing in workforce too.

38:52

Kids got involved with high school sailing for the first time. They found a love for it. They built their skills. They became a certified instructor through US sailing. And then they worked for that club. So it kind of fed the whole program at the club. And at my home, Hoover Sailing Club,  they’ve surely benefited since we started the high school sailing program. There you go.  I’m sure that that started a few more clubs. Yeah. How about you, Nikki? What are your thoughts? Yeah. So I  am obviously a big advocate of women in sailing.

39:21

I’m not a really big fan of girls nationals or a woman’s nationals. And that’s from somebody who I won nationals with my team. We won it by, I don’t know, over 60 points. Kicked ass. Yeah, kicked ass. And I think it’s, I think it’s segregates. I think it puts women on the side and says, okay, well, you’re not good enough for the co-ed nationals. So here’s your own on the side instead as a solution.

39:49

I think there needs to be more opportunities for women and girls  just beyond the normal.  I look at SailGP right now and I think it’s so incredible how they’re pushing forward in our sport and yet there’s not enough women. Yeah. Still not enough women. whenever there is a new women captain or someone, then it’s just like they just make this big splash about it. But at the end of the day, you look at the makeup, you’re like,  oh. Well, and you have to go to the Olympics. That’s like the criteria. You have to have gone to the Olympics to sail into SailGP.

40:18

or get a medal and maybe- I didn’t know that that was a- No, no, it’s not a criteria. Making a joke, was talking with somebody about how there’s literally such a hard pathway to get to and as a woman, it’s a very hard pathway just because there’s so many limited spots. Yeah. The women there are incredible and what they’re doing for the women in SaleGP is incredible, but they need to do more. The guys have had maybe three years of a head start and then women have been added to the program.

40:48

How do we make up on the three years? And I don’t know, to me that’s not creating a woman’s league of it, but it’s, I don’t know, how do you pause it and get them to catch up? I don’t know, I don’t, but that’s, that would be a solution. And similar to how Ferrari is gonna have a Formula One-like sailing league soon. I did not know that. I just heard this now for the first time. I’m still reading it, but yeah, I guess that’s the goal.

41:15

But maybe that’s an opportunity for women to get a head start in it. And I’m not saying a woman’s only boat, because I think it should be co-ed. yeah, that’s how do we lower that gap? And to me, that’s more clinics, more opportunities to sail the boats. I don’t know. Yeah. So that’s something I’m always thinking about. How can we create more opportunities, not just segregate and say, here’s your own nationals?

41:43

carry on. Yeah, it does give good opportunities for girls who would never even be able to sailing coed events to sell but we need more. need more. All right. We that’ll happen. Yeah. Let’s talk. I’m just looking out here over the ocean  and the nice little breeze and I know that there’s been a lot of talk of where the sailing elements are.  It was like Long Beach and then San Pedro and then Long Beach and San Pedro and all this stuff. Do you guys have an idea of

42:11

whether you’ll be here or in Hurricane Gulch and I’m just … curious to understand your perspective on that. Yeah so we’ll be in San Pedro that’s where the 470 is going be sailed the 49ers FX the Nakras they’re all going to be up in San Pedro Pedro but it’s just a matter of do we train up there or do we train down here I know there are still how different how different are the two areas. I know there’s more wind.

42:41

there’s a little bit more of a commute from the beach out to … the sailing area from San Pedro Pedro Pedro tomato tomato … tomato but but we’re not sure we haven’t sailed there yet. I also heard there was a lot of kelp in the area in a … general sense is that being just something that people were sort of talking about. Yeah it’s definitely true there is more kelp up there near the Cabrillo Beach area which is closer to San Pedro.

43:09

And when the wind is very light, the current typically comes from Cabrillo down here to Long Beach. And you definitely see more kelp all around. So it’s floating down and it’s coming from up there. What do you guys, are you out there spotting for kelp? Sometimes when I’m on a different boat or I’m part of crew, I’m like, what can I do here? I’m just going to be like the kelp master. I’m like, I see it. I see it. I go here there. How do you guys deal with that out there? Is that one more element you have to deal with? Or do you just?

43:39

I you can’t really blast through it. They’re kind of landmines out there. I mean, it’s not like we’re constantly batting away kelp, but you’ll see every once in a while there’ll be a big bundle of it and they weigh a good 30, 50 pounds. So if you hit that while you’re sailing upwind, you’re going to stop in your tracks. Can we put a razor blade along? Can we sharpen? that’s a good Unfortunately, I think that’s against the class rules, but as part of…

44:04

Part of my job up in the front of the boat to keep a quick look out and every once in a while I have to give a quick call back to Nikki like head up head down. We got to avoid this big kelp monster. Yeah, he’s the kelp master. How do you guys call it out? Do you be like, I just want to know what you’re saying. Are you saying like kelp head up, kelp head down? You’d like what is there a certain phrase just so I get the lingo and then I can I think exactly that. Kelp head up, kelp

44:30

Do you degrees like down five degrees up one degree?  She usually gets it. a little jog around. All right. OK. um I’m excited to see how it all pans out. And it’s interesting because there’s so much talk about here or there. And you’ve done all your practicing out here.  Can you actually go you can’t really go from here and then sail all the way up and then practice.  can. It’ll take a while. But I think the other thought is to tow up there. OK. But you know with all the changes I know a lot of people are

44:58

maybe disappointed in the change of venue. We are rolling with the punches. That’s our mindset. You know, if they move it back down here, that’s fine. If they move it there, that’s fine. We are going to be flexible and just, you know, happy with wherever we can sail. Go where the wind blows. Yeah. Yeah. But that’s also a big priority for us to be the first 470 team out here. We are the

45:20

The first ones out here, we spent the most time training here and we’re building our competitive advantage on these home waters for the 2028 games. Yeah. All right. So as we wind down here and get back to the dock and put the boat away and fix all the stuff that we broke today, tell me what like what’s happening next. You said you’re traveling to Spain.  You know, what can we expect as we follow you along this next kind of journey? Yeah. So we are  heading out  today for Ryan Faith.  They’re heading on a road trip.

45:50

So they’re gonna car top our boat.  So if you see them going from California to New York wave. Give us an American wave. Give us an American wave. Good old hawk hawk. So they’re gonna take the boat to New York for the North Americans, which will start on the 13th of August  until the 16th.  And I’ll head with my son to Miami, get a couple, a little bit more gear, and then head back up to New York.  And my husband is actually gonna coach us for that event. Sweet.

46:20

Another coach. You guys are set up with the coaches. Yeah. Well, I feel like you were coaches to me today. I found out that I call out Kelp just the right way as an Olympian would do.  I’m going to figure out how to learn to be my own coach. I’m going to set up my GoPros.  I’m going to check out the websites that you’ve mentioned. And I think also what I’m taking away from this is that you’re literally just putting in the work and

46:48

effort and practice and patience and time and over and over. And I’m always fascinated with  athletics or athletes, especially like at the top level. You know,  not everybody sees you practicing, right? They’ll see the final game. Not everybody sees the drills. And it’s just so cool to know that to be successful,  takes this fire, this grit, but just putting in the fucking work and time. And if you enjoy it, all the better. So  I’m inspired.

47:18

I always make a joke with my buddy well before I ran into you that every time we go sailing, we are training for the Olympics. And  it just, even that mentality, you stand a little taller, you hike a little harder, and everything just seems a little bit more like, it’s not just you, it’s like you and  everything  that represents this amazing free world to go after it if you put the work into it. So your final inspiring words, we’ll have you back, so it’s not final words, but what do you say to those folks who are…

47:44

maybe past their prime of uh actually competing in the Olympics, but how to channel that Olympic spirit and maybe that being through, you know, being part of  the cheering team for you. Yeah, I think the key is just going out, having fun on the water with your friends and learning a bit each time you get in a sailboat. think that’s the key uh to any sailor in whatever their pathway is. Such a coach. That’s such a great coach answer. Love it. How about you, Nikki? So for me, it’s, you know, if you’re a sailor,

48:13

or not a sailor, whatever your goals are in life, you know, don’t wait for it to be perfect. Do it messy, do it sloppy, make the mistakes, get dirty, definitely have fun with it, but start now. I think that’s the biggest thing is you never know what tomorrow will bring and the journey is just as fun as the end result. Well, I don’t know. Well, I guess we’ll check in with you after we get on the podium. Yes. uh

48:40

And to bring it full circle, what probably scares us all the most is the one thing that needs to happen so that we do capsize and realize that it’s not that bad  or not let what we’re fearful of stop us from getting out there and being messy and trying it. That’s just a great way to look at life. And you go where the wind blows. It’s such just a pure natural thing to be out on the water. I just feel like the ocean is my potion. Add a little wind to it and it makes a great little stew. Yeah.

49:08

Thank you guys. And to bring it back to Faith, Faith over there. She’s sitting on the gram.  Make sure you’re tagging at Ryan dot Follin. That’s me. And then you can also tag at Latitude 38 Magazine. And if you guys are not already fans of Latitude 38, hopefully you check it out. I’m sure we’ll get you in there soon. It’s an amazing thing to have something you can put your hands on in such a digital world.

49:34

that you can grab it, can read stories from people around the world, and you can pick them up basically in all kinds of local marine shops and spots and things like that. So I think we’re back to the dock. I mean, I think we need to get some food, we need to shower up. You guys have been on the boat all day. I’ve been on my computer all day. But I’m heading off to Catalina tomorrow, and good luck on the road trip. Look for some honks on the way.  Good luck with you and your kid and getting geared up and then making it to the next step. Definitely keep us updated, and  we’d love to help.

50:03

share the story to get you guys support.  million bucks, no big deal. Let’s go for like 10.  Let’s get some gold sales to go for some gold on the podium. right. All right. Well, check out the website, American-Dream2028.com. Get them on the gram. And if you have a guest or another Olympian or if you’re an Olympian hopeful and you want to be on the show to talk about your aspirations, your dreams and give me some coaching at the same time, you can reach out to me at Ryan  at Latitude38.com.

50:32

We’d love to get all kinds of folks on the show. All right, that’s it. We’re back at the dock. Thank you guys so much. Thank you, Ryan. Awesome. Thanks for having us. USA. SailFest. USA. We are the champions, my friend. Doon, doon, doon. Such a good song. And replace fighting with sailing. And we’ll keep on sailing till the  end.

50:58

That was good ending. was really good. Alright, well I’ll be singing that  probably for a while now. That might be  my new song. Alright guys, we’re out of here. Don’t forget to, if this is your last, I’m sorry, if this is your first time  listening to the Good Jibes podcast, it should not be your last. You can subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts and we’ll see you out there on the big blue. Adios!