Hi! Tonight’s the night. S/V Sonas sets sail for the Azores as soon as the weather clears. If you want to follow along: sdsatracking.com/azores2026 We’ve been sitting in Bermuda for a few days waiting for the right window – and in the meantime, exploring old forts, wandering through museums, doing what sailors do when the wind isn’t ready yet. Lifelong learners, all of us. And by the way, if your kiddo is an explorer too, that is something they can keep a log of to qualify for the...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi! I'm back on land. For now. I know many of my students are just coming up for air after AP exams, or still swimming in the thick of finals preparation. I've been super busy too. The IECA conference just wrapped up, which means I spent three days talking to college admissions officers from schools across the country - public, private, big, tiny, selective, very much not. Dozens of conversations. And if I had to distill every single one into one word, it would be: authenticity. I know....
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hi! At the time I'm writing this, I'm just over halfway between St. Thomas and Bermuda. Conditions out here are what I'd describe as somewhere between "champagne" and "martini" - ie, quite lovely, but definitely some shaking and stirring happening! You might've heard the Dave Barry joke before: "How to Sail: 1 - Figure out where you want to go.2 - Whichever way it is, do NOT aim the sailboat in that direction.3 - Aim the sailboat in some other direction.4 - Trust me, this is the way sailors...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi! Lately I’ve been having the same conversation with a lot of families. Junior year is ramping up, list-building season is here, and the question I keep hearing is some version of: “Is this school good enough?” Good enough by whose measure? A study published in Harvard Business Review tracked 28,000 students from 294 universities across 79 countries and measured their actual job performance. The finding: university rank is a poor predictor of how well someone performs at work. Employers get...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hi! 430 people are registered for my sailing and college admissions webinar so far. With room for more, hint hint. When I started putting this together, I reached out to coaches I'd met at events or through mutual connections. Chris Klevan at Stanford, Brendan Feeney at Fordham, Carter Brock at Boston University. All three said yes. Zim Sailing, North U, and Team One Newport, whose management I've all either sailed against or worked for, signed on as sponsors. Steve Hunt, a sometimes-teammate...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Quick note: the sailing and college admissions webinar I'm hosting is April 14 at 8:30 PM EDT. If you have a sailor navigating the recruiting conversation, send them this way. Almost 300 people are registered, will you be the next? Join in at collegesailingwebinar.eventbrite.com. I’ve been doing some passage planning lately - Spring delivery season is upon us! Routes, waypoints, weather windows. It’s the kind of work that looks like preparation but can become avoidance if you’re not careful....
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hi! Something I’ve been building for a while is finally happening. On Tuesday, April 14 at 8:30 PM EDT / 5:30 PM PDT, I’m co-hosting a free virtual panel — Sailing Into College: Admissions Strategies for Sailors — and the lineup is really good. Steve Hunt — HS Sailing Coach & Professional Competitive Sailor Chris Klevan — Head Sailing Coach, Stanford University Brendan Feeney — Head Sailing Coach, Fordham University Carter Brock — Head Sailing Coach, Boston University Nikki Bruno — that’s me,...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hi! The responses to my last email genuinely made my week. Hearing from past students who are out there doing the thing, building the life, thriving in ways they worked really hard for, that's exactly why I do this. Thank you for writing back. Keep sending updates. I mean it. I sailed this past weekend and the results weren't exactly what we hoped for. But something happened in the parking lot afterward that I haven't been able to stop thinking about. The sailing community has this thing...
4 months ago • 2 min read