after I developed allergic asthma at age 16, i had to quit competitive swimming and started sailing instead. i started on the lakes of switzerland (lake of constance, lake geneva, lake of neuchatel, among others) and soon ventured into the english channel, the irish sea, and the atlantic coast off france, spain and portugal.

after a while, i lost interest in cruising and joined a team of competitive sailors in geneva; the Centre d'Entrainement a la Regate [CER] is a training center financed mostly by the city government and might very well be the only of its kind. the budget allows for state-of-the-art equipment, maintenance, and instruction; its purpose is to initiate talented teenagers to the world of competive keelboat sailing in switzerland and abroad. many of switzerland's top sailors have been through the center's training program and compete successfully on the international stage, such as the america's cup and the international match racing circuit.

when i moved to the US in 1999, i got involved in the international etchells class on long island sound (east of new york city). the etchells is one of the most beatiful sailboats ever designed and is incredibly versatile: great to sail in light air as well as in a heavy breeze! i sailed on USA 1010 and USA 1212 (owned by jonathan nye) for a few years. competition is intense, especially in major events like the world championship and attracts many America's Cup veterans such as dennis conner, russell coutts, and ken read. the local fleets are very active and competitions are held throughout the year along the east coast, from massachussetts to florida. for information on local fleets, visit the international class website at [www.etchells.org].

on the west coast, i haven't had time for keelboat sailing. instead, i try to sail dinghies - mostly a [laser] - out of ucla's marina aquatic center [MAC] in marina del rey. during spring and summer, there are weekly races on tuesday evening and i try to participate as often as possible. i'm still having some [boathandling] issues every now and then, but I'm working on it!

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