The AYC Foundation Competition Sailing Grant Awarded to Morgan Rosenthal to Compete in Venice, Italy and Halifax, Canada

Morgan Rosenthal in the North American Championship in Halifax, Canada.

The Annapolis Yacht Club Foundation supported sailor Morgan Rosenthal’s trip to compete in the 2026 Marco Rizzotti Team Race in Venice, Italy and to compete in the North American Championship in Halifax, Canada. Both venues provided numerous days of varying conditions and great sailing. With varying conditions, Morgan had the opportunity to learn the different possibilities for wind, current, and wave type. She had the opportunity to train against other US teams and international teams practicing starts, speed tests and course bias. This opportunity gave her the ability to train and experience conditions that wouldn’t be found anywhere in the US. Outside of training on the water, she was able to meet and connect with many people from different countries and cultures, providing her with the opportunity to create lifelong friendships and a vast sailing network.

Marco Rizzotti Team Race in Venice, Italy

In Venice, Morgan experienced three long days on the water consisting of light to medium winds, with a bit of rain each day, which made for perfect yet challenging conditions. On the afternoon of the second day of the regatta, the organization took the team into Venice, and were able to explore all the history and beauty of Venice. 

The team then made their way over to Halifax, Canada where they faced cold temperatures and varying winds every day, making for very challenging sailing conditions.

USA Team in the North American Championship in Halifax, Canada.

During the first two days of the regatta, they were faced with an unusual wind direction making the shifts very challenging to time and leading to some unfavorable results. Midway through the fleet racing, they switched into team racing for one day, which had the most challenging weather conditions yet. There were high winds, the coldest temperature they had seen yet, and consistent rain all day. It was a challenging day, but it showed who the best of the best were. In the finals, it was Morgan’s team, USA 1 versus team USA 3. In a best of three rounds, USA 1 was able to defeat USA 3 winning the North American Team Race. The next two days, they faced more challenging conditions, but Morgan was able to make her way up to a respectable 32 overall. 

North American Championship in Halifax, Canada.

"Overall, I learned a lot from the races, the tough conditions and competing against high level sailors from across the country. I particularly improved upon my goal to be able to bounce back and reset when a day or a race doesn’t turn out as expected. I am very thankful to the Annapolis Yacht Club Foundation for helping to make these trips possible and will continue to practice and use what I learned from those regattas to help prepare me for the 2026 IODA European Championship in Poland in July."