The Trevor Parekh interview
Trevor, can you tell us about how you got started in sailing and what has kept you passionate about the sport over the years?
I started sailing at age 8 because I hated Swim Team and chlorine. I never left the sport. The high tech side of the sport attracted me to compete (29er then 49er) and still keeps me captivates today (Waszp, VX One) - that also means being a fan of the AC and SailGP! I guess you could say that I like fast one design boats...
Congratulations on winning the VX One North Americans with Mark Farmer! Can you share some insights into your preparation for the event and what made the difference out on the water?
About 13 months ago at our previous NAC in Cleveland Marc and I got beat pretty bad. In 2022 we finished second and so thought we could equal or better that score by just showing up. Boy we were wrong! At that event we were all lucky enough to have been beaten by Geoff Moore and Josh Yale, and they said they had prepared. So we said to ourselves that we can do the same. What does preparation mean in a one design Corinthian weekend warrior class? Definitely not the same as the AC, but we tried to use the puzzle pieces we had learned in our earlier years of competitive sailing in the 29er/49er. First and foremost, Marc and I have been in the CrossFit gym religiously 3-5 days a week. That enables us to hike hard and to be fresh enough for the last race of the day. Then we picked our regattas: Bacardi, Charleston, Newport, Canadians and Pre NAs. Specifically those events were not meant for performance - they were process events. Some focused on starting, or settings, or sailing style, or breaking in new sails. None of those results mattered to us. Then at home we had a modest 7-8 days training at home. For these days we tried to sail in 10 knots or more to focus on hiking, doing lots of short laps to get the legs / hips / abs ready for November. We both have kids and jobs, so between 2023 and 2024 only had about 18 days together on the water. That meant it all had to be focused and quality time. Finally, we made sure that our boat was totally sorted and ready for measurement before we left home. Having confidence in your gear and settings goes a long way!
Sailing is a tough sport. What was the most challenging moment during the regatta, and how did you and Mark handle it?
Sailing is tough! By far the hardest moments were the final day when 3 time NA Champ Chris Alexander was coming for us. He threw what he could at us, even pushing us over the line in Race 10! That set us way back, but in our preparation we learned two things: clean air is king and 'just pass the next boat' mentality. By doing both of those things we were able to turn an OCS into a 3rd. Of course there was lots of positive talk and encouragement during the tough races - leave petty things behind you and focus on the next 100m!
You’ve had extensive experience with the Atlas 2, not just as a user but also as a Vakaros dealer. What do you think sets it apart from other instruments on the market, and how does it help sailors perform at their best?
I came into the Vakaros because a competitor's instrument failed. But I could never go back. This win and our overall performance this season owes major thanks to the Atlas 2 and Vakaros team! For me, three things set the Atlas2 apart from the competition: discrete heel angle display, shift tracking, and Time to Line. I know there are way more features but we've only just scratched the surface on these computers! We still actually sail with Factory set screens, we haven't even customized the display yet. And the battery life! We only charge 2-3 times per season! We have extreme confidence in our starting because of the data available and furthmore we can always hit our target speeds around the course (up and downwind!). Especially downwind the Vakaros helps us change between modes multiple times per leg!
RaceSense has been making waves with its innovations in race management and tracking. As someone involved in competitive sailing, how do you see tools like RaceSense changing the game for sailors and race committees?
Look, we just had a 41 boat event without a single General Recall, and only P flags. Cleveland was 50 boats and same result! If a General is 10 minutes wasted, that's 20 hours of wasted man-hours for a regatta this size. Race Sense gets us back on shore sooner so we can relax, get out of the sun, be with family, or hit the bar - whatever your choice. It's just better. When we couple Race Sense with robotic marks, it makes the experience as a racer (customer), way better. Zero wasted time on water, literally. Surely the demand in volunteers and race communities is far diminished, especially when it comes to protests for OCS penalties! It gets the RC to the bar sooner too! For example, we ran our Pre Event with only 3 RC personnel - and it was World class race management!
From your perspective, what features or improvements would you like to see in tools like RaceSense to make racing even more engaging and accessible for sailors?
I don't know what is already in the works at Vakaros. But can I suggest the following: tracking, boundaries, RC notices such as Charlie, Mike or Sierra, Protests for Juries - basically all of Sail GP inside one small tool and subscription!
In closing I am so happy with the Atlas 2, it has helped bring our racing to the next level! And Race Sense with both OCs detection and clearing function has saved races (and regattas) for us! At a cost of approximately $500/race and $5000/regatta - that's big money and real savings! We were actually the first ever boat to be called OCS and Clear by Race Sense at Charleston Race Week 2024. I now grumble when we have to ping and manage the timer ourselves. Pinging is the past!
