Carrie Howe

If you study the regatta results of Yngling crew Carrie Howe and teammates Sally Barkow and Debbie Capozzi, these three women look unstoppable. From 2005 to the present, their resumes include successive wins at US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR, 1-2-3 at the Yngling Worlds, and medal-level performances all over the world.

On paper, they are riding a wave of success. But according to Howe, one of their keys to winning is never believing they have mastered the game.

"We never feel like we are done learning," said Howe of her team. "It never feels comfortable—and there is always something more to be conquered … It's not like you are at the top and you stay at the top—because each venue and each event is another game."

Howe, the team's spinnaker trimmer and tactician, began sailing at age 8 in an Optimist on Lake St. Clair in Michigan. She met her Yngling teammates on the inter-collegiate racing circuit, and their campaign for the 2008 Games began when she was still a senior at Boston College.

All three women bring natural sailing ability to the boat and specific skills that make them well suited to their positions onboard. But they also bring unique qualities to the psychological mix. What Howe brings—and what she considers one of her biggest assets as a sailor—is the ability to see the big picture at regattas.

"It's important to stay focused, and to remember that we have to do the simple things right. It's not about hitting a grand slam. It's about chipping away each day. Regattas are long events, and some people try to break their backs the first day … It's endurance and focus."

After a bad day on the water, her it's-a-long-regatta-and-let's-just-keep-focused message isn't always welcome, she says, but she knows it's appreciated—and necessary.

Howe may be measured in her outlook, but she admits she is lured by a wilder side of the sport, namely fast catamaran racing: "It's all the same ideas [as monohull racing] but it's high-speed. It's superhuman how fast you are going—and it's so much fun."

When she looks at the Olympic path she has followed since college, Howe is grateful to sponsors and supporters and groups like US SAILING that have made it all possible. She knows she comes into her own in the sport at a time when opportunities for people who want to focus their careers on sailing are wider. "It is becoming easier for someone like me to do what I am doing," she says. "I can't say thank you enough."

SIGNIFICANT SAILING ACHIEVEMENTS:

ICSA All-American (2002)
Sailing Team Captain / Boston College
Ranked #1 on the US Sailing Team in the Yngling class (2005-2008)

SAILING RESUME:

2008
1st BoatU.S. Santa Maria Cup Women's Match Racing Championship/Annapolis, Maryland (J22s)
2nd French Olympic Sailing Week/Hyeres, France
4th Yngling Women's World Championship/Miami, Florida
6th US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR/Miami, Florida

2007
1st HRH Princess Sofia Trophy/Palma de Mallorca, Spain
1st US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR
1st F18 North American Championships/Galveston, Texas
2nd Semaine Olympique Française/Hyères, France 
2nd Yngling North American Championship/Miami, Florida
2nd ISAF Sailing World Championships/Cascais, Portugal
4th The Good Luck Beijing - 2007 Qingdao International Regatta/Qingdao, China

2006
1st  ISAF World Sailing Games-Team Racing/Neusidl, Austria
1st F18 North American Championships/Lake Carlyle, Illinois
1st HRH Princess Sofia Trophy/Palma de Mallorca, Spain
1st US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR
1st Semaine Olympique Française/Hyères, France
2nd Yngling North American Championship/Miami, Florida
3rd Yngling World Championships/La Rochelle, France
5th The Good Luck Beijing - 2006 Qingdao International Regatta/Qingdao, China

2005
1st ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship/Bermuda
1st US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR
1st Semaine Olympique Française/Hyères, France
1st Yngling World Championships/Lake Mondsee, Austria
1st Expert Olympic Garda/Garda, Italy
1st US SAILING's Rolex International Womens Keelboat Championships (J/22s)
3rd Key West Race Week/Key West, Florida (Mumm 30)

2004
3rd Semaine Olympique Française/Hyères, France
4th Int'l Yngling Women's World Championship/Santander, Spain
8th US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR