In 1994 Lisa competed in the first ever Womens World Championships in Yokohama and we used that trip as our honeymoon having been married six month earlier; Lisa, me and her crew! After 31 years we returned to Japan for the 16th Snipe Womens World Championship in Enoshima.

When the announcement of the 2025 Womens Worlds came out, there was absolutely zero hesitation. We just had to go. Lisa had already decided to retire at the end of the school year 2025 (June) so the timing was perfect for a mid-July travel event. In addition to now having the time, an extended trip (similar to what I did in 2021) would give her emotional distance from her job. And to really sweeten the pot for us, Lexi was all in to crew and as luck or misfortune would have it, Ellie was between jobs so she was able to come for a week after the event. It was a real family affair!

The general plan was to arrive in Tokyo, spend three days sightseeing there with Kuniko Yamata whom Lisa knew from several other Womens Worlds, then head to Enoshima for the event for nine days, a week of travel to Hakone and Kyoto, and two days back in Tokyo. Lisa and Lexi did the entire three weeks, but I left after the event and Ellie came over – we were ships passing in the night – so the last week would be a “girls trip” doing things that were not high priorities for me. Plus, I needed to get back to tend to pressing local Snipe events, a win-win. Much of this post is stuff we wrote at the time and published on a private blog (Find Penguins) which is now public and I’ll be linking to those posts to keep this post short(er). If you want, you can short cut and just click through and read the whole thing there.

After a quick weekend regatta in Newport RI, there was a frantic day of packing and getting ready. The good news: all of our sails and sailing equipment fit nicely in the new jumbo rollie bag, the Cap One lounge at IAD is super bougie (1st time using!), and the flights seem to be running on time. The bad news? Lisa somehow managed to book herself on a different flight than Alex and Lexi. 🤦‍♀️ Those who know her will not be surprised LOL. Not a serious fail – they depart and arrive 5 minutes from each other.

Having been to Japan in the summer, we knew it was going to be hot and were prepared. But that did not slow us down and despite the jetlag, we had fun touring Tokyo with some sightseeing and a really fun Culinary Backstreets tour.

We Arrived in Enoshima, did some touring of the local area and prepared the charter boat (a 2023 Jibetech!). Lisa and Lexi practiced every day, just enough to get familiar with the boat and the really windy conditions. This was a great lesson learned: get there early, take your time, practice every day going through the motions of prep/launch/sail/debrief to establish the rhythm so that when the event starts, everything is sort of old hat. But don’t sail so much you get too tired or burned out, just enough to get in the groove. That was less than an hour sailing a day. The Enoshima Yacht Harbor was a fantastic venue built originally for the 1964 Olympics and renovated for the 2020 games.

The Japan Snipe Class Association hosted an amazing event with top-notch organization and hospitality. The racing, swag, after-racing treats, and the amazing final night traditional dress party went “above and beyond”. Shinichi Uchida, Yuta, Kuniko Yamada, Kimie Isobi, Nishi-san, and so many more were so helpful during our stay. During the regatta, the conditions were the most physically challenging Lisa has ever sailed in – wind from 15-18kts with gusts up to 20+ by the end of the day. What made it super hard was the huge ocean waves that were steep on the race course as the ocean met the land. Thankfully they had the foresight and luxury of time to get to the venue early to get the jitters out. As she said, “I cannot express how terrifying it was in those first few days. I do not have a positive attitude towards super windy and I am certainly not getting any younger! I was so afraid that I would disappoint Lexi and generally embarrass myself. Lexi turned out to be the best crew. Not only her muscle and skill, but her confidence in the boat and in me calmed my nerves and so when racing actually started, we were able to get in the groove and perform above my expectations! We had a solid first few days with finishes with the top contenders and no finish worse than a 12th.” Dropping the 12th, they ended up in 6th place, just missing the podium behind the other two USA teams who placed 4th and 5th. I did daily regatta reports for the Snipe Class which you can read if you are interested in the blow by blow sailing action.

The closing ceremonies was a fun event with an “all skate”traditional circle dance and a traditional/rock fusion band. It was quite the scene. Tons of pictures were taken!

By the end of the event, even though I was not sailing, I was exhausted and ready to head home. Lisa and Lexi were physically exhausted but excited for Ellie to arrive and start the next phase of their adventure.

The Girls Trip after Sailing (Lisa’s perspective)

After dropping Alex at the airport, Ellie found her way to us at our friend Kuniko’s. It was such a cool perspective to be hosted in her home and have amazing home cooked meals by her sister Masako. At their suggestion, we headed first to Hakone, a hot-springs spa area between Tokyo and Kyoto. We did a “spa day” first, followed by a day of sightseeing. Hakone had lots to offer – a lovely outdoor museum, scenic rope ways with Mt. Fuji looming, and even a boat ride across Lake Ashi to the Peace Torii gate. It was funny (awesome?) that all these modes of transport – train, bus, rope way, and pirate ship – we all part of the local transit system!

After two days we took the Shinkansen to Kyoto for four days of sightseeing. Kyoto was much different than I remember from 31 years ago. I am not sure how much has actually changed vs. my perception from 1994, but 2025’s experience was much more modern and urban than I remembered. Perhaps it is where we stayed (a Moxy near Nijo University and Station) or the ability to travel around town easily (Google Maps, Suica card) or the fact that last time Kyoto was our first stop (jet lagged and not yet familiar with how to be in Japan), but this time it seemed much more “Boston-like” (urban, cosmopolitan). In 1994, credit cards were rarely accepted, but now they are ubiquitous, as are ATMs if you do need cash.

All in all the trip to Japan was amazing, the regatta, the touring, and the old and new friends. Aside from the sailing and touring, Lisa being the foodie, had some great reflections on the food experience and I of course had observations on urbanism.

A gory detailed photo album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/HE9grjzUKghKaQ73A