Howe368
Class: Yngling
Position: Crew
US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics: 2003-2008
Member of: Grosse Pointe YC
Education: Grosse Pointe South High School, Boston College (graduated 2003)
Birthdate: May 13, 1981
Hometown: Grosse Pointe, Mich.
Occupation: Full-time sailor
Significant sailing achievements: InterCollegiate Sailing Association All-American (2002), Sailing Team Captain/Boston College, Ranked No. 1 on the U.S. Sailing Team in the Yngling class (2005-2008)
Biography: If you study the regatta results of Yngling crew Carrie Howe and teammates Sally Barkow and Debbie Capozzi, these three women look unstoppable. 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,” says 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. All three women bring natural sailing ability to the boat and specific skills that make them 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.”
When she looks at the Olympic path she has followed since college, Howe is grateful to sponsors and supporters. 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.
Recent results:
2008 4th Yngling Women’s World Championship/Miami, 6th US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR/Miami
2007 1st HRH Princess Sofia Trophy/Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 1st US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR, 1st US SAILING’s Rolex Int’l Women’s Keelboat Championships/Houston, Texas (J/22s), 4th The Good Luck Beijing – 2007 Qingdao International Regatta/Qingdao, China
