Good morning!

Welcome to the first edition of the JD49er newsletter. We are excited to offer this outlet as a way for our supporters to follow and engage with our campaign in depth. Featuring highlight reels from training, regatta updates, and future plans as we work towards LA 2028.

Who we are - About JD49er

Jono:

I learned to sail in an opti on North Lake, Wisconsin at the age of five, and I immediately loved it. When I was sixteen I started sailing Melges 17’s and I fell in love with fast boat sailing. I have since become a tactician for A scow(V-10) and the driver on E scow(V-39) and have been successful at both National and Inland championships in these classes. I also attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I sailed for the team In five national championships across every discipline.

Declan:

I was born and raised in San Francisco. In my sophomore year of high school I joined the St. Francis Yacht Club sailing C420s. Moving to the Nacra 15s out of Richmond YC. I first began sailing the 49er my last year of high school. In college, I was on the offshore team being the first College of Charleston Main Trimmer/Tactician to win the Shields Trophy, in addition to my studies of Physics and Meteorology.

JD49er – Jonathan “Jono” Bailey and Declan Donovan’s Campaign for the 2028 Olympic Games in the Men’s Skiff Class. The name comes from our coach Mark. See this clip of how our team name came to be.

Summer Training Update

On May 6th, we arrived at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco with our new 49er hull strapped to the top of Jono’s car, ready to challenge ourselves in the infamous wind and current of the SF City Front. Acquiring this boat and traveling to SF would not have been possible without the generous support received in our initial fundraising effort, which we are incredibly thankful for.

After a week of polishing maneuvers and “putting it all together” around A and X buoy. We packed our belongings and drove to Long Beach for a much anticipated month-long training session with the US Olympic Development Program (ODP).

ODP brings in world class coaches and coach boats, making it possible for us and four other 49ers to train. As part of ODP, we are very grateful for the instruction and guidance of Mark Asquith, who coached Ian Barrows and Hans Henken when they won their bronze medal in the 49er during the Olympics last year. Beyond his expertise sailing the 49er, Mark has been extraordinarily helpful in our logistical and equipment planning as we embark on these first steps for an Olympic campaign of our own.

Since our arrival in Long Beach, we have also trained with the Dutch 49er team who claimed 49er World Championship titles in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The opportunity to absorb their knowledge, experience, and wisdom has been immensely helpful as we continue to elevate our racecraft in the 49er.

Sailing outside the Port’s breakwater has offered a wide range of conditions, including very light breeze, steep swells, and even rain during the notoriously dry season.

Check out this quick highlight reel from our most recent training!

(we are sail #84)

Our Current Goals

During our Long Beach training block, we have primarily focused on starts. As our coach Mark says, “If you can have every single start be good, you will be sniffing at gold fleet.”

For us, having a good start means we are sailing to the side of the race course we planned with a lane we can hold for 1 minute. How do we plan to achieve this? A favorite starting drill of ours is a 3 minute sequence followed by sailing on starboard for 1 min, no matter what! If you make a mistake and get rolled by your training partner. You have the privilege of sitting in their wake contemplating how you can improve.

As having consistent starts is critical to a successful qualifying series. We have made it our regatta goal for 9/10 of our starts be “good” at the upcoming Long Beach OCR.

Upcoming Regattas and Future Plans

Our summer training schedule peaks with the Long Beach Olympic Class Regatta July 16th to 20th. This will be the first international regatta that we compete in, and we are excited to sail against teams from China, Great Britain, and Austria.

Looking past the summer, we are eager to continue the campaign circuit. This will consist of training and racing in Palma, Spain, and competitions throughout Europe including the Princess Sofia Regatta, Hyeres, European Championships, Kiel Week, and Long Beach Olympic Class Regatta. The 2026 circuit culminates in the 2026 49er World Championships in August.

Connect With Us!

For more information about our sailing schedule, campaign, and how to support us, we invite you to check out our team website – https://www.jd49er.com/ – or contact Jono or Declan directly.

Tax deductible contributions fund our travel, training, and equipment costs, which are up to $400 per day during a training block. To continue campaigning, we are looking to fundraise $15,000 by the end of this year. We’re sincerely appreciative of the support we’ve received thus far, and are grateful for all contributions to our campaign, no matter the size.

We are working with the Sailing Foundation of New York, a 501(c)3 non-profit to streamline support for our campaign. If you would like to contribute to our campaign, we invite you to begin by clicking this button:

Click Here!

If you are local to the SF Bay and would like to make a contribution though the St. Francis Sailing Foundation please follow the instructions at this link: https://www.jd49er.com/stfsfchecks

Fair winds,

Jono & Declan

We’d love your feedback! Please let us know what aspects of our campaign interest you, and we will be sure to reach out directly and/or to include more information about these topics in future newsletters.

Newsletter No. 1