Published September 3, 2026
BY CHOICE MUIVAH
Just off the coast of Monterey Bay, CHS junior June Emerson, along with her self-coached team, has all hands on deck as her team prepares to compete at the Shields Class National Championship Regatta taking place Sept. 23-26.
“I don’t really think of myself as a captain,” says Emerson. “When we sail, we do everything together and everyone is important in their way.”
Emerson began sailing at 7 years old and has been a member of the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club since seventh
Juniors June Emerson and Rosie Savukinas (from left) practice executing strategies while adjusting to unforeseen challenges as Emerson, the team’s tactician, is oftentimes forced to think on her feet against tough opponents. courtesy of JUNE EMERSON
grade, where she started out in Flying Juniors and 420s, two-person sailboats around 13 feet, and eventually moved to the high school program where she and her crew will take to the helm of a 30-foot Shields sailboat at Shields Nationals.
Held in Tred Avon, Maryland, Shields Nationals is an annual competition where teams are tested on skill and teamwork, made possible by the race’s one boat design that levels the playing field of the teams. This year will be the second year Emerson has participated in Shields Nationals, having gone in 2025 on an all-women’s team with her now-foredeck Rosie Savukinas, a Monterey High School junior who will also be a three-time participant.
“We put a lot of work into our skill, honing in on what needs to be done,” says Savukinas, who has been a foredeck for three years and sailing for eight.
As a relatively new team that has only been sailing for a year and a half, it seems like they are up against the current, but through dedication, competing in as many races as possible and practicing outside of racing whenever they could, the team feels confident in taking on Shields Nationals.
As the team’s skipper, Emerson must maneuver a path through competition while also making tactical decisions under pressure. courtesy of JUNE EMERSON
When Emerson was putting together a team around February 2025, her focus was on creating a balanced team that could get shipshape by September, which led her to recruit Pacific Grove High School senior Mako Greening, the team’s pitt and jib, as well as PGHS sailing team captain Eddie Shelton as the team’s main trimmer.
“I was thinking about people who were skilled and able to learn fast because of the short time frame we had and since we would be without a coach,” says Emerson.
Out on the water, Emerson and her team has been fighting through regattas, sailing races of about 12 boats, since early 2026, where they would face winds of more than 30 knots, or about 34 mph, and were up against teams with years more experience.
“A lot of good competition is on the East Coast, but we’ve been doing quite well in the races around here and have been very confident with our performance,” says Dante Fiala, who will be the team’s floater due to his previous experience as MPYC junior and participant of 2020 and 2021 Shields Nationals competition.
