JP Lattanzi

The Morning Light Trophy was donated by Roy Disney in 2008 to the Hawaii Youth Sailing Association. The criteria and selection process were established by HYSA and aims to recognize a junior sailor who demonstrates excellence on and off the water. On the water through participation and performance in regattas and clinics, and off the water with good sportsmanship, mentorship, and the Corinthian spirit. 

 

The Morning Light Trophy is awarded to JP Lattanzi for his sailing ability in multiple classes, dedication to mentoring other sailors, and having good character to lead as a positive role model. 

 

For a 16-year-old, JP's racing resume is full. He has won 1st overall multiple times in local HYSA events like the Barron’s Cup and Dinsmoor Trophy and participated in every HYSA O’pen Skiff event for 5 years. Coaches Harald and Helena von Sydow knew the HKBC sailors where hooked and encouraged JP and his teammates to travel and race. His first North American Championship was on the O’pen Skiff in Bermuda when he was nine where he placed 2nd. He since has won the U13 title twice. His top world rankings were 5th in the U13 and 10th in the U17 divisions and placed 3rd in Team Racing with his HKBC teammates Gavin Ball, CJ Perez, and Kanoa Pick. 

 

Over two weeks in two summers, at 10 and 11 years old, JP and his sister, Pearl, volunteered to tour in New England as O'pen Skiff Ambassadors. They visited more than ten club camps to help 400+ sailors and demonstrate for their coaches the proper handling techniques of the O'pen Skiff. 

 

At 10 years old, JP started competing in the RS Feva and at 12 was racing the 29er and Techno 293 windsurfer. He got access to a windfoil (foiling windsurfer) through HKBC’s foil program, and after several years of sharing the Club's foil he got his own kit and went to Foil Week in NZ. There, he raced on the windfoil and had a crash course on the foiling Waszp before he raced in their national championships. 

 

After two more foiling events in NZ and IT on the Waszp and windfoil, he came back to Hawai’i and was feeling stagnant, so he wrote down his sailing goals. He found his goals where not all about traveling and winning, but more about sailing with teammates like he had with the O’pen Skiff. He knew foiling was what he wanted to do, but doing it alone wasn’t that great. Over the next two years he helped Jesse Andrews get 12 new/used Waszps and in sharing his rigging and foiling knowledge he had learned at the foil weeks. He became the Waszp Ambassador for Hawai’i and now he races with really fast teammates. 

 

The windfoiling had a similar start, only when the IQFoil was named as the new 2024 Olympic Class, a few talented sailors, Sammy Perez, and Tom and Calum McDonald of Kailua, were already on the one design boards and forming a club. JP joined them with his teammate Danicka Sailer, and they all started flying as Windclub Hawai’i. The newly formed club invited HKBC windfoilers who were ready to race and asked Jesse Andrews for tactics coaching. KYC allowed a 7:00 AM Sunday practice and the new fleet was started. Windclub Hawai’i is the newest club inducted into HYSA and the 2 new foiling fleets are now recognized by HYSA. 

 

In summer of 2021, JP won the Jr Division of the IQFoil West Marine Series and placed 19th of 63 U17 male in the IQ Jr Worlds in Italy. There were nearly 300 youth sailors racing and he was the only one from the US. JP also qualified for World Sailing's Youth World’s with the US Team, so he and Danicka Sailer spent the end of 2021 racing Techno 293 in Oman. The last junior sailor from Hawaii to qualify for the Youth World's was over 2 decades ago when Andrew Lewis qualified on the Laser. 

 

JP is now on the US Sailing Team on IQFoil, which allows him to train with the Olympic sailors and receive top coaching. To date this is all taking place in Florida, but HYSA has several visiting Olympic coaches on the schedule in 2022, and all the clubs are welcome to book a clinic in Hawai’i.

 

2022 has racing and clinics planned for the Hawai’i sailors. In February the IQ fleet will travel to Florida to compete for the 2022 Youth Worlds spot, and in March the Waszp fleet will travel to San Francisco to race in the American Championship. The week following (if selected) the Waszp sailors will participate in the SailGP Inspire program. 

 

The HYSA Board would like to congratulate JP Lattanzi on his sailing performance and award him the Morning Light Trophy. His mentoring and Corithian spirit helped build a strong community of foilers in Hawai’i meanwhile being a positive role model for younger sailors. His foiling skills are world class, but he still enjoys racing with his friends in fun events like the Bull Ship and the O'pen Skiff Alumni regattas.

 

The Morning Light Trophy is not awarded every year but reserved for a sailor who stands out amongst their peers. Being that we could not hold a HYSA Awards Banquet in 2021 to present JP with the award, if you see him around, offer him a Congratulations!