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ICSA News: Women Start the Queue for Nationals; Team Racers Look for Momentum Heading into Conference Championships

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Let us begin with a correction from last week’s article; It was stated that the top 4 finishing teams from the SAISA Women’s Championship were advancing onto the National Women’s Semi-final regatta, however, actually, the top 5 finishing teams will advance. Congratulation to the Clemson Tigers on their performance, finishing 5th overall, sorry for the oversight and good luck at the ICSA National Women’s Semi-Final Regatta!
Photo by Jeff Dusek

The 2017 Sailpack Oriental Interconference  was held by North Carolina State University. The Jacksonville University Fins won the event with an impressive scoreline. Freshman, Alfonso Garcia Bringas, sailing with sophomore, Shaynah True, won A-division for Jacksonville. Jack Gower (‘20) and Paula Resto (‘20) of Jacksonville University won B-division.
The Sailpack Interconference was the largest regatta held in the history of the NC State Sailing Team, featuring more than 120 sailors and coaches. In sharp contrast to snowy regattas in New England, Oriental featured 10-15 knots, sunny, blue skies and 70 degree temperatures. The rotations took place on the dock off the lawn of the historic Stallings House where, NC State volunteer head coach Dana Magliola said, “Shore-side accommodations were really great and rotations were hosted from the dock at the historic Stallings House whose yard provided an almost festival-like feeling for teams, sailors, and spectators. Lounging, cornhole, curated tunes provided by one of the SailPack’s own sailor and college-radio DJs, and stunning vista porches for doing just a little homework created a great on-shore college sailing atmosphere.”
With authentic-pig-BBQs and a live band they really put on a show, hopefully reminding sailors of the greatest aspect of our sport; the college-sailing community.
“We aimed to make this a regatta that draws college sailors to one of our favorite places, the coastal home of the SailPack, Oriental, North Carolina while also providing the mostly-club-based teams an opportunity to have a high-caliber, competitive regatta outside of conference competition,” said Dana Magliola, who organized the regatta. “It turned out great and we’ve heard from literally every school that participated that they’ll be gunning for berths to this event in their conference drafts next fall. We hope they’ll come back and there’s no doubt Oriental will welcome them back.”
The 36th Lynne Marchiando Trophy was sailed in conditions varying from twenty five knots with snow and temperatures in the low 30s to five knots and 60 degree with sunny skies. Teh top NEISA teams were present and performing at their best as the Conference Championship is less than a week away. The Charles River produced ideal tune-up conditions for the flukey lake sailing predicted to be present at Tufts next week.
The Dartmouth College Big Green won the regatta behind the stellar efforts of [skippers] Robert Floyd (‘17), Charles Lalumiere (‘17), Duncan Williford (‘18), Christopher Williford (‘19) and [crews] Madeleine Cooney (‘17), Rebecca McElvain (‘19) and Paige Clarke (‘20). They won 12 out of 14 races in the double gold round robin and went undefeated in the qualifying round. Throughout the regatta the Big Green did not lose a race until Sunday afternoon.
Dave Thompson, Assistant coach at Dartmouth said, “Our team did a great job fleet racing throughout the entire regatta and not getting caught up in team racing early on in races. The conditions made it easy to get unbalanced and pass boats, which we have been focusing on as a team.”
Thompson continued, “We focused on having good starts and keeping the umpires out of the races. We have treated each of our team race regattas this year as the same with the goal of improving at each regatta and preparing us for the Fowle Trophy.”
This is notable because Dartmouth’s victory was relatively decisive over the Yale Bulldogs, which suggests a shift in power in NEISA and perhaps the nation.
This was the first team race interconference win for the Dartmouth Big Green since the Ted Ferrarone Team Race, April, 2002. In contrast, this was the first time in the past calendar year that the reigning Team Race Champion, Yale has not finished first in a team race in which they have participated.
The Yale Bulldogs finished second overall with a 10 and 4 record while the Boston College Eagles finished 3rd overall at 8-6.
The Dellenbaugh Women’s Trophy was sailed in temperatures similar to the Marchiando Team Race, only, due to the nature of the venue, featured much gnarlier wind and waves. The Brown University Bears showed the nation that they can sail at the highest level in Women’s Sailing, with a decisive victory, 46 points overall. Juniors Lindsey Baab with Grace Gagnon (‘18), and Abigayle Konys (‘19) dominated B-Division with 15 points after eight races. Baab, Gagnon and Konys only had one race with a finish outside the top-3, and that was a 4th.
Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick’s (‘17) effort, with crews Maxine De Havenon (‘19) and Haley Carter (‘17), was not far behind the Lady Bear’s B-Division standout. Ms. Grapengeter-Rudnick’s scoreline showed only two races outside the top three. However, Casey Klingler (‘18) with Claire Huebner (‘18), Christine Klingler (‘20) and Natalya Doris (‘17) won A-division by 1 point over the Brown Bears with 30 points after 8 races.
Yale finished 2nd overall with 89 points and Charleston finished 3rd with 112 points.
The SEISA Women’s Championship  was held at Texas A&M. After seven races sailed in each division, the Tulane Green Wave and the Texas A&M Aggies were tied with 31 points overall. Though Tulane won the tie-breaker, both teams will advance to the National Women’s Semi-final regatta. Congratulations and goodluck to both teams.
Haley Walker (‘18) and Amanda Olson (‘19) won A-division for the Texam A&M University at Galveston.
The Washington Huskies won the NWICSA Women’s Championship with 8 points after 3 races held in each division.  Chloe Dawson (‘20) and Camille Ottaway (‘20) from the Western Washington University Viking won A-Division with 4 points. Shaan Shrider (‘19) and Athina Ebert (‘17) won B-Division with 3 points.
University of Washington and Western Washington University qualified for the ICSA Women’s National Semi-Finals Regatta. Congratulations and goodluck!

Profiles in Youth Sailing: Team Next Generation USA

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By Airwaves writer Taylor Penwell
Next Generation USA is a team of extremely accomplished American sailors who will be representing the United States in the upcoming Red Bull Youth America’s Cup and thereby demonstrate to the sailing world the quality and skills of America’s up and coming sailors. The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup will be held in Bermuda in June of this summer. The event is the premier competition for youth sailors between the ages of 19-24, which brings together and showcases the talents of the best youth sailors in the world as they compete in a series of races on AC 45 Foiling Catamarans.
Team Next Generation USA is comprised of six sailors. Team members include Helmsman Carson Crain, Tactician Reed Baldridge, Wing Trimmer Matthew Whitehead, Bowman Markus Edegran, Soft Sail Trimmer Scott Ewing and Grinder Preston Farrow. What makes their story interesting is that the Team Oracle, the cup team representing the United States, decided to back a youth team from the regatta host Bermuda instead of a team of American sailors. Many of the other youth teams have known for a year or two they were going to be competing in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, but for team Next Generation USA which only formed last summer, it has been a fast and crazy ride just like the AC 45F. The team had to secure its spot to represent the USA by completing an evaluation by Red Bull event organizers. Next Generation succeeded over team 13Fifty, the other American youth team.
Next Generation USA’s main goals are to:

  • Demonstrate that the USA has the talent to not only compete, but succeed at the highest level of sailing.
  • Form a long-term foiling multihull team that is one of the best in the world and create a pathway to continue to develop the Next Generation of high performance sailors in the USA.

I had the chance to interview the teams Bowman Markus Edegran and ask a few questions about Next Generation USA.

Q: What is team Next Generation USA for those who don’t know?
A: We are a group of young sailors that came together last summer in hopes of representing the USA in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup in Bermuda. Our goal along the way is to inspire younger athletes in the US to train in high performance boats and to try to raise the level of American competitors in these high performance classes.
Q: How did the idea for the team form?
A: The idea started from our Helmsman Carson Crain and then he soon reached out to Reed Baldridge and then myself. We had to submit our online entry form to Red Bull by the deadline at the end of last spring and after that we started calling around the college sailing community to look for sailors with high performance experience.
Q: Tell us about the qualification process
A: Technically there wasn’t a guaranteed spot for the US for the Red Bull Youth American’s Cup. The only guaranteed spots were for the six countries that were being represented in the American’s Cup. The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup will have twelve teams, and the six other spots could go to any country. For the US it came down to an evaluation on the GC32 by the Red Bull Youth Sailing Director Hans Peter Steinacher. The other American team 13Fifty had their evaluation in France and we had ours in Spain and after five days sailing the boat we had a two day evaluation that determined which, if either, team would secure a spot.

Q: What kind of sailing experience did your team members have before this campaign?
A: Carson Crain was a windsurfer campaigning for the last Olympics, Reed Baldridge was a successful college sailor in the Singlehanded and Match Race fields. He is also involved in the Moth and Waszp classes. Matt Whitehead was a Wing Trimmer in the last  Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, is a four-time F18 Youth World Champion, and ran an Olympic Campaign in the Nacra-17 class. Scott Ewing is the 2016 US 49er champion, competed in the 2016 Red Bull Foiling Generation event, and is also experienced in the Moth class. Preston Farrow is our team’s Bermudian American and is great addition to the team physically. Lastly I was lucky enough to have a pretty successful youth sailing career that led to being an important part of successful college sailing teams. While in college I had the desire to sail faster boats and got involved in the 49er class and since then have picked up kite foiling, Waszp sailing, and the M32 class.
Q: What can you tell me about your achievements so far?
A: We competed in the Chicago Summer Series and then in the Winter Series in Miami in the M32 class. The M32 isn’t a foiling catamaran but is a good boat for us to train in. In Chicago we finished 3rd which was great, it was our first event as a team and because boat is fairly simple, we picked it up quickly and beat some good teams. Recently we sailed in the Winter Series and it was a tight eight boat fleet. Only three points separated 3rd place and the last place 8th. We were in 3rd after the first day but the second day had challenging conditions for us and we ended up in 6th. Those are the only events our team has officially done as there is a very limited number of events that are appropriate for our team. We have also been training on a GC32 in Spain and we would have liked to do an event in that class but we haven’t been able to yet.
Q: Tell me about some of the other teams you will be competing against?
A: A few teams are in a similar situation to us. They are doing as much as they can and chartering a GC32 whenever they get the chance. At the other end of the spectrum there are other teams that own a GC32 such as the Bermuda and British teams. These, along with the four other programs, are backed Cup teams and have known for some time that they would be competing in the youth event. A few of the other teams have also been competing on the GC32 circuit. Even though the GC32 isn’t the exact same boat used for the event, the skills transfer over well to the AC 45F. The rules for the event limit the time teams can practice on the AC 45F to make it more of an even playing field for all teams.
Q: What has it been like to fundraise for this campaign?
A: We are still trying to fundraise and find corporate sponsors to put on our boat for the event. The total for this campaign includes hundreds of thousands of dollars in fundraising. It is a constant struggle with a campaign like this but we are doing lots of private fundraising and are getting there. Anyone who wants to donate can go on our website and donate! (www.nextgenerationusa.org)
Q: Off the water what kind of fitness/nutrition do you have?
A: The AC 45 has a very physical element to the boat so we have partnered with Opex Fitness and SPT (Sailing Performance Training). Our trainer, Mike Kushner, trains us off the water and makes sure we are eating the right things and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We send him video and other updates when we are traveling so he can keep helping us remotely. Mike has a lot of experience in the GC32 class and knows quite well the physical efforts that are required, so it works out quite well.
Q: How has the fitness changed your team?
A: There is a weight limit for the event and we all have our target weights. We are still working on getting the weight across our team dialed in and are working to get out bigger guys a bit leaner and lighter and our smaller guys are trying to put on a bit of weight to make sure we have the proper strength for the boat. The weight limit for the boat is around 1,060 pounds.
Q: Tell me about the largest challenges the team has faced so far?
A: The largest challenge so far was meeting the requirement of chartering a GC32 for the evaluation. By December 1st we had to have have a week on the boat in the books and we ended up not doing our first week of training until the last week in November because we were unable to lock down  a boat until then. Since then it has been a struggle to get more training in the GC32. Behind that, the fundraising had been the biggest challenge for sure. There are expensive event fees, chartering fees, and travel fees. Ideally we would have a bit more support and backing from larger organizations.  It’s a little rough but we are figuring it out and making good progress.
Q: What is the cost to charter a boat like the GC32 and the entry fee to the event?
A: The cost of chartering a GC32 is very high due to the nature of the boat and the maintenance that is required to keep one running smoothly. The costs of the training blocks we have done on the GC32 and AC45F along with the event fees add up to a staggering six figure number.
Q: Who has been coaching you in training?
A: Our coach is 49er Olympic Gold Medalist and three time World Champion Iker Martinez. Iker is now involved in high performance catamarans like the Nacra 17, M32, and GC32. He and his team have coached us in our GC32 training in Spain and will come down to Bermuda for our training this week. Iker will also be in Bermuda with us for the big event this summer.
Q: How will the practice doing to be between now and the event?
A: We are allowed seven days of training before the official training that happens right before the event. We are completing our seven days throughout a ten day period in Bermuda. In the next two weeks our team and the Bermuda team are sailing on Oracle’s AC 45F and sharing time. After we get back to the states I am planning to head a campaign in the M32 class using the fourth Winter Series event as a tune up for the World Match Race Tour competitions to follow. I will be supported by crew (Matthew Whitehead, Scott Ewing, and Ian Stork) that overlaps with our Red Bull Youth America’s team and the racing should be a good experience for all of us going forward. We also plan to have one more training on the GC32 in early April. That will probably be our last practice as a team before we go back down to Bermuda in late May to get ready for the official training.

Spring 2017 ICSA Team Race Rankings #2

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Compiled by Airvaves Writer Dillon Paiva, photos of the Graham Hall by Alec Tayler
Brought to you by Dynamic Dollies
March 23, 2017– The second edition of our season rankings are here! The major events since our last rankings were the St. Mary’s Team Race, Southern New England Team Race, and the largest team race in college other than Nationals, the Graham Hall.  What a difference two weeks can make.  We finally saw #1 ranked Yale live up to all the hype, a 2nd place team drop all the way to 13th, and several NEISA teams finally breaking out of the cold to get their first team race regatta of the season under their belts. New to the list are upstarts Bowdoin College and George Washington University, who showed great promise and earned their berths this week.
                                                                                   Photo: William Tomasian
Coaches who participated in the poll ranked their top 15 teams in the country based on results from the previous two weekends and gave comments on each team.

Rank School Total Points
1 Yale 75
2 Boston College 68
3 Georgetown 67
4 Navy 59
5 George Washington 55
6 Dartmouth 47
7 Bowdoin 44
8 Hobart William Smith 43
9 Tufts 32
10 MIT 27
11 Roger Williams 26
12 Boston University 14
13 College of Charleston 13
14 UCSB 11
15 Stanford 8
Also receiving votes: Connecticut College, Harvard, USF, St. Mary’s, Fordham

Coaches who participated in the poll: Ken Legler (Tufts), Billy Healy (Yale), Clinton Hayes (Stanford), Johnny Norfleet (Fordham), Dillon Paiva (Navy)

Rank School Ken Bill Clinton Johnny Dillon
1 Yale Yale Got better throughout the Graham Hall to win their first regatta sailed this year It took a three-way sail off but still #1 Still unbeaten. Still #1 Won the Graham Hall though only by a slim margin. That was their first event so expect them to continue improving Came out of the winter swinging with a win at the Graham Hall.  Still the best, but not as far ahead of the field as most thought
2 BC Also got off to a great start winning in St. Mary’s and in the sail-off for the Graham Hall Don’t think they’re happy with third at the Graham Hall being one-two’d by both teams in the sail off. Like Georgetown, would have been #1 if they came out ahead in the 3 way tie this past weekend. Yale and BC are a notch above the rest. The rest of the field is wide open Ended first at the St. Mary’s TR and third at the Graham Hall, still second best in NEISA
3 Georgetown Third at the Graham Hall equals third in the nation for now Sandwiched between two good NEISA teams Near win last weekend at the Graham Hall. Would have been #1. Tied for 1st at the Graham Hall keeps them in the top 3 but they showed some serious weaknesses in earlier races lost. They are still figuring out their top 3 so expect them to get better between now and nationals as they are the clear favorite in MAISA. Rounds out my top three.  These teams are ahead of the field by a bit as shown with a three way tie requiring a sail-off after cut off time at Navy last weekend
4 Navy They’re tough this year Well coached and will give GW and G’town a run for the top MAISA spot at their qualifiers Impressive results! Clear top 5 team right now. Split races with GW at the Graham Hall but better results across the board this season Strong performances at every regatta so far, including second at St. Mary’s TR and 5th at Graham Hall.  Definitely contender for top MAISA spot
5 GW GW began the Graham Hall on fire but became mortal the second day New Kids On The Block pushing around the establishment. Another team stacking up some impressive results. Certainly their first time in my top 5! Sailed very well on day 1 of the Graham Hall. Lost some of their poise on day two against tougher opponents. Making a charge for their first nationals berth in program history Very strong start to the graham hall regatta.  4th at two of the largest and most competitive regattas of the season in last two weekends
6 Dartmouth Wish they could have raced in the Hall I still think the return of their 2016 Nationals team will be huge. Haven’t seen them the last 2 weeks… Didn’t compete this weekend but still probably the 3rd best in NEISA on paper Haven’t seen this team in a while, but they like to keep to themselves.  Don’t let this fool you though, they’ll be strong come Fowle
7 Bowdoin A surprise finalist at the Hall?  Let’s give them some credit. Beat the top three at the Graham Hall but couldn’t finish off the teams they should beat on paper It’s crazy how deep ICSA team racing is right now! Add the Polar Bears to the list of legit team racing squads. Made the top 6 at the Graham Hall but struggled despite taking a win off Yale Not only was graham hall their first team race of the season, it was their first overall regatta.  Must be cold up there, but excellent showing making the top 6.
8 HWS Getting several good results in early season 8 of their 9 wins at the Graham Hall were 1-2-x.  I know what they’ll be working on. Good consistent results so far this season. They are looking very good. Narrowly missed the top 6 at the Graham Hall. Looking like the 4th best team at MAISA as the field stands now We were all right about freshman star Hector Guzman rounding out this team.  They are fast and able to take wins off anyone
9 Tufts Tied with MIT for now Jumbos can take any team down.  Current weakness is many losses to a 1-2 Beating MIT moves them just ahead in my rankings Not great at the Graham Hall but I expect them to be a contender in NEISA based on home field advantage Strong start to graham hall but tapered towards the end, but still finishing with a winning record
10 MIT Good start going above .500 at the Hall Fast and smart seasoned Beavers here. Losing to tufts (on a tie break) but they stay in my top 10. That’s 6 NEISA teams I’m ranking in the top 10. Decent finish at the Graham Hall for their first event. Should be a contender for a nationals berth in NEISA. The Fowle is going to be messy Had some strong races for sure at the Graham Hall, another NEISA team that is sure to get better as the season warms up
11 Roger Above .500 at the St. Mary’s team race SNETR winners look strong after a week of good training with Bowdoin and Eckerd. Strong win at the Southern New Enlgand Team Race Won the SNETR though it was a weaker field and a one day event this year. Won the SNETR with only one loss. Only a one day event but still plenty of high level competition
12 BU Stan has something good going on here.  Great Performance at the Geiger Trophy at MIT beating a really good Harvard team. Handily takes the win at the Geiger
13 Charleston Was their first at the BOB the anomaly or will they return to form after two subpar results 2 weekends of weak results drop them a bunch in the rankings. I’m sure they will be strong come May. What a difference a week makes. After a win at the Bob they get stomped at St. Mary’s and the Graham Hall. Turns out home field advantage matters. Look out for the Cooper River Cross Current Double Modified Port Triangle at nationals. Poor finish due to a head injury at the St. Mary’s TR, but I thought we would see them bounce back a little higher at the Graham Hall
14 UCSB Remember, they won the McIntyre UCSB was idle while St Mary’s squeaked out a 10th at a very difficult Graham Hall Regatta They stay in my rankings based off earlier results We haven’t seen them for a couple weeks but they remain best in the west until proven otherwise
15 Stanford Team Race Master Clinton Hayes has a good base to work with here The abandonment on round robin 2 at St. Mary’s hurt the cardinals Have some serious players. Haven’t had much opportunity to show where they stand against NEISA/MAISA teams Sixth at the St. Mary’s TR, with more trips to the east coast planned, wouldn’t be surprised to see this team climb

 
 

One Design Class Profile: The Taz

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The TAZ sailing dinghy is the little sister of the Topaz sailboat. With the same Topaz style hull, it is smaller, and lighter than a Topper or Pico making it the perfect beginner or family fun boat.
Often called a modern day Sunfish the TAZ makes even the smallest new sailor feel safe, comfortable, and confident. Her ultra-modern ‘Topaz-like’ good looks will instantly ignite interest. Once on the water, the superbly responsive TAZ comes into her own to delight and win over yet another new convert to the sport of sailing.

Configuration

  • Rig configuration with Mylar main sail and jib.
  • Built in flotation pad at head of main sail
  • Easy roll reefing and storage
  • Center main sheet & two-piece mast
  • Lifting rudder system
  • Cartoppable
  • Easy mast gate system
  • Open transom
  • Planing hull
  • Center toe strap
  • ISAF approved safety features
  • “Topaz Style” carry and righting handles

Specifications

    • Length: 2.95 M / 9.75 ft

 

  • Beam: 1.2 M / 3.94 ft
  • Crew Capacity: 1-2 / 1-2
  • Racing Crew: 2 / 1
  • Hull Weight: 40 kg / 88.2 lbs
  • Mainsail: 3.39 SqM / 36.5 sqft
  • Jib: 0.67 SqM / 7.21 sqft

 

ICSA News: Yale Wins the Graham Hall

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March 19, 2017– We have been waiting all season to see the number one ranked Yale University Bulldogs at work. The wait ended as the 4-time consecutive champion arrived at the US Naval Academy to make their mark on the Graham Hall Team Race, the premier team race event of the spring season.
The Graham Hall is a massive team race regatta, in terms of people sailing and relevance, and is the closest model to what we will see at the National Championship, May 27. The 16-team regatta requires 120 races to complete just the first round. This edition of the event featured a full round robin, followed by a top-6 and a 3 team sail-off to find the winner. While, after 22 races sailed and a 17-5 overall record, the defending champion, #1 Yale came away with the win, the margin could not have been closer. Showing grit, the Bulldogs went 2-0 in a 3-way tie breaker between #3 Georgetown and #5 Boston College to discern the eventual winner.
                                                                                      Photo by Alec Taylor
“The winning team [only] won 75% of their races,” said senior Skipper, Ian Barrows. “That shows how deep the competition was at the regatta.” Mr. Barrows is a College Sailor of the Year Finalist, 3-time All-American, 3-time Team Race Champion, 3-time National Division Winner and a 2-time Fleet Race Champion. Barrows will take control of any team race in which he is sailing. He is the part of a Yale Sailing culture that has produced a long line of great sailors who characterize what is great about college sailing.
The Yale University Bulldogs started four skippers throughout the event, Ian Barrows (‘17), Nicholas Baird (‘19), Malcolm Lamphere (‘18) and Mitchell Kiss (‘17). Four crews rotated positions throughout the event. Clara Robertson (‘17), Natalya Doris (‘17), Chandler Gregoire (‘17) and Graceann Nicolosi (‘20) held down the front of the boat for a team known for great crew-work..
Yale finished 14-1 in races sailed against opponents from MAISA and SAISA but were 3-4 against teams from NEISA, the conference Yale will have to qualify out of in 3 weeks.
“The best thing about the event was the nice breeze and excellent race committee that allowed us to get a lot of races in,” said Zachary Leonard, head coach at Yale. “That is all we can ask for at an early season event.  There were a lot of strong teams at the event is nearly every race was a battle.”
Coach Leonard seems to be at ease after the tight win. Returning 5 of 6 starters from last year’s championship team and flush with talent, this team is still the presumptive favorite. However, the Fowle Trophy, NEISA’s Team Race Championship is a notoriously tough event, especially this year as it will be hosted by Tufts, where, on Mystic Lake, anything can happen.
The #3 ranked Georgetown University Hoyas continues to impress despite a drastically different starting lineup from last year’s final-four team. The “new” squad is establishing chemistry to compliment skill as they’ve now finished top-2 in all three interconference team races in which they have competed. The Hoyas finished part of the 3-way tie between Yale and BC- losing to Yale but defeating Boston College.
#5 Boston College finished third due to the tie-breaker, but it is clear this group is elite and a legitimate contender for this year’s team race crown. A team that often depends on excellent speed and boat handling, the Eagle should be trending up as the season progresses once they shake of the early-spring rust.
In women’s sailing, the number five ranked Boston College Eagles won the St. Mary’s Women’s Interconference. With 150 points after 13 races in each division, The Eagles passed the William Smith Herons after race 5B and were able to hold off the rest of the competition throughout the event. Senior, Allyson Donahue sailing with Alice Bohan (‘18) and Tara Ferraris (‘19) won A-Division with 64 points for the Eagles.
“We avoided distractions and stayed focused on the things we could control,” said Boston College Head Coach Greg Wilkenson. “Toughness was a team theme for the weekend,” continued Wilkenson. “One of our sailors was quite sick and told the team she could perform anyway and she did.  That helped keep the whole team focus.
”Paris Henken (‘19) with Irene Abascal (‘17) and Kelly-Ann Arrindell (‘20) won B-Division with 65 points. The #4 ranked Charleston Cougars finished second overall and the #8 Brown Bears finished 3rd.
The Southern New England Team Race  was a one day regatta, characteristic to sailing in New England thus far this year. After 14 races, the #20 Roger Williams Hawks tied the Connecticut College Camels and won in a tie-breaker on total points. There was not enough time for a tie breaker.
“Fresh off spring break, we were executed a lot of the things we practiced throughout the week, and that was really great to see. It was also good to be put in a must-win scenario going into the last race,” said Roger Williams coach Amanda Callahan
“The conditions at Conn were great for team racing, it was shifty and light with some nice puffs, with flat water and not as much current as they sometimes have,” continued Callahan. “The RC managed to get two flights in on Saturday which was great given the super windy forecast on Sunday.”
Look forward for more exciting racing this upcoming weekend!
Written by: Chris Klevan

Cal Maritime Victorious in Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup

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                                                       Team Cal Maritime Photo by Bronny Daniels, Joysailing
By Airwaves Writer Taylor Penwell
The Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup took place last weekend in San Pedro, California. Cal Maritime finished atop the podium with a three-point lead over University of South Florida and the College of Charleston. Second place went to University of South Florida in a tiebreak. The regatta is one of the best collegiate big boat regattas of the year, hosted by the Port of Los Angeles Yacht Club.
This past weekend marks the fifth win for Cal Maritime in the regattas ten-year history. Tough conditions prevailed for this years Harbor Cup with racing being held on only two of the scheduled three days due to fog. Wind conditions ranged between light to moderate all weekend.
The regatta was founded in 2008 to encourage young sailors to enjoy the benefits of competitive offshore big boat sailing. The invitational regatta hosts ten of the top sailing teams from across the US and for the first time this year, from Europe. Team Ireland competed in the event as the first international team, finishing seventh overall.
The LA Harbor Cup stands out as the one of the premier collegiate regattas because of the use of identical Catalina 37 sailboats supplied by the Long Beach Sailing Foundation. The identical boats give equal opportunities for sailors and teams to compete against each other without having to factor in PHRF ratings. The regatta is organized and run the Los Angeles Yacht Club that provide the accommodations, meals, hosting and events for the visiting teams.

Congratulations to first place finishers Cal Maritime, second place University of South Florida and third place College of Charleston.

S1D Welcomes new Team Member, Gill North America!!

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Press Release
March 16, 2017– Sail1Design is pleased to announce that Gill, NA has joined our Airwaves team as a sponsor. Sail1Design is a grassroots organization, by sailors for sailors, dedicated to the youth, high school, college, and one-design sailing communities. What’s more, Gill has committed to be our new exclusive sponsor for the very popular  S1D Coach of the Year Award. We are excited to begin this partnership!!
Gill NA, with headquarters near Atlanta, GA is the exclusive importer and distributor of Gill-brand foul weather gear in North America including Caribbean, US and Canada. Gill is a worldwide apparel and accessories brand serving the marine industry with over three decades of experience . Gill specializes in high tech, breathable waterproof clothing. The company develops and markets a variety of performance-oriented, award-winning apparel and accessories for virtually every type of boating activity with product lines that include foul weather gear; interactive layering systems; footwear; gloves; bags; junior gear; scholastic gear and team wear.
Says Gill North American Manager David Pritchard, “Gill is pleased to now be part of the Sail1Design Team. As a business we have successfully utilized the Sail 1 Design  brokerage and staffing services and now look forward to leveraging the Sail1design platform to promote the Gill brand . Our heritage is sailing and in particular one-design ….so lots of synergy with the Sail One Design platform. Gill is particulary pleased to now be  providing the top coach of the  year award; this is a very prestigious award presented to the most talented sail training coach by their peers.
Our goal at Gill is to help keep our customers , dry , comfortable and high performing when on the water . Rain or shine . We simply exist to help our customers enjoy their time on the water to the fullest . Racing , Cruising , or power boating. Please visit our site to learn all about our products    www.gillna.com  or visit your local Gill dealer. Also please register for our monthly free gear giveaway at:
https://www.facebook.com/gillgear/app/143103275748075/?ref=page_internal
Please consider Gill gear for your sailing program. Our team of suppliers, APS, KO Sailing, West Coast Sailing, and Sturgis Boat Works all sell this awesome brand!

ICSA News: Boston College Shows Up to Win the St. Mary’s Team Race.

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March 12, 2017–Winter reigns on as the College Sailing spring season continues in MAISA and SAISA. The St. Mary’s Team Race at St. Mary’s College in Maryland, The Navy Spring Women’s at The US Naval Academy and the John Jackson Memorial Team Race at Georgetown University were all sailed in frigid condition while the Charleston Coed Regatta was sailed in Charleston.
The St. Mary’s Team Race featured many of the projected top team race teams, including the Boston College Eagles who made their team racing debut in victory. Boasting a 10-2 record, a presumptive National Final Four team, The Eagles showed up to the scene in a big way. All indications show that this team is ready to challenge Yale University for the top spot in NEISA. Boston College started Erika Reineke (‘17), Harry Koeppel (‘17) and Charles “Scotty” Sinks (‘18) at the helm with Hannah Lynn (‘17), Tara Ferraris (‘19), Lily McGrath (‘18), Peter Lynn (‘19), Allison Ferraris (‘17) and Fiona Walsh (‘17) crewing by committee.
Finishing in a close second at the aforementioned event was the Navy Midshipmen. A final four team at the Bob Bavier Team Race the following week, Navy has started their season off strong. In a conference that appears wide open, Navy looks to be a legitimate contender for the MAISA Team Race crown. Dillon Paiva, Assistant coach at the Naval Academy, had this to say of the regatta.
“St. Mary’s team race was brutally cold but an excellent regatta as always. Uncooperative wind forced the race committee to abandon the second round robin half way through and go straight to a final four. Most teams got in fifteen or so races on the weekend even if the scores didn’t show it. It was good to get a look at some of the NEISA schools and I’m sure they liked the chance to finally get on the water. Happy with a second place finish, but still lots to clean up during our spring break trip in charleston this week.”
Hobart and William Smith Colleges squeezed into third with 7.5 wins, just ahead of fourth place George Washington Colonials who had 7 wins.
Around the corner at the Naval Academy, the Navy Spring Women’s Interconference was sailed. The Stanford Cardinals finished first overall at the event with 177 points after twelve races sailed in each division, despite two OCSs littering the scorecard. The Coast Guard Academy Bears finished second overall with 182 points while the Yale University Bulldogs finished 3rd overall with 183 points.
Greer Wattson (‘17) of St. Mary’s College, sailing with Grace Papp (‘19) and Elizabeth Dinnison (‘17), finished 1st in A-Division with 71 points, while Sophomore, Martina Sly and Freshman, Madeline Bubb from Stanford finished first in B-Division with 66 points.
                                                                                 Photo by Brian Swingly
The young ladies in B-Division for the Cardinal sailed extremely strong in heavy breeze throughout the event, finishing with five races in the top three. Their low point score helped stave off a charging Coast Guard Bear team that surged once the breeze dropped on Sunday. The impressive second place finish, behind a 22-point-Sunday performance by Dana Rohde, shows the depth of the Coast Guard Women’s team as the defending National Champions. Coast Guard’s head coach, Brian Swingly said, when asked about the Bear’s performance, “with so many competitors sailing well across a range of conditions, the regatta came down to the final few races. Several teams were in contention to take home the win. We put on a late charge and were happy to get back to second after being in ninth to start the day. Stanford sailed a great series and are showing their strength early in the season.”
In SAISA, the Charleston Spring Coed Regatta was sailed at The College of Charleston. The Harvard University Crimson won in tight fashion over Georgetown. Harvard finished with 175 total points, while Georgetown tallied 179. The Boston University Terriers rounded off the top three overall with 205 points. Will Logue, a freshman from Georgetown won A-Division with Jack Crystler (‘20) and Albert Kraus (‘17), totalling 72 points throughout 17 races. The Hoya A-Division only recorded one race outside the top-8. The future at Georgetown looks very bright today.
Harvard’s Nicholas Karnovsky (‘19) with Julia Lord (‘17), Kevin Coakley (‘18) and Jessica Williams (‘20) finished tied for first in B-Division with Charleston’s Gerald Williams (‘19), Payton Alexander (‘19) and Kelly-Ann Arrindell (‘20). The two teams finished with 95 points through 17 races.
Georgetown University won the John Jackson Memorial Team Race with a 9-1 record. The US Coast Guard Academy Bears finished second and The Connecticut College Camels third with 7-3 and 6-4 records respectively.
“John Jackson was one of the best kids we have ever had on our team. He was a walk on and he got very good at sailing. He did it to have fun with his friends and while he was part of some great championship teams John had fun whether we won or lost. When we lost him in a tragic accident it was a big blow to all of his. He was larger than life and we are proud to have a regatta named after him so we can keep him in our thoughts. The goal of the JTJ team race is to go out and sail and have fun and win or lose enjoy the time spent competing with your team.”  – Georgetown University Head Coach, Mike Callahan.
Written by Chris Klevan  [email protected]

Club Profile: American Yacht Club

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News Flash: American Yacht Club is hiring a full-time Assistant Sailing Director!
Much has changed in the 120 years since “robber baron”, Jay Gould and a group of his friends founded the American Yacht Club in New York City. By 1887, clearly in need of a shore station, the club purchased “12 acres and some rocks known as Scotch Caps” from the Wainwright family at the tip of Milton Point in Rye, NY. The price was $6000 for what has become one of the outstanding locations on Long Island Sound.
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In the beginning, all the boats enrolled in the club were steam yachts. However in 1889, the first American Yacht Club sailing race was held. In a “blow”, 6 yachts completed a 20 mile course and established a tradition for what was to become one of the preeminent sailing clubs in the world. In the club’s fleet have been America’s Cup Defenders, Trans-Atlantic and Bermuda Race winners. Its sailors have been Long Island Sound, North American and World Champions in a number of classes. They have captured Olympic medals – most recently in 1996 when Courtenay Becker Dey took a bronze in the Europe class. Four AYC skippers have won the US Women’s Sailing Championship.
Through the years, the American Yacht Club Annual Invitational Cruise has been a test of sailing, boats and seamanship, as well as a family competition and plain old fun afloat.
One of the defining moments in American Yacht Club’s history, however, didn’t take place on the water. On July 27, 1951 an electrical fire burned AYC’s landmark clubhouse to the ground. Galvanized by the event and the leadership of then Commodore William Crow, the membership rallied to support the construction – in little more than a year – of the comfortable building that now commands the view of what has been called “that magical point”.
Members of American Yacht Club sail on a wide variety of dinghies and keelboats, some of which are strict one design classes and others are rated differently under one or more of the common handicap systems.  Many yacht owners choose to race competitively around drop-mark courses or over longer distances, while others prefer to cruise in our local waters and to destinations beyond.  Our Club is proud of the considerable diversity in the types of sailboats owned by members that reflects the numerous ways in which sailing enthusiasts can enjoy being on the water.
Learn more about American Yacht Club, read our latest News!
News Flash: American Yacht Club is hiring a full-time Assistant Sailing Director!

ICSA Team Race Rankings, #1, Spring 2017

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Brought to you by Dynamic Dollies
It has begun! Fast paced play changes, precise boat handling, a little bit of yelling, and lots of team work; finally, the team race season is here.  There have been four team race regattas since our preview two weeks ago, the Mendelblatt at USF, McIntyre at Stanford, GW Team Race at you guessed it, GW, and the most competitive event, the Bob Bavier at College of Charleston.                                                                                     Hannah Baylis Photo
The Bob is a major event every year since it is the first major Interconference regatta.  Teams love going to Charleston for this event because, well its Charleston, which means beautiful weather to allow for tons of racing.  This year however, the Bob drew even more excitement since College of Charleston will be the host of this year’s Spring ICSA National Championships.  Teams competing at the Bob last weekend got to sail in the location where nationals will be hosted, with the Team Race Nationals PRO Ryan Davidson, and some of the same umpires too.
This week our coach panel ranked their top 15 teams in the country, and gave us some comments on the teams, their results and progress so far this season.  Hope you enjoy!

Rank School Total Points
1 Yale 73
2 Charleston 69
3 Georgetown 65
4 Boston College 63
5 Navy 55
6 Dartmouth 49
7 Hobart William Smith 38
8 George Washington 38
9 UC Santa Barbara 35
10 MIT 32
11 Stanford 29
12 Tufts 16
13 St. Mary’s 16
14 Roger Williams 9
15 Eckerd 8


Coaches who participated in the poll: Ken Legler (Tufts), Bill Healy (Yale), Clinton Hayes (Stanford), Johnny Norfleet (Fordham), Dillon Paiva (Navy)
 

Augustine Haile photo

Rank School Ken Bill Clinton Johnny Dillon
1 Yale First team race not until the Graham Hall but no reason not to rank the reigning champs #1. No action yet and won’t have any until the Graham Hall TR in two weeks.  Time will tell… Clear #1 going into the season. Too far ahead in the preseason rankings to drop them for not competing last weekend. Untested but still the best team out there until proven otherwise Even though their first regatta isn’t until the graham hall, still have a tough time finding a reason not to rank #1.
2 Charleston Cougars off to a fast start as usual winning at home with two seniors and four juniors. Cougars take the first Big Team Race regatta on their home waters and earn my #1 spot. Impressive and, for me, unexpected win at the Bavier. Probably should have expected a good performance on their home turf. A big win at the Bob at home. The home field advantage for this team will be a factor at nationals As I said in my preview, deadly in home waters. Excited to see them play at St. Mary’s this weekend.  Congrats on win at the Bob.
3 Georgetown Hoyas only a point behind Charleston at the Bob but with none of their superstar freshmen yet. A good battle at the Bavier with Charleston moves the Hoyas up the rankings. Close 2nd to Charleston last weekend. I’d expect them to improve a lot this season with a very strong 2nd team to train against. Solid finish at the Bob with their team of upperclassmen. They almost certainly have the best 2nd team in the nation. Expect them to play with a lot of combos at the John Jackson this weekend. I put them above charleston, and move into the spot as most likely to knock Yale off the throne.  One win behind CofC at the Bob, and their second team had a very strong showing at the GW Team Race to make for some killer home practices.
4 BC Eagles first team race will be at St. Mary’s but they scrimmaged at Brown on Sunday. Again no early Tr action from the Eagles.  They’ll be in action at arguably the toughest TR of the year at St. Mary’s. Tough choice to place the Eagles since they haven’t sail yet. Not as stacked as Yale to rank them 2nd but they stay in my top 4 for sure. Still untested until this weekend but looking good with a team of three experienced skippers First regatta of the season for the Eagles this weekend. I’m looking forward to see their first test.
5 Navy 3rd at the Bob with a couple new players Peter Hogan/Sarah Barkley where they struggled against the Florida teams but beat Dartmouth twice. Couldn’t hang with Charleston at the Bavier TR last weekend but did sail pretty evenly with Georgetown. Jumping Dartmouth in the 1st real rankings here. They’re looking good early on. 3rd at the Bob keeps them in the top 5 Only team in the final four at the Bob to use more than three drivers.  Still building depth and discipline.
6 Dartmouth The Green were rusty early, then won a bunch to make the final four but finished 0-3 in the finals.  Their winning streak was when there was more wind. Bavier was a good warm up for Dartmouth.  Round one was “shake the rust off” round, round two was much better and the final 4 not what they were looking for. Good result coming off zero practice. This confirms they’ll be a player this year. Barely made the final four at the Bob Bavier but did so with freshman Jack McGraw. Expect them to be stronger later either with Pat Floyd returning or their younger players learning the game. Fourth at the Bob is good, but no regattas this coming weekend when most schools are at one regatta at least.  Home practice to stay sharp?
7 HWS Legit freshmen Hector Guzman teamed with veterans to win the George Washington TR. Good win for this group at the GW Team Race Strong win at the GW Team Race. Need to see how they’ll sail against the beat though… Got the win at the GW Team Race and look strong with Freshman skipper Hector Guzman, but they did lose two races to Fordham Strong win at a MAISA event, I think their skills will be up to the challenge at the St. Mary’s Team Race this weekend.
8 GW 5th at the Bob; I told you they would be good. 5th is a good results to start their season A strong early showing at the Bob for the Colonials have them looking like a strong nationals contender in MAISA Lost the tiebreaker to make it into the final four at the bob, but sailed quite well up until that point. Also finished fourth at their home MAISA event.
9 UCSB Beating Stanford at Stanford to win the McIntyre was huge for the Gauchos. Still ranked pretty high from their win at the MacIntyre TR two weeks ago at Stanford, beating Stanford 2 awesome weekends in a row beating Stanford then placing 6th in Charleston. They make my top 10! A veteran team of skippers suddenly looking good after a win at the McIntyre Impressive win over Stanford at the McIntyre, and shook it up at the Bob for sure.  Glad to see more than one strong player from the west coast.
10 MIT The Engineers open at home and at neighboring Harvard in two events this weekend. This group of sailors will be the team to watch to pick off some of these top team. Another New England team who hasn’t started their season yet. They look good on paper. Another untested team still in the rankings for now based on their fleet racing prowess Still haven’t seen them play yet but plenty of practice partners on the Charles, and some very fast sailors.
11 Stanford Lost a tie-break to Santa Barbara by a wide margin and will be challenged at St. Mary’s next. Still untested outside the Pacific Coast. Next action at the St Mary’s TR.  This regatta will tell a lot. With a loss to Santa Barbara at the McIntyre 2 weekends ago they slip a little in my rankings Losing races to UCSB early may not look good but it means they will have more in conference competition Lost to UCSB on tiebreaker at their home event, but will make it to the east coast more often I bet.  Not long before they get back on top of their game.
12 Tufts The Jumbos are just getting their feet wet early with their first big test at the Graham Hall. Coach ken will get the Jumbos on track.  No action yet. Not Until the Graham Hall in two weeks Good results in fleet racing this fall. Interested to see how things shake out in team racing Rounding out my top 10 based on fleet race results and a NEISA Championship on Mystic Lake
13 St. Mary’s The Seahawks have struggled early but they get to host this weekend. Three Senior skippers need to pick it up to get this team through to the conference qualifier Bound in improve as the season goes on. They always do… Also still figuring out their top three boats. A decent result at the Bob considering what they lost to graduation. Give them time. Respectable finish at the Bob, but surprised to see their second team last at the GW Team Race.  Uncharacteristic for St. Mary’s, but plenty of time to bring it around.
14 Roger The Hawks get to race at the St. Mary’s TR and are psyched for it. No action yet.  Not until in district action in two weeks.  Last weeks event was blown and frozen out. Still haven’t seen them yet but they show promise and are always well coached First regatta will be this weekend at St. Mary’s.  With a multi world champion team racer as coach, expect disciplined execution.
15 Eckerd 8th at the Bavier shows this team has potential Beat USF in Charleston to take my last spot The Tritons are looking good with some wins over strong teams at the Bob. Looking like it will be a fight for the 2nd SAISA spot for nationals Took some big wins early at the Bob to turn heads, but faded towards the end.  With plenty of warm weather and good coaching, don’t be surprised to see this team moving up.

Larry Kennedy photo

Beat the Cold (and the competition): Wear Your Base-layers!

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By Airwaves Writer Paige Hoffman
It’s safe to say that the most difficult aspect of spring sailing in the Northeast is facing the cold. Knowing how to keep yourself warm on frigid days makes all the difference in staying up to speed during practice and competition. Getting uncomfortably cold may seem like an inevitable part of spring sailing, but it certainly doesn’t have to be.The cold weather has significant effects on your body, which in turn has a big effect on your performance on the water. Cold and stiff muscles are especially harmful when paired with the explosive kind of body kinetics involved in dinghy sailing. All the work you have put in at the gym in the winter offseason is useless if you’re wasting energy shivering and can’t even feel your fingers.
The most important approach to staying warm is having the right clothing. In 2017, sailors have more choices than ever for cold weather gear. Unfortunately, sailing is an expensive sport, and you may be tempted to try to save money on gear. However, if there’s one thing that you should splurge on, it’s having the right kind of equipment to sail efficiently. You wouldn’t go skiing wearing a tshirt and jeans under your pants and jacket, so why sail in the same kind of clothing? Base layers are the most important kind of clothing to invest in. As far as drysuits go, as long as your seals work properly it doesn’t matter what brand of drysuit you wear. Some may be more comfortable than others, but drysuits are designed to keep you dry, not warm. It’s what’s on the inside that counts, literally.When I first started high school sailing my freshman year, I thought I would never be able to learn how to stay warm and sail efficiently like the upperclassman could. As a newcomer to spring sailing, I had no idea how to keep myself warm, and it took a lot of trial and error to figure out what worked best for me. I ended up getting frequent colds that kept me out of class and off the water. Over the years I’ve picked up a few techniques that help me stay warm and comfortable while sailing.
I have found my favorite line of base layers to be Patagonia. Although it’s an expensive brand, you really do get what you pay for. At every regatta in March and April, I still wear the Patagonia R1 Pullover I got when I was a freshman sailor. I’ve worn it sailing, skiing and horseback riding, and it’s held up it’s held to the test of time. It’s soft and comfortable on the inside and does wonders keeping me warm.
                                                           PATAGONIA MEN’S or WOMEN’S R1® PULLOVER
Patagonia also has the benefit of being very in-style right now, so when you’re not sailing you can wear just about any of your base layers wherever and however you want to. They also have a number of discounts available for high school and college sports teams. Patagonia base layer pants which run between $30 and $60, are an invaluable investment.

Patagonia Women’s Capilene Lightweight Bottoms (my personal favorite for under a drysuit or spray pants.)
Other popular brands, Helly Hansen and Musto, have the same advantage of being focused on multiple sports. While they do make plenty of sailing gear, I have found that the skiing base layers from these brands work best. They’re warm and form-fitting without being restrictive. It’s hard enough to stay flexible in a drysuit alone, so having gear that fits properly is an absolute must.

 
Musto Active Base Layer Zip-Neck Top, one of my favorite mid-weight base layers.
I prefer wearing one or two thick layers as opposed to many thin ones. Getting dressed for sailing is definitely a quality over quantity situation. It’s much easier to stay mobile on the boat when your joints are not hindered by excessive layers of clothing.
With high performance base layers and a good pair of wool socks you will be much happier and warmer than anybody else on the water. While you may have to spend a bit more money initially, investing in quality clothing will save you money and provide invaluable comfort on the water.
About Paige Hoffman, Northeast/High School Sailing Airwaves Reporter
paigePaige started sailing at age ten at Duxbury Bay Maritime School. By age twelve, she was competing in Optis and transitioned to 420 sailing when she was fourteen, becoming a member of the Duxbury High School sailing team as a freshman in high school and racing through club programs at Duxbury Bay Maritime school in the fall and summer seasons. In the summer, she works as a Junior Sailing Instructor at Duxbury Bay Maritime School, teaching younger sailors the fundamentals of sailing. In 2016, she helped her team win the Mass Bay League Team Race Championship and was named co-captain of her team for the 2017 spring season.

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