CNU Sailing

On Saturday sailors were met with rainy and windy conditions on the East River.  Winds ranged from 10-15 knots out of the South/Southwest, keeping teams rotating between light and heavy crews.  Courses sailed were double windward-leewards with an offset and gate.  8 races were sailed in each division, with race 2A being re-sailed due to a RC error. Two protests were filed with one  resulting in a disqualification in race 2A.

IMAGE: It was all windy sailing for the weekend.

Sunday brought gorgeous sunny skies with winds starting at 15 knots and increasing to 20 with gusts to 25 out of the Northwest.  6 races were sailed in each division with multiple lead changes between 2nd and 5th in the last two sets.  Three protests resulted in 2 disqualifications.

IMAGE: The team at the War Memorial: Ben France, Kate McClintock, Amy Polhemus, Jarrica Nichols, Johanna Faroe, & Matt Lythgoe

The War Memorial is the one place where all the best teams in MAISA meet and determine where we stand in relation the other teams. Our 17th place finish wasn’t what we wanted or expected. Actually, among the MAISA teams, we were 15th because Yale and Boston University were invited from the New England District. But the conditions were such that the teams with extra crews (heavy crews) had a real edge. That said, Hampton and many others apart from the elite teams in MAISA had the same problem. Both days featured strong winds, strong tides, and lumpy conditions for which we were not well prepared. The top teams have recruits from the best high school teams and the wide range of experience that is needed. Still, we stand 15th among the 43 teams in MAISA, and that’s not all that bad. In any case, the regatta was fun and a great experience for the team.

IMAGE: Kate and Matt after their final race, a 15th. Note the boat number!

IMAGE: Ben and Jerrica returning after their final set of races.

IMAGE: The rest of the team putting the boat away at the end of the regatta.

Great winds on both days. 32 races, 16 in A and 16 in B of between 11 and 18 minutes each completed (two full rotations). All races were sailed on the CNU Box which consisted of a beat, broad reach, beat, beam reach & a run. Two eight boat fleets of FJs and 420s were used. One protest filed which resulted in an RAF. Several penalty turns and quite fair racing throughout the regatta.

This event gave many of our new people valuable sailing time and the great weather made it all fun. Many people contributed to making this a great event for sailors, spectators and parents. Kate McClintock and Ben France were our Committee Boat crew.

IMAGE: The CNU Team. Very special thanks go to Bill Saunders of Wachovia Securities of Hampton, our event sponsor.

Rebecca Hornick and Daniel Johnson were the Sailing Center staff. Sam and Bret Winters were the cooks for the Saturday lunch. John Griffin of William & Mary piloted the spectator boat. Johanna Faroe and Matt Lythgoe were our Dock Masters. Tom Wood of the West End News provided the pregame treats. Jim White, our assistant coach ran our safety boat.

On Saturday 8 races were completed in each division. Breeze from WNW at 6 mph in the morning built to 12 mph from W in the afternoon, then died to 6 mph. One breakdown, redress granted. On Sunday 2 races complete in each division. Breeze from W at 4 mph built to 8 mph and shifted to WNW. No protests filed, one withdrawal after finishing.

We entered this regatta looking to give our developing sailors good experience. Since this was a qualifier for the Central Region, many of the teams would be sending their best and some of the more powerful teams would be there looking for the same opportunities as we. Matt Lythgoe and Tyler Million had problems with consistency and reading the many shifts. The course was set up across the river and there could easily be as many as six or seven shifts in one leg. Taylor Gray and Lynn Bell were consistent, but the shifts bothered them as well. However, Taylor and Lynn could have placed one or two places higher with better boat handling and we’ll be working to polish their tacking this week.

IMAGE: Things got a bit tight in one race when one of Maryland’s skipjacks crossed the fleet. One FJ actually collided with the skipjack resulting in a broken spreader.

This was Maxwell’s second regatta and third & fourth races in college. Max is still making the switch from catamarans to small college dinghies. However, Maxwell’s sense of honesty needs no work. After finishing, he realized that he hadn’t taken the correct number of penalty turns for a rules infraction and withdrew from the last B race. As our assistant coach has said many times, “We may not have the best sailors, but we do have the most honest. Congratulations Max. You belong on our team!