Buckeye Intersectional
Saturday morning started off with a light breeze that increased into the afternoon and brought heavy rains. 10 races were completed. There was little wind Sunday morning and 2 (incredibly) slow races were completed. Trophies were awarded to top three schools and to the top three teams in both A and B divisions.
IMAGE: Taylor & Amy
One might say we are snake bit for this event. We have several times been close to winning the Buckeye, but we never quite make it. One of the most challenging features of this event is the condition of the boats. We once came back from a break to find ours sinking. Nowhere in MAISA would you find a fleet like this with old boats, newer boats, blown out sails, new sails, disintegrating rigging and fiberglass patches all over the place. Boats come from several teams and the condition varies wildly. Since they never can get through a complete rotation of the boats, the luck of the draw may give a team all good boats, all bad boats and a mix. We got the mix this year and led the event after Saturday which ended leaving two B Division races to be sailed in order for he last two A Division races to be scored. Sunday’s wind never got over two (2) knots and without a minimum wind rule as MAISA has (3 knots or there is no start), the committee decided to race regardless. Our misfortune was that the team we had to beat got the fastest boat in the fleet and we got a poor one. Still we could have pulled it off, but our heavier crew of Taylor and Amy just couldn’t do it in the worst drifting conditions I have ever seen in a collegiate regatta.
IMAGE: Matt & Lynn
Still, we had a great time and all the sailors in the top three palled around and the competition was close but always friendly. We really couldn’t say enough about the great hospitality we always receive at OSU, both from the colleges and from the folks at the Hoover Sailing Club. Our trip was made even better with an exceptional Saturday evening dinner at Ben France’s parents house. Ben is currently serving as the team manager, but he’ll be back on the tiller in the fall. Bob and Diane France were terrific hosts – many, many thanks to them.
It was also a good sign of the balance of our team that they placed second in both divisions and overall.
| Scores | A Div. | B Div. | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Northwestern | 14 | 29 | 43 |
| 2. Christopher Newport | 22 | 24 | 46 |
| 3. Providence | 38 | 13 | 51 |
| 4. Michigan State University | 35 | 32 | 67 |
| 5. John Carroll | 48 | 28 | 76 |
| 6. University of Florida | 40 | 37 | 77 |
| 7. Owens | 25 | 54 | 79 |
| 8. Ohio State U. Scarlet | 46 | 45 | 91 |
| 9. Ohio University | 31 | 70 | 101 |
| 10. Miami of Ohio | 45 | 63 | 108 |
| 11. Ohio State U. Gray | 48 | 71 | 119 |
| 12. Wittenberg | 69 | 52 | 121 |
| 13. Michigan | 70 | 66 | 136 |
| 14. Washington University | 98 | 61 | 159 |
| 15. Denison | 84 | 76 | 160 |
| 16. Bowling Green U. | 92 | 97 | 189 |
| 17. Kenyon | 92 | 105 | 197 |
| CNU A Division | Matt Lythgoe Lynn Ball |
2-2-11-1-5-1 |
|---|---|---|
| CNU B Division | Taylor Gray Amy Polhemus |
1-1-2-3-6-11 |
IMAGE: Our team at the Buckeye