Hampton Bay Days
On Saturday the wind was ENE in the morning at 15-24 knots, decreasing in the afternoon to 10-15 as it went NE, while Sunday wind was ENE 10-17. Courses sailed were modified goldcups and modified olympics. All races were sailed in FJ’s. There was one protest on Sunday resulting in a DSQ. Thanks to the Cukers for the use of their boat and assistance with race committee.
IMAGE: Becca Hornick and Scott Racette
The Hampton University Bay days Regatta was our best so far this season. This was not so much because we finished a strong 3rd in the event. It was because we saw so much improvement in our developing sailors. The combination of Jessica Thal and Lynn Ball have improved well beyond our expectations.
Going into the season we felt our top A Division team of Ben France and Johanna Faroe were going to prove strong and reliable. With the loss of Kate McClintock and Matt Lythgoe to graduation last spring, who would fill the top B Division slot for us was up for grabs between four skippers. It appears that Jessica and Lynn are going to be the pair we were seeking.
IMAGE: Tyler Million, Jessica Thal, Lynn Ball and Amy Polhemus
At the same time, Tyler Million has come from being a backup crew to prove he has what it takes to do well on the tiller. This event was used to compare his skills with Scott Racette. While Amy Polhemus crewed for Tyler, Becca Hornick crewed for Scott. We gave Tyler and Amy the B Division spot on Saturday and then to Scott and Becca on Sunday. As it all turned out our team proved to be remarkably well balanced. We place 4th in both A Division and B Division and 3rd overall. Both B Division crews finished with identical scores of 29 for a total in the division of 58. Since the winds were much the same on both days, we can assume that the crews were as well.
IMAGE: Some of the other team members and parents who came by on Saturday.
We were indeed fortunate to have good winds throughout the weekend. At times they were a little on the high side for our A Division pair, but they got good experience in stronger winds and proved that they will be a good pair well up into the wind range. All in all, this was a great event for the team and it was most impressive that we had many of the team members who weren’t sailing come by to watch as well as many of our parents. There aren’t many venues that allow for good viewing of the racing, but Hampton’s site is one of the better ones. The official report from Hampton is attached.
| Scores | A Div. | B Div. | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Old Dominion | 24 | 15 | 39 |
| 2. Fordham | 32 | 23 | 55 |
| 3. Christopher Newport | 49 | 58 | 107 |
| 4. William & Mary | 51 | 64 | 115 |
| 5. Monmonth | 87 | 41 | 128 |
| 6. Virginia | 38 | 92 | 130 |
| 7. Salisbury | 59 | 91 | 150 |
| 8. Hampton | 90 | 66 | 156 |
| 9. Penn State | 106 | 94 | 200 |
| CNU A Division | Jessica Thal Lynn Ball |
3-4-2-6-5-5-5-2-3-4-5-5 |
|---|---|---|
| CNU B Division | Tyler Million Scott Racotte Amy Polhemus Becca Hornick |
6-6-4-5-5-3-5-3-5-6-5-5 |