CNU Sailing

Without a doubt, we had expected to do somewhat better in this event than we did. But few places are more difficult to sail than the Cooper River in Charleston. The tides really rip and when the wind goes light and shifty, it can try the patience of anyone. This is one of the reasons why Charleston does so well in this, their home event. Local knowledge rules when the wind drops. Ben France and Johanna Faroe, our A division pair, had sailed there before, but Jessica Thal, our freshman skipper, had not. While the wind was up, she did quite well with four straight single digit finishes. But when the wind dropped and the tide became a major factor she and her crew, Lynn Ball, struggled. Still, we were the second placed MAISA team and just nine points behind Florida. Ben’s fourth in A Division, just three points out of third, was quite good.

IMAGE: Ben, Lynn, Jessica, Max, and Johanna (down in front)

The SAISA/MAISA is our traditional wrap up to the Fall season and with our fellow teams from Hampton, William & Mary, Virginia, Tech, Ocean County, and Old Dominion with whom to spend the “off time”, we had an great weekend.

This has been a great season as CNU started a rise up the rankings that we fully expect to extend into the spring when we will be adding some new sailors and welcoming back several others.

As I have said before, this is my favorite event of the year. Seeing so many of the sailors who have made our program what it is has become something I look forward to all year. As I have gone through the 300+ pictures I took, the one thing that stands out are the number of smiles we see, even in the miserable rain we had during the morning session.

Before I comment on the regatta, let me first thank all those people who made the day, regatta and the Oyster Roast that followed in the evening, so enjoyable. Taylor Gray was our Scorer and RC Boat guy, Jim White, Evan Miller, Katlin Kitchen, Pete Michalski, Christina Andrade, Dara Gruber, Sarah Kenworthy, Maxwell Plarr, Rebecca Hornick, Ben France and Scott Racette all helped in one way or another and many of them stepped in to crew for sailors who had to leave early.

The biggest round of thanks go to Marty Moliken of the James River Marina and Jim White who engineered the Oyster Roast. These guys outdid themselves to make the evening one to remember and one of remembrance as well. We particularly appreciate the presence of so many parents and friends because this is one of the most important fund raisers for the team. Without the additional funding provided by such events, our team would be a shadow of what it is. The Oyster Roast was one great, happy occasion. I for one found watching our alumni, from 1991 to the present, reliving the great memories a genuine pleasure. So, very special thanks to Marty and Jim. Oh, and I do have to remember Sam and Bret Winters who are always there to do whatever gets missed.

Now, to the regatta. This year the event was won by our current #1 skipper, Ben France, sailing with 2008 grad and current Assistant Coach, Kate McClintock. It’s about time. The Alumni have traditionally made the current team look bad!

1. Ben France ’09 & Kate McClintock ‘08
2. Keith ’98 & Susan Goodwin ‘97
3. Mike Weaver ’95 & Sarah Kenworthy ‘11
4. Matt Lythgoe ’08 & Lynn Ball ‘11
5. Justin Ailsworth ‘03, Paula Davis ‘05 & Evan Miller ‘12
6. Mark Newman ’07 & Johanna Faroe ‘09
7. Will Summers ‘07& Jerrica Nichols ‘09
8. Brian Huntsman ’91 & Kirsten —
9. Pete Foytik ‘05 & Peter Michalski ‘11
10. Jessica Thall ’12 & Dara Gruber ‘11
11. Will McCabe ‘07 , Becca Hornick & Katlin Kitchen ‘11
12. Joe Ambrogne ‘04 Christina Andrade, & Scott Racette ‘11
13. Nat Swanson ‘06 & Gordon Mallonee ‘06
14. Mark Stephens ‘04 & Melissa —

IMAGE: This year’s winners, Ben France & Kate McClintock

The War Memorial Regatta is the biggest event of the Fall. From it, the top nine qualify for the America Regatta in the Spring which leads to the InterCollegiate Sailing Association Nationals. It is also vital to do well in this event to gain a high place in the event draft for the next year.

For the CNU team, this was a great weekend as we placed higher than we have at the War Memorial in the last ten years. Our 12th place finish was higher than we might have expected and we were often in 11th place during the regatta.

IMAGE: Ben and Johanna

Ben France and Johanna Faroe sailed exceptionally well, placing 11th in A Division. Our very promising freshman, Jessica Thal, with Lynn Ball crewing, placed 14th in B Division. To say the least, this was a great showing for a first year college sailor. We can only expect her to improve and our prospects for the spring look very bright.

It may sound like a cliché and it is, but we believe the team is “coming of age.” Our team size is up, our skipper/crew combinations are working well, and we have some terrific prospective additions to the team for both the spring and the fall. We will also have Taylor Gray back on the team in the spring and one or two of our crews are just about ready to move to the tiller.

IMAGE: Ben France, Lynn Ball (front), Jessica Thal, and Johanna Faroe

Easily, this was the best performance of a CNU team in many, many years. We’ll be wrapping up the season with real confidence at Charleston on the week before Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, we’ll be hosting our Annual Alumni Regatta next weekend after which we’ll enjoy The Oyster Roast at the James River Marina across the Creek from the Sailing Center. This event is open to all team members, family, and our supporters. Be there!

IMAGE: Sunday gave us light wind and a lot of waiting, but we enjoyed a very spectacular sailing venue.