CNU Sailing

This was our last event of the Fall season and the team we took was one put together for several special reasons. Our team consisted of Taylor Morgan, Maxwell Plarr, Meghan Magee, Tyler Million, and Lynn Ball.

Taylor Morgan was taken because this would be his last event at CNU. He is transferring to a most prestigious school, the Savannah College of Art and Design where we wish him the best of luck. It is a great opportunity for him while a loss for the team. Taylor has only been sailing competitively since last spring and he has shown great potential. He had damaged his shoulder a few weeks ago and we limited him to a few lighter air races in which he scored a 4th and a 8th. Max and Lynn were included as our incredibly hard working co-captains who do everything of which a coach could ask of his officers.

Meghan has been one of our most reliable crews and a regular crew with Max. Finally, Tyler has unfortunately had too many required afternoon classes to be able to sail regularly since last fall. So, we took this opportunity to give him some time in competition. Tyler is still having problems with scheduling his classes to let him be more active with the team. We’ll be working to arrange practices in the spring to keep him active. His 5 single digit finishes at Charleston were quite impressive.

We really didn’t expect to be a major force at this event and our goal was to do well against the other local teams in attendance, Hampton and William & Mary. We ultimately finished 12th beating William & Mary but losing to Hampton, although we led them for some a good bit of the regatta.

The SAISA/MAISA at the College of Charleston has been a regular on our schedule since its inception years ago. However, the trip has become ever more expensive and the event is moving to the same weekend as our Alumni Regatta. So, this may have been the last time we make the trip south. Aside from that, the venue is not one of the better ones and the tides are as difficult to deal with as any to be found on the east coast.

However, this is Charleston, a great place to visit and the food is great. This year our Saturday dinner was at Tommy Condons. Tyler’s father manages one of the chain and he supplied us with a $75.00 gift card that meant we could enjoy some of the best the restaurant had to offer – and we did. The team pronounced the food as good as any and we extend to Jack Million our most sincere thanks.
The Annual MAISA Draft of events will be held on December 5th where we will learn what events we will have for the spring. We’ll be picking 15th out of 44 and expect to get all the events we want.

The boats have been put away for the winter and the only team activity left is the Annual Christmas Party at the sail loft. Regardless of how the season has gone, this is always a way to end the season on a most positive note.

Many contributed to our Alumni Regatta this year. I do have to give my special thanks to our Assistant Coach, Kate McClintock, and our team captains, Lynn Ball and Maxwell Plarr. Maxwell, in particular did everything except wash dishes and he didn’t quit for the day until well after 11:00 pm. And, the Oyster Roast wouldn’t even exist without Marty Moliken and the James River Marina crew. Special thanks go to all of those alumni and supporters who gave additional dollars for the support of the team. These are lean times for all and every dollar helps.

Both events were highly successful by any measurement.

We had 14 pairs of sailors for the regatta with 15 alumni and 14 current team members sailing. Several other alumni came but were unable to participate for various reasons. Will McCabe set the record for having come the farthest – Colorado.

The Oyster Roast was a great event and we will clear better than $1,500.00 for support of the team. This was the first year the event was run by the team and the James River staff. You can be sure it will be even better next year with what we learned from this year.

Can there be anything better than an outdoor culinary event featuring a sea food delicacy and three of the finest brews from Hampton’s own St. George Brewery all in perfect fall weather? I think not!

Here is how they finished in the regatta.

1st Keith Goodwin & Amy Polhemus
2nd Matt Lythgoe & Jerrica Nichols
3rd Jessica Thal & Meghan Magee
4th Justin Ailsworth & Sarah-Daye Hand
5th Mike Weaver & Amy Craven
6th Taylor Gray (Elmon) & Lynn Ball
7th Will McCabe & Becca Hornick
8th Nat Swanson & Kate McClinock
9th Nick Drake & Karyn Buhrman
10th Mark Stevens & Melissa Orndorf
11th Tyler (Henrry) Million & Maggie Gore
12th Victoria Miller, Katlin Kitchen, & Brennan Russell
13th Johanna Faroe & Mike Faroe
14th Pete Foytick & Brennan Russell

Frankly, this has been a poor season for us in terms of how we have placed in many of our regattas. We had expected it to be a very good one since virtually the entire team was expected to return. But the loss of our best skipper, the result of multiple suspensions relating to an unwillingness to comply with Athletic Department academic requirements, was a major blow and one we couldn’t totally overcome. In a smaller team like ours, the depth of talent isn’t so great and the loss of one player can have a major impact.

IMAGE: Taylor Gray, Jessica Thall, Maghan Magee, Taylor Morgan, Maxwell Plarr, Lynn Ball, and Amy Craven

But sometimes these setbacks can yield positive results, and in this case, it did. The remaining team members were quite close in ability and our practices became more productive for each individual. We were forced to try some new and different combinations that have worked out well. In a season when most of our new people were women, we put an all women’s team on the water for the first time in many years. While nearly everyone on the team made significant advances, Jessica Thal and Taylor Morgan made the greatest gains and this was clear at the Luce Regatta.

The Luce is what we often call “the Runner-up Bowl.” The teams that fail to qualify for the War Memorial may sail in the Luce where their scores for the season rank just below the last place team at the War.

Columbia had the strongest team at Hampton, and they took first place over the hosts, Hampton University. For most of the regatta CNU was in fourth place behind Villanova. Races 1 through 6 in both divisions were sailed on Saturday with good weather and good winds. A front came through on Saturday night and Sunday was far colder and the winds more shifty as they came off the land. Taylor Morgan and Amy Craven sailed the two remaining A division races and posted an excellent 3rd and 4th. Jessica and her crew, Maghan Magee, sailed all of the B Division races for the weekend, never placing below 4th. But their final two races, both second place finishes, were just what we needed to move ahead of Villanova by a single point.

Only our annual Alumni Regatta and our season ending trip to Charleston for the SAISA/MAISA Regatta remain for the season. But this will be a real “fun” event as many of our favorite competitors will also be there. William & Mary, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Hampton, Ocean County and Old Dominion will also be making the trip south on the weekend before Thanksgiving.