CNU Sailing

On Saturday light winds were the story at the Tom Curtis Regatta.  Two races in each division were run by 12:30PM in NNE 3-5mph.  The wind shut off and didn’t pick up until 4PM.  One more A and B race were completed by 5:15PM. Sunday had 5 Races completed in each division in shifty winds.  No protests filed and only one breakdown.  Courses were Gold Cups and Windward leewards with gates.  Congrats to Fordham for winning and for CNU and American for qualifying for the War Memorial regatta. Many thanks to the Aras family and Tim Staples for the use of their motorboats.

The Tom Curtis Regatta is the second qualifier for the War Memorial Regatta for the teams in the South Region of MAISA. For us, this was a very good regatta. Ben and Johanna are sailing better than ever and Jessica, our freshman skipper, is improving dramatically since her first collegiate regatta at Ocean County. Her introduction to college sailing there in the infamous Tech Dinghy has been compared to hazing. She and Lynn Bal are becoming an excellent pair and with Tyler Million on hand for heavy winds, we think we have found the answer to our problems with the B Division in the major events.

By finishing 7th at this event, we qualified for the War quite easily. At one time in the regatta we were in 3rd place. The tricky winds and a few slips dropped us to a tie with America University who won the tie breaker. Still, we were 85 points ahead of the next potential qualifier, Salisbury, and farther ahead of the other teams competing for entry into the War, St. Johns, William & Mary, Virginia, Hampton, GeorgeWashington, and Virginia Tech.

Ben led his division for much of the event, but an over-early in one of the later races dropped him to 3rd in his division. You will note that the scores were tight at the top and just 3 fewer points would have put us in 4th. Jessica and Lynn’s 7th place in B Division was an excellent finish, particularly for Jessica’s second collegiate event. The prospects for a good showing at the War Memorial, later in the fall, are looking good.

IMAGE: Tyler Million, Jessica Thal, Lynn Ball, Ben France, Johanna Faroe

College Sailing’s newest facility opened its first event today under rain and light easterly breezes.  The new River Center at St. Mary’s College provided comfortable shelter and nice shore-side viewing for six races in each division.  The visiting coaches helped toast the facility as B division raced to the dock.

The new St. Mary’s facility is truly amazing. Not only is it well designed but it is, perhaps, the most ecologically considerate ever done. With geothermal heating, minimal water use toilets, materials that have the least impact on the environment, and porous paving of the parking lot, St. Mary’s has given guidance for how to “do the job right.” And as the picture shows, it is also a visually impressive facility.

As for CNU, we are still seeking the best combination for our “B Team.” You may have noticed that I didn’t even offer an accounting of the Ocean County Regatta on the previous weekend. We did so poorly, that there wasn’t much to say. When Taylor Gray needed a semester off, we began our search for a replacement as we had expected Taylor to fill this need. Ocean County offered little to go with. At St. Mary’s we confirmed that Ben France will be most effective as our “A ’ skipper as he finished 3rd in his division. But we must still look for the answer to the “B Problem.” Since next weekend at Georgetown will be our last chance to qualify for the War Memorial Regatta, we will have to find the answer this week. Wish us luck.

IMAGE: Maxwell, Tyler, Ben, Lynn & Johanna

It was beautiful day in Norfolk and the breeze was 5-10 out of the south. Six races were completed in A division, 7 races were completed in B division today, Eight races were completed overall in both divisions. No protests filed.