Cal Maritime vying for fourth win at Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup

Los Angeles, CA (March 8, 2014) – The pressure is on, for the Cal Maritime Keelhaulers, vying for their fourth win in as many years, in the seventh annual Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup, hosted by Los Angles Yacht Club.

“I know we all feel the pressure – I definitely feel the pressure,” stressed CAL Maritime skipper Dillon Lancaster, who is competing in his second Harbor Cup.

The event is raced in LA’s inner harbor, aboard Catalina 37s – the same boats used for the iconic Congressional Cup – with 10 teams from across the nation competing in three days of intense racing.

But pressure is no stranger to CAL Maritime’s Vallejo team. “The last two regattas we’ve sailed this year have been like this: down to the wire on the last day. But most of the crew have been on the team since their freshmen year, and have sailed a lot on these boats, which makes it a lot easier to get around the course.”

“I think our team’s strong point is we go out and have fun, and if we have a bad race, we’re able to brush it off with humor,” Lancaster added. “But when it’s race time, we get right back into it.”

Cal Maritime finished Day Two with 21 points, trailed closely by USC with 25 points.

“We were able to keep everything in the top three today, and had a really great day,” said USC Trojans skipper Cameron ‘Max’ Hutcheson. “We were really able to dial in a great mode for today’s conditions, and had excellent starts.” The plan for tomorrow? “More of the same.”

Conditions started out light but consistent, with 5 knots of breeze beneath a bluebird sky. Throughout the day the wind built modestly, to 10k by the last race. That victory was snatched by the College of Charleston. Said skipper Jay Greenfield, “It all starts at the start and we had a good one. We were liking the right side and were well positioned to go there, and it paid off. It was one of those ideal races.”

Ending the day on that note, “feels good,” added Greenfield, as the team looked toward the final day of the regatta.

The co-eds will compete in two more races Sunday March 9, beginning at 1130AM, to determine the winner of the Harbor Cup. A prize-giving will be held at LAYC after the day’s competition.

Results: http://scores.collegesailing.org/s14/harbor-cup/
Event website: http://www.layc.org/tp60/page.asp?id=296239

Report by Betsy Crowfoot