Yale wins College Coed Nationals

Newport, RI (June 4, 2015) – The final day of the Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship concluded four days of competition, with Yale University winning the national title and the Henry A. Morss Memorial Trophy.

The sailors hit the water to begin racing this morning, but the winds were too light and the current was too strong, so racing was postponed for a couple of hours. By 11:15 a.m. racing began with a steady southeasterly breeze filling in and building to around 8-12 knots with higher gusts this afternoon. The sun was out and temperatures stayed around 60 degrees.

The race committee was able to complete nine races today in both divisions for a total of 18 races for the regatta. A-division sailed in Z420s and B-division sailed in CFJs today. The sailors competed on windward-leeward four leg courses.

Yale finished 68 points ahead of second place overall and won the Henry A. Morss Memorial Trophy, which was donated by a group of nationally known yachtsmen as a memorial to Henry A. Morss, a Boston yachtsman and 1907 Bermuda Race winner, as well as an MIT alumnus and benefactor.

“Today we had a pretty good gap between second place, so we were pretty calm,” Healy says. “The only bit of stress was that Graham [Landy] and Katherine [Gaumond] were probably a little overpowered in the Z420 today, but they were comfortable to stay together.”

Yale swept all three spring national championships, something that has not been done since 1991 when the U.S. Naval Academy won the women’s, team race and coed events. It is also the second year in a row that Yale won the coed dinghy championship.

“We had the same skippers last year and then got to practice with this team, including the women’s team, all year – and had great, great practices,” Healy says. “It’s been an amazing year.”

Sailing for Yale: Graham Landy ’15 with Katherine Gaumond ’15 and Charlotte Belling ’16 in A-division and Ian Barrows ’17 with Meredith Megarry ’17 and Clara Robertson ‘17 in B-division.

U.S. Coast Guard Academy held onto second place after yesterday and finished 10 points ahead of third place overall and won the Oxford University Trophy. It has been many years since Coast Guard has been on the podium for this event.

The Oxford University Trophy is awarded to the second place team in the Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship. The Oxford University Yacht Club team and its captain Jeremy Thomas presented this trophy in 1954 on the occasion of the first of a continuing series of college regattas between British and North American teams held alternately in the United States and Great Britain every two years.

“We are thrilled – it’s been decades since the school has been on the podium,” says Brian Swingly, head coach for Coast Guard. “We were comfortable in the conditions and especially this afternoon, the conditions were similar to our New England championships a few weeks ago.

“We were calm today because we knew we had time to get races in and that the wind would fill – we were antsy to get going,” Swingly explains. “We have a pretty young team and are happy with how things came together at the end of this season and are excited to continue and improve next year.”

Sailing for Coast Guard: Avery Fanning ’16 with Robert Turley ’16 and Hannah Herring ’18 in A-division and Nikole Barnes ’17 with Jennifer Lane ’15 and Andrew Britton ’16 in B-division.

Boston College finished in third place, for the second year in a row, winning the Metropolitan Sailing League Trophy, which was first presented in 1971. Boston College had an incredible day today and climbed up the scoreboard to third from finishing yesterday in ninth place.

“We didn’t talk about doing anything special today other than to do what we practice,” says Greg Wilkinson, head coach for Boston College. “The difference between today and yesterday, is that yesterday we didn’t do that. It was a great fleet, very strong and it was a game of inches – one third of a boat length could make a huge difference on the starting line.”

Sailing for Boston College: Raul Rios ’16 with Allison Ferraris ’17 and Alex Palfrey ‘17 in A-division and William Bailey ’15 with Katherine Wysocki ’15 in B-division.

The Robert Allan, Sr. and Robert Allan, Jr. Trophies are awarded to the low point “A” and “B” teams, respectively, in the Gill Coed Dinghy National Championship. Graham Landy ’15 with Katherine Gaumond ’15 and Charlotte Belling ’16 from Yale won A-division with 104 points, six points ahead of second place. Ian Barrows ’17 with Meredith Megarry ’17 and Clara Robertson ’17, also from Yale, won B-division with 82 points, 49 points ahead of second place.

Awards: College of Charleston Sailing was awarded the Leonard M. Fowle Trophy for the best overall performing team in the five college national championships (singlehanded, keelboat, womens, team racing, and coed). Nevin Snow ’16 of Georgetown was awarded the Everett Morris Memorial Trophy for College Sailor of the Year. Full report.

FINAL OVERALL RESULTS
1. Yale University, 186
2. U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 255
3. Boston College, 265
4. College of Charleston, 299
5. Georgetown University, 314
6. St. Mary’s College of Maryland, 319
7. Roger Williams University, 324
8. U.S. Naval Academy, 325
9. Tufts University, 339
10. Old Dominion University, 340
11. Stanford University, 344
12. USMMA Kings Point, 355
13. Brown University, 387
14. Fordham University, 392
15. Harvard University, 415
16. Bowdoin College, 426
17. SUNY Maritime, 430
18. University of Wisconsin, 442

Nationals details – Finals Results

First place: Yale University

Second place: U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Third place: Boston College, 265

A Division winner: Graham Landy ’15 with Katherine Gaumond ’15 and Charlotte Belling ’16 for Yale

B Division winner: Ian Barrows ’17 with Meredith Megarry ’17 and Clara Robertson ‘17 for Yale

Source: ICSA media

Background: The Intercollegiate Sailing Association’s three national championships, Sperry Women’s National Semi-Final and Final Championship, LaserPerformance Team Race National Championship, and the Gill Coed Dinghy National Semi-Final and Final Championship will be held May 25-June 4, with schools racing Z420s and Club FJs out of Sail Newport Waterfront Center at Fort Adams on the waters of Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay in Newport, RI. The events are hosted by Brown University, Salve Regina University and the New York Yacht Club.