St. George’s School Wins Team Racing Nationals

High School Sailing (Interscholastic Sailing Association – ISSA) concluded the spring Championship season with the Team Racing Championship, held May 28-29 in Anacortes, WA. Twelve schools that advanced from seven district qualifiers competed in Club Flying Juniors for the Baker Trophy.

Saturday, May 28:
Day one of the ISSA Team Racing National Championships got under way in Anacortes, WA with sailors arriving to a very strong south wind. Wind was steady around 16-18 knts with gusts to 24. Racing was postponed on shore while the RC waited for the wind to subside. In the early afternoon wind reduced down to a more manageable 13-15, gusts to 18. 6 races were sailed before the wind increased again and sailors were again sent to shore to wait. Eventually the wind backed down again in the late afternoon to around 15, gusts to 20. Racing continued until 7:30 pm. 32 races were completed of the 66 schedule in the Qualifying Round.

Sunday, May 29:
Day 2 tested sailors with opposite conditions from Saturday, light wind and flat water. The regatta organizers moved the first race of the day to 8:30am (which proved to be a smart decision). Sailors arrived to a light breeze around 4-5 knts from the south west. Racing got underway promptly in cloudy rainy conditions. Throughout the day the wind went up and down and slowly shifted east as the clouds broke and the sun came out. Races were sailed in 3-8 knts. 66 races were completed around 2pm just before the wind shut off. The race committee then attempted to break the necessary ties prior to starting the gold, silver, and bronze rounds. The wind did not cooperate for the final 2 hours of racing and at 3:30pm the regatta was ended.

Winning the 2016 Team Racing Nationals Championship title with an undefeated record was St. George’s School (Middletown, RI) with skippers Collin Alexander, Matt Logue, and Will Logue and crews Ellie Williams, Taylor Kirkpatrick, Truckie Greenhouse, Ben White, Oliver Parsons, and Gray Benson.

Event details – Scoreboard

2016 COMPETITORS
Northwest (1): Sehome High School (Bellingham, WA)
Pacific Coast (2): Point Loma HS (San Diego, CA); Newport Harbor HS (Newport Beach, CA)
New England (2): St. George’s School (Middletown, RI); Tabor Academy (Marion, MA)
Mid Atlantic (2): Christchurch School (Christchurch, VA); Severn School (Severna Park, MD)
South Atlantic (2): Antilles School (St Thomas, ISV); St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Midwest (2): Lake Forest High School (Lake Forest, IL); Minnetonka High School (Minnetonka, MN)
Southeast (1): Clear Falls High School (League City, TX)