Slow start for College Coed Nationals

Norfolk, VA (May 29, 2018) – Today was the first day of the Gill College Sailing Coed National Championship Semifinals, hosted by Old Dominion University. The top 36 college sailing teams in the nation are vying for 18 spots in the championship finals, which will begin on Thursday, May 31.

The semifinals are divided into two fleets, an Eastern and Western, each with 18 teams. The top nine teams from each fleet will advance to the finals on Thursday. The sailors are racing on windward leeward courses with four legs in FJs and Z420s. Today the Eastern fleet sailed FJs and the Western fleet sailed Z420s. The plan is for the fleets to switch boats tomorrow.

The day began with a delay due to rain and no wind, but racing got underway around 11 a.m. in very light winds from the southwest. One race was completed in the Eastern and Western A-division and there was another delay when the wind shifted to the north and a second race was started just before noon. Temperatures were in the high 70s and humid under cloudy skies.

The wind continued to be on and off all day as did the rain. In times when there was enough wind to race, it remained pretty light around 5 knots. The race committee was able to complete four races in both fleets. Racing finished up around 5 p.m.

There are 14 more races to go in the Semifinal rounds tomorrow to determine the top nine places in each fleet. Those top 18 teams will advance to the Finals.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges is leading the Eastern fleet with 26 points and College of Charleston is in second with 35 points. Right behind Charleston is Roger Williams University in third place with 37 points closely followed by the rest of the fleet.

“It was tough and trying conditions today,” says Scott Ikle, head coach for Hobart and William Smith Colleges. “When everyone came ashore for the breaks we tried to keep it light and not talk about the racing. I think we sailed conservatively today, which is hard to do because it’s easy to take chances on a day like today.

“The game plan is to just make it through [the Semifinals] and get to the next round – the next round is the one that counts.”

Sailing for Hobart and William Smith Colleges is: Greiner Hobbs ’18 with Lindsey Kloc ’19 in A-division and Hector Guzman ’20 with Maya Weber ’20 in B-division.

On top of the Western fleet is Dartmouth College who has 33 points followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology with 36 points in second and Boston College is sitting in third place with 40 points.

“The funny thing is that we sail in these conditions a lot on Lake Mascoma [at Dartmouth],” says Justin Assad, head coach for Dartmouth College, “but we are used to some more shiftiness in New England. Today we executed our starts well and stuck to our game plan and stayed away from risks. We try and look at the big picture and analyze where our threats are.

“Tonight the sailors will lay low, they are still in school studying, so will stay calm and we are looking forward to racing tomorrow.”

Sailing for Dartmouth is: Christopher Williford ’19 with Rebecca McElvain ’19 in A-division and Duncan Williford ’18 with Paige Clarke ’20 in B-division.

There are a lot of races to get through tomorrow. The first warning for racing is at 10 a.m. tomorrow. No race can start after 5 p.m.

Top Nine Eastern Semifinals (4 races):
1. Hobart and William Smith Colleges, 26
2. College of Charleston, 35
3. Roger Williams University, 37
4. Old Dominion University, 37
5. Yale University, 37
6. George Washington University, 38
7. U.S. Naval Academy, 40
8. U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 67
9. Boston University, 78

Top Nine Western Semifinal (4 races):
1. Dartmouth College, 33
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 36
3. Boston College, 40
4. University of South Florida, 45
5. Georgetown University, 48
6. St. Mary’s College of Maryland, 53
7. Stanford University, 56
8. University of Rhode Island, 64
9. Fordham University, 74

Event details – Eastern Semifinals – Western Semifinals – Facebook

Follow the events live via the regatta app from US Sailing.

Background: The ICSA is the governing authority for sailing competition at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in some parts of Canada. There are seven Conferences that schedule and administer regattas within their established geographic regions, with ICSA hosting two national championships in the fall (singlehanded, match racing) and three national championships in the spring (team, women’s, coed). collegesailing.org

2018 Spring Nationals – Norfolk, VA
5/22-25 – Women’s National Championship
5/26-28 – Team Race National Championship
5/29-6/1 – Coed National Championship

Source: Jennifer Mitchell |Toile à Voile for ICSA