2021 Great Oaks Invitational

The 2021 Allstate Sugar Bowl Great Oaks Invitational returned to its pre-COVID glory November 20-21 when Southern Yacht Club (New Orleans, LA) hosted 28 high school teams including 11 schools who were attending the regatta for the first time. The Great Oaks Invitational is for high schools that have not qualified for the Interscholastic Sailing Association doublehanded or team racing championships in the past four years.

With racing in C420s, doublehanded teams representing 14 states from Maine to Florida to Texas traveled for a taste of a national level regatta.

At the end of qualifying on day one, Fairfield Ludlowe High School and Cape Cod Academy were first in Red Division and Green Division respectively. On day two, the top seven teams from each fleet moved on to Gold Division and the others moved to Silver.

After eight races in the championship round, Clear Lake (TX) High School was first place, Fairfield (CT) Ludlowe was second, and Guilford (CT) High School was third.

Guilford High School was also awarded this year’s Babs and Larry White Top First Time School trophy. This prize embodies the original purpose of the Great Oaks regatta to help new and smaller high school sailing teams grow. This team truly represented the spirit of the award as Guilford’s 2-person team was officially formed just eight weeks ago.

Support from Allstate Sugar Bowl and Southern Sailing Foundation at New Orleans made it possible for Great Oaks to offer sailors a special New Orleans experience including goodies like Café du Monde beignets and seafood gumbo after racing.

Gold/Championship Fleet (click here)
1. Clear Lake High School, Clear Lake, Texas, SEISA
2. Fairfield Ludlowe High School, Fairfield, CT, NESSA
3. Guilford High School, Guilford, CT, NESSA
4. Isidore Newman School, New Orleans, LA, SEISA
5. Brother Rice/Marian High School, Chicago, IL, MISSA
6. Mount Carmel Academy, New Orleans, LA, SEISA
7. Palmer Trinity School, Miami, FL, SAISA
8. Portland High School, Portland, Maine, NESSA
9. Jesuit High School, New Orleans, LA, SEISA
10. John T. Hoggard High School, Wilmington, North Carolina, SAISA
11. Fairhope High School, Fairhope, AL, SEISA
12. Cape Cod Academy, Barnstable, Massachusetts, NESSA
13. John Paul II (SC), Okatie, South Carolina, SAISA
14. Holland Christian High School, Holland, Michigan, MISSA

Silver Fleet (click here)
1. St. Michael Catholic High School, Fairhope, AL, SEISA
2. Academy of Notre Dame de Namur, Radnor, Pennsylvania, MASSA
3. Evanston Township High School, Evanston, Illinois, MISSA
4. St. Paul Academy (MN), Saint Paul, Minnesota, MISSA
5. Harbor Springs High School, Harbor Springs, MI, MISSA
6. Epiphany School of Global Studies, New Bern, NC, SAISA
7. Ben Franklin High School, New Orleans, LA, SEISA
8. Loyola Academy, Wilmette, Illinois, MISSA
9. Bayshore Christian School, Mobile, AL, SEISA
10. St. Stanislaus, Bay St. Louis, MS, SEISA
11. Ursuline Academy, New Orleans, LA, SEISA
12. Choctawhatchee High School, Fort Walton Beach, FL, SEISA
13. UMS-Wright School, Mobile, Alabama, SEISA
14. Ft. Walton Beach High School, Ft. Walton, FL, SEISA