Olivia would have liked this event

The 2022 Olivia Constants Team Race was hosted by the Severn Sailing Association on July 16-17 in Annapolis, MD. Eighty sailors welcomed classic summer conditions of a southerly breeze fluctuating between 5 and 10 knots with steady chop.

The Olivia Constants Team Race was created as a memorial regatta for Olivia Constants following a tragic sailing accident in 2011. Per the Olivia Constants Foundation, Olivia’s Team Race represents the way Olivia would have liked to have a sailing event – lots of fun and some racing in-between

The unique format of the regatta has the first day as 2 v 2 team racing with random pairs assigned. For every race, each skipper/crew duo raced with a new teammate and against two new teams. After 50 races, no team raced with or against any other team more than once, maximizing the opportunity for each competitor to meet as many new sailors as possible–think of it as “sailing speed dating”!

For the second day of racing, 3 v 3 teams were formed based on the records from the previous day. As an example, the teams in 1st, 26th, and 40th from the previous day were formed into a team for 3 v 3 racing, as were the teams in 8th, 19th, and 33rd.

The goal of this format is two-fold: first, it keeps the teams as even as possible and second, it lets beginner team racers sail alongside experienced sailors, building confidence and community. Several rounds of 3 v 3 team racing occurred in light, but consistent conditions followed by a quarterfinals, semifinals, and final round of team racing.

This year’s Olivia Constants Team Race brought out participants with a wide range of experience with both team racing and sailing. Current and former collegiate All-American team racers and those with 30+ years of racing experience raced alongside those brand new to both team racing and/or sailing.

The resulting atmosphere of collaboration and light-hearted competition help contribute to this one-of-a-kind event, all in keeping with Olivia’s spirit.

Results:

1st Place: Onion Buns (Jake Vickers & Mac Clifton)
Rust-eze (George Carty & Jack Powers)
Lanakila (Grace Crespin & Jake Crespin)

2nd Place: Fleet Racers (Raam Fox & Lila Gibson)
Suckerpunch Kickflip (Brad Milliken & Robert Turley)
Sundays Only (Parker Herman & Will Friedell)

3rd Place: McTip Shampoon (Brady Stagg & Lydia McPherson-Shambarger)
Feather Weights (Trevor Perkins & Cam Perkins)
The Boys are Back in Town (Griffin Richardson & Joaquin Marquez)

Additional awards were given to the following teams:

Best Team Name: Daddy Daughter Dance (Andrew Cole & Flora Cole)
Youngest Combined Age: BootJuice (Marco Welch & Anabel Chambers)
Oldest Combined Age: NADS (Pam Corwin & Paul LaBossiere)

Source: Brad Milliken