LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- This past weekend The Maine Maritime Sailing Team traveled to California for the 13^th annual Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup at the Los Angeles Yacht Club.  The team earned 3^rd place overall in an event considered to be the best of the best in Collegiate Offshore racing.  In fact, the Mariners bested several rivals including Navy, Coast Guard, and California Maritime.  The team did so with a determined performance from start to finish, not once allowing a boat past them all weekend.  The Catalina 37 with the Maine flag repeatedly climbed out of holes following rough starts and outperformed the competition downwind with superb spinnaker work.

The Mariners Harbor Cup team was comprised of:
Nalu Ho (Lahaina, Hawaii)  '24  - Skipper
Henri Richardsson (Cohasset, Mass.)  '25  - Main Trimmer/Tactician
Pierson Deloe (Pittsford, N.Y.)  25' -  Jib/Spinnaker Trimmer
Henry Currier (Boothbay Harbor, Maine) '26  - Primary Trimmer (Day 1 and Day 3)
Ella Beauregard (Southport Island, Maine)  '25 – Rover/Navigation
Courtney King (Camden, Maine)  '24  - Pit
Fox Fernald (Portland, Maine)  '26 – Mast
Kyle Carse (Clinton, Conn.) '25 – Foredeck
Ellis Braga (Stockton Springs, Maine) '26  - Primary trimmer (Day 2)
Coach – Patrick DiLalla

How it Happened:
The first day of racing off of Point Fermin was marked by a steady, cold, wind driven rain, that made the Mariners feel right at home.  The team pulled the trigger a hair early on the first start and had to circle back and start in last.  They disappeared upwind in the heavy rain, and when the spinnakers appeared out of the gray mist they were already in 7^th place.  One more time around and they had worked themselves into 5^th place, which changed to a 4^th when College of Charleston was penalized for an early start.  In the second race the wind went left in a mild but dense rain squall, and MMA fouled Navy at the first weather mark while tacking in the circle.   They completed two penalty turns and proceeded to chase down Navy and beat them by 2 boat lengths.   At this point all of the competitors were soaked through, and the sea state had several race committee members hanging unceremoniously over the taffrail. 
On the second day the rain had lightened up to a very heavy fog, the wind had died out, and the Pacific Ocean was a washbowl of leftover swells from all directions.  The 10 Catalina 37's bobbed and rolled around for 3 hours as racing was postponed.  The sun finally broke through the moisture after several attempts, and the course was moved inside the breakwater in search of wind.   Here the story turned in favor of the Mariners team, as they sailed 2 nearly perfect races to surge into first place overall.  In the first race they sailed from a 5^th place start to a 2^nd place finish using a handbearing compass to shoot an accurate layline from a quarter mile away as the leaders overstood.  In the second race they nailed their start and were 3^rd in a group well in front.  Rounding the final weather mark, the Mariners team executed a perfect spinnaker set and promptly pulled into second place. Then within 10 boat lengths of the finish in lock step with College of Charleston, the Mariners had their best gybe of the day, left the Cougars in their wake, and triggered the blast from the RC shotgun as they crossed the line in first. 
The third day of racing finally brought something resembling typical weather for the area.  Long Pacific swell set the stage for what looked to be a showdown between Hawaii and Maine Maritime.  The sea breeze filled in in the late morning and the race committee set to work getting as many races in as possible before 2:30. The Mariners stuck with their formula of hunting from behind and turned an 8^th place start into a 4^th in a first race veiled completely with fog, and after an over early in the second race, emerged out of the fog in 5^th.   At this point MMA was in first place by 2 points.   Then in the penultimate race, the Hawaii Rainbows sailed an absolute beauty from start to finish, while the Mariners scratched their way to another solid 4^th.   At the start of the final race the Rainbows were in front by 1 point.   The "Bows" took the boat end, and the Mariners took the pin. . . and the boat end was better.  Hawaii rolled out into the middle/front of the fleet with there eyes on MMA below.   While overcoming this degree of coverage would have been very unlikely, a piece of kelp fouled MMA's rudder and their fate was sealed.   A close second to Hawaii was how it was to be. 
But wait. . . Navy has found a technical error by the race committee and is asking for redress in race 6!  After much deliberation by a very diligent Protest Committee, redress was granted and the scores were shaken up and MMA fell to 3^rd place, with the Rams of the University of Rhode Island butting into 2^nd place.   The Rams notched 2 second places on the final day and were sailing very fast, along with Navy and College of Charleston.   For those who care, the redress was regarding an ICSA rule requiring an automatic "I" flag after a general recall, regardless of whether there is an actual "I" flag displayed.  A rule intended mostly for dinghy sailing, but in force for the Harbor Cup.  

"We'll be back"     -Coach Patrick DiLalla

Click HERE to view the results.