CASTINE, Maine — In a weekend of competition on home waters, Maine Maritime Academy's sailing program showcased its depth, with a freshman-heavy dinghy squad excelling at the Penobscot Bay Open while an upper-class crew of keelboat sailors had a strong showing at the Harman Cup.
The Penobscot Bay Open gave the Maine Maritime dinghy team the chance to test the depth of its roster, with a freshman-heavy lineup stepping up to deliver a strong fourth-place finish.
The freshmen team of Toby Clarkson and Hannah Hills kicked off the first regatta of the season with a bullet in race one. Freshmen helm Finn Deprez and junior crew
George White clinched their own win in race seven of the series. Alistair Knoblauch, freshman, along with sophomore crew Gregg O'Rourke and junior crew
Taber Allen posted an impressively consistent top five scoreline that contributed to the team's upward momentum throughout the day.
Calm conditions on the second day kept the sailors onshore in both regattas.
The Harman Cup fleet completed four races in East Penobscot Bay. The wind was in the high teens, gusting in the low twenties and the fleet of Colgate 26s were fully powered up even with a single reef in the mains—spinnakers were not allowed due to the gusty conditions.
Competition was tight on the first day as Maine Maritime's team of
Isaac Thompson,
Sarah Shank,
Jonah Beasley, and Drake Ried vied with sailors from Harvard, Vermont and Bowdoin for a qualifying spot in the top three. Harvard and Vermont rose to the top with the right combination of speed, tactics, and strategy, and finished the event tied with nine points. Bowdoin, with 13 points, claimed the third and final berth for NEISA Match Race Championships with a consistent performance while the Mariners finished just four points behind narrowly missing the podium.
The Mariners keelboat team will race again next weekend at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland for the Shields Trophy while the dinghy team splits up to compete at the Hatch Brown Trophy at MIT, and the Barnett Trophy at Bowdoin.
