As the team discussed back in early September, the fall sailing season for NEISA schools is a marathon; ten weeks of sailing, multiple practices each week, and countless hours of travel time (actually about 120). Even though we enjoy the excitement throughout the fall season and hate to see the boats getting packed away for the season, we are able to finally relax after the last boat is pulled from the lake.
This past weekend, Vick Xu, Robbie Kelly, Nate Wiener, and Emmet Byron traveled to Boston to compete in two of NEISA’s best regattas, the Professor NoRinger hosted by BU and the Crews regatta hosted by Northeastern. Though we continue to debate if it is Professor “Noringer” or No-Ringer (as in, do not send your ringer), we were once again treated to some of Boston’s trickiest sailing in BU’s basin on the Charles River.
From Vick Xu (2019)
Saturday, November 5, Prof. NoRinger: Morning started out still. Wind did not build up until well around 11:00 a.m.. After that, it featured westerlies with a constant 5 knots and 10 knots of gust throughout the rest of the regatta. Nathaniel Wiener (Skipper) and Emmet Byron (Crew) demonstrated good seamanship and resilience representing Middlebury in Division A, capturing a 3 and a 6 out of the six races. Vick Xu (Skipper) and Robbie Kelly (Crew) raced together for the first time in Division B. It was Robbie’s first regatta and the two demonstrated substantial improvements over the races, ending the regatta with a 6, a 7, and 8 scoring (http://scores.collegesailing.org/f16/noringer/B/). Before the regatta ended, Midd sailors were greeted by former MCSC alum Alex Saunders ’15, who was on a run alongside the river.
Sunday, November 6, Crew’s Regatta: Due to various circumstances, Middlebury sent only one team. Robbie took the helm for the first time aboard the challenging (some say obnoxious) MIT technical dinghy, and was crewed by Vick. The regatta started out with a fight between northerlies and easterlies, whose victories after the second race brought not only gusts of 10+ knots but also rain. Robbie and Vick were able to ride the puffs, ending the regatta with a good ranking of 8/13 amid schools with great sailing programs.
A trip to Boston is not really a trip without a visit to the Shack. Shake Shack burgers and shakes have been great physical and moral supports for the sailors for long. Scores here
In Newport, Jade Forsberg, Alex Baskin, Erich Wu, Casey Astiz, and Ben Brown competed in the 5th annual Sister Esther Open. Despite typical November conditions, sailing in Brenton Cove out of Fort Adams is always an enjoyable weekend of sailing. For some teams, this regatta is a great way to wrap up the season with some strong results in a fun sailing venue. For other teams, this regatta is an ideal way to stay fresh and get some practice in for the teams planning to compete at the ACC/ACT the following weekend.
Saturday’s conditions were a mix of light air with a growing Northwesterly, all while fighting harbor chop and current. From shore, it was apparent that the current would play an increasingly important role in the day’s races. Ben Brown and Casey Astiz started Saturday in A-division with Jade and Erich in B-division. Given the conditions, it was nearly impossible to recover from any mistakes in the beginning of the race. In the afternoon, Alex Baskin filled in for Ben Brown to skipper the last set of the day. The day ended after six races were sailed.
Sunday’s conditions were quite different than Saturday’s. With an increasing northerly going against the tidal current, the race course consisted of four foot chop and scary whitecaps. Races were postponed until the wind and waves subsided, or until the local Opti sailors decided it was safe to sail. By the time racing resume, two races were sailed in both A and B division.
BB’18 ready to fly away
Yes it was that breezy
Ben Brown skippered while Alex Baskin crewed, sailing their best race of the regatta despite the difficult conditions. When the waves cleared and the wind subsided, the Panthers finished the regatta in 16th overall.
Full scores can be found here. Congrats to Harvard for a dominant win and thank you to Salve/John Ingalls and Stephen for a well run regatta.
Thanks again to Mrs Baskin for the snacks and the photos! The team will be finishing up all boat repairs and storage this week. Next week we will pull the docks for the season and officially wrap up the season. Thanks again to EVERYONE who has supported our team this year. We are ready for the snow to start falling but will start planning for the spring season in a few weeks.