ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After an unusually cold February and early March in Annapolis, the waters thawed just in time for Navy's first home event this spring, the Navy Spring Women's Regatta.

This is also the first major women's regatta on the spring schedule and Navy's top-ranked women's team was anxious to defend its home turf. Twenty of the best women's sailing teams from around the country were in attendance and glad to see that all of the ice was gone by the report time on Saturday.

Unfortunately, the wind didn't cooperate as well and the fleet was forced into some lengthy postponements waiting for the wind to fill. The field did manage to get five races in per division before the wind died completely and the sailors were treated to a terrific barbecue hosted by the volunteers from the Naval Academy Sailing Squadron's Social Committee.

On Sunday, the fleet faced the opposite problem, as the wind was too strong all day for any races to be completed. Navy's team started off strong, but had a few mistakes that proved extremely costly since there were so few races overall. The team finished fifth for the event, with Mary Hall and Emma Ferris coming in sixth in A division while Hannah Hughes and Alex Asuncion were ninth in B. Molly Robertson and Jillian Foley were on hand and ready to help make a Sunday charge if racing would have happened.

Navy's other event of the weekend was the John Jackson Team Race at Georgetown University. The eight teams in attendance got most of the way through two round robins on Saturday in light and shifty conditions. Navy struggled in round one before pulling together in round two to end with an 8-6 record for the event. Gusty winds on Sunday prevented the completion of further rounds and the Midshipmen wound up third overall. Navy's skippers were Michael Popp, Patrick Snow, Michael Madigan, and Gary Prieto. Megan Hough, Michelle Katz and Brittany Webb-Martin served as crew.

The team is using its Spring Break to train in Charleston, S.C. before hosting the Graham Hall Team Race next weekend.