ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy competed in three events this past weekend and highlighted the busy weekend with a second-place finish at the George Washington Team Race. Navy also finished fifth at the Tom Noble Team Race and seventh at the Bob Bavier Team Race.
The Midshipmen opened their spring conference season with the first MAISA team race league event at the George Washington Team Race. Conditions throughout the weekend proved to be very challenging for the six-team field. On Saturday, high winds and cold temperatures forced action out the Potomac River and into a protected lagoon near the Washington Sailing Marina. Tight quarters and shallow waters meant sharing a fleet with another regatta and not many races were completed. The sheltered location also created volatile conditions with major wind shifts and pressure differences.
With warmer temperatures and lighter winds on Sunday, the racing at the George Washington Team Race got back on track. In the end, three full round robins were completed. Navy lost one race in round one and two in the second round before sweeping the final round to finish at 12-3 and second overall.
"Our team of
Parker Loftus,
Connor Bayless,
JC Hermus,
Emma Remis,
Kimmie Leonard,
Sally Johnson,
Jonah Hatt and
Colin MacGillivray showed the speed and skill that could produce great things this season but also showed that they will need to tighten things up between now and the championships later this spring," head coach
Ian Burman said.
The Midshipmen also had a team make the trip down to Charleston, S.C. for the Bob Bavier Team Race. In a great event, 10 of the best teams in the country competed in spectacular conditions. Saturday was a bit chilly for Charleston standards with temperatures in the 50s and northwest winds at 12-22 knots. Navy had a rough start to the event but settled in and found its speed to close the first day strong and sat in the middle of the pack overnight. Sunday featured a much lighter wind and strong currents. The Midshipmen showed the ability to sail with all of the teams in attendance but too many unforced errors left the team at 7-14 and seventh overall.
Nicholas Gartner,
Gray Benson,
Gavin McJones,
Sean Linden,
Carlyn Blauvelt and
Elizabeth Linsdell represented Navy well and gained valuable experience to pull from as the season progresses.
To cap off a busy weekend, the Midshipmen also took part in the Tom Noble Team Race at Washington College. The conditions were so good on the first day of the event that all three rounds were completed on Saturday to wrap up the competition in one day. The highlight of Navy's team of
Olivia de Olazarra,
Louis Margay,
Caden Scheiblauer,
Anna Cutler,
Fiona Lobon and
Jack Carminati was the second round were the Midshipmen scored a strong 4-1 record. However, rounds one and three, unfortunately, did not go as well and the team ended up fifth overall with a 6-9 record.
Navy is back in action this weekend as it hosts the Navy Spring Women's Regatta and also travels to the St. Mary's Team Race on Saturday and Sunday.
