ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy intercollegiate sailing team kicked off the month of October with three big events in three different locations on Saturday and Sunday.
 
At home in Annapolis, the top 18 single-handed sailors in the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association were on hand for the Carl Van Duane MAISA Men's Singlehanded Championship. Navy had one sailor competing, as Gavin McJones started out strong by opening the event with five-straight top-5 finishes. Unfortunately, McJones could not keep up the consistency throughout the event, finishing fifth overall in a very deep fleet. 
 
"The conditions were certainly challenging, with 10-25 knots from the northeast all weekend with intermittent rain and substantial puffs and shifts," said head coach Ian Burman. "While the at-large berths for the ICSA's won't be announced until a later date, fifth in a deep MAISA field has Gavin and I feeling good about his chances to advance to a fourth-straight ICSA Men's Singlehanded Championship."
 
The Atlantic Coast Championship series also kicked off this weekend with the first round of women's competitions in Boston, Mass. 36 teams were split into two 18-team semifinal events, with Navy slated to compete at Harvard. Shifty winds on the Charles River made it challenging to stay consistent and all teams had a hard time keeping up with the conditions. The Midshipmen had their ups and downs but remained in the top half of the standing throughout the event, as Navy finished seventh overall and qualified for the Atlantic Coast Women's Championship in two weeks at SUNY Maritime. Sophomores Evie Blauvelt and Maggie Schuler and junior Julia Christie finished seventh in the "A" division while junior Aubin Hattendorf and senior Elizabeth Linsdell were 10th in the "B" division.
 
Navy also competed in the Danmark Trophy, held at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., The first major inter-conference regatta of the fall and a consistently challenging event, Navy stayed attached to the top of the field throughout the weekend. The Midshipmen would end up seventh overall with junior Trenton Shaw, freshman Ellie Alex and senior Jonah Hatt finishing ninth in the "A" division while freshman Nathan Smith, junior Madeline Smith and senior Colin MacGillivray were took second in the "B" division.
 
The Mids return to the water this weekend with the Tom Curtis Regatta (Oct. 8-9), held by Georgetown in Alexandria, Va., and the first round of the Co-Ed Atlantic Coast Championship (Oct. 8-9), taking place at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y.