ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy offshore sailing team used a strong start Sunday to maintain third place at this weekend's Shields Trophy Regatta in Annapolis, Md.
 
Saturday saw the 10-team field take to the water in the fleet of Navy 44s, as conditions were ideal on the bay and allowed for four races to be completed, with Navy finishing the opening day third overall behind Cal Maritime and Rhode Island.
 
With three more races on Sunday, Navy started the final day strong by posting a win in the first race while Cal Maritime and Rhode Island stumbled for sixth- and ninth-place finishes.
 
However, the tables turned back in the second race with Cal Maritime regaining its dominant form while Navy fell back. For the final race, with Cal Maritime already securing the win, Navy, Rhode Island and the Coast Guard Academy battled it out for the remaining podium slots. Rhode Island dominated the last race from start to finish to take the win while Navy could only manage fourth place, which left Navy and Rhode Island tied with the Rams taking second overall on a tiebreaker.
 
With Navy taking third, the rest of the field saw Coast Guard take fourth and Maine Maritime take fifth, Merchant Marine and Massachusetts Maritime finish sixth and seventh, College of Charleston place eighth, SUNY Maritime end in ninth and Syracuse round out the field in 10th.
 
The Navy crew, led by senior skipper Javier Jimenez Kane, included seniors Kobe Nguyen, Henry Isom and Kit Oney and juniors Nick Gibbons, Elliott Brandicourt, Chris Cordner and Nate Broomfield.
 
Next up for Navy is the Storm Trysail Club Invitational Regatta in Larchmont, N.Y., and the Annapolis Yacht Club's Fall Series, with both events set for Oct. 7-8.