ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy offshore sailing team hosted eight teams from around the country this past weekend in Annapolis for the U.S. Offshore Championship, as the Midshipmen pulled out a fifth-place finish.
 
Navy's crew got off to a slow start in Friday's racing, finishing the day in seventh after three races, but the Mids atoned in Saturday's lone completed race by taking fourth and were leading the second race when it was abandoned due to dying wind. On Sunday, three additional races were sailed in a variety of conditions to wrap up the regatta, as the Navy team started the day in a distant sixth position and looking to dig out of the deep hole.
 
Navy got out of the blocks strong in Sunday's first race by taking a close second place in the eight-boat fleet, but the crew committed an error in the second race by jumping the gun at the start to set them way back. However, Navy came back to salvage a fourth-place score by passing two boats near the approach to the finish line.  For the third and final race, the fleet was put on a distance course that ultimately finished near the Robert Crown Sailing Center in the Severn River. The Navy crew got a great start and led the entire race to take the win and move themselves up to fifth position in the final standings.
 
Navy was represented by senior skipper Javier Jimenez Kane and his crew included seniors Rick Irving, Ian Mason, Kit Oney, Henry Isom and Cam Coffelt as well as juniors Chris Cordner and Elliott Brandicourt.
 
Navy also had two crew compete in the Hospice Cup on Saturday, as the Mids' two boats competed in the J/105 class with junior Gus Reed's CONSTELLATION crew taking eighth place and fellow junior Brandon Prouse and his AVENGER crew placing 12th in the 13-boat fleet.
 
Next up for Navy is the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta on Sept. 22-24 in Chicago.