CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Navy offshore sailing team opened its spring schedule with a fourth-place finish at the 2026 Southern Collegiate Offshore Regatta on Saturday and Sunday in Charleston, S.C.
 
The Midshipmen headed down south with little to no time of practice on the water this spring, as the Santee Basin being frozen solid forced the crew to focus on shoreside study in preparation of the regatta.
 
The opening day of the regatta featured a full day of racing, with five races completed in the Sportboat classes. The Charleston harbor delivered excellent racing conditions with a steady 6-10 knot easterly breeze, as a strong ebb tide dominated the race course during the first two races of the day before shifting to a moderate flood during the third race, rewarding teams that adjusted quickly to the changing current.
 
With heavy winds and thunderstorms forecast for Sunday afternoon, the second race-day featured one epic distance race sailed in an SSE 10-15 knots with a very strong ebb tide.
 
Aboard the Melges 32 FEARLESS, junior skipper Aden Newman led a crew of juniors Logan Hayes, Lois Herring and Isaac Katz along with sophomores Mitchell Krueger, Brendan Hawko, Maggie Gordineer and Lawton Harper to a fourth-place finish at the conclusion of Sunday, five points behind third-place Rhode Island.
 
Navy is back in action March 6-8 at Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup.