ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy offshore sailing team continued a successful summer racing season this past weekend with Poseidon, skippered by senior Nico Martinez, taking second place in division and sixth overall against 44 boats in the 49th Annual Around Long Island Race, hosted by the Sea Cliff Yacht Club.
 
Starting in New York Harbor while fighting light winds and an incoming tide, teams quickly worked their way in close to Governor's Island and the Brooklyn shoreline minimizing the impact of the current, clearing The Narrows and Verrazano Bridge. Off the south shore of Long Island, Poseidon focused on keeping its speed up, requiring multiple sail changes.
 
With a dying seabreeze mid-way down the length of Long Island, Martinez and crew made the tactical decision to hug the shore. Their decision paid off, with Poseidon finding themselves at the front of the fleet with speed. A quick spinnaker run between Montauk Point to Plum Gut allowed them to take advantage of a favorable current into Long Island Sound, furthering their lead on the main pack of boats.
 
The second night out was about finding the best breeze and keeping the boat moving forward until an early morning northeasterly carried Poseidon to the western Long Island Sound and the finish line in Hempstead Harbor, concluding the 207-mile race. Martinez was able to close within 0.1 nautical mile of Zammermoos in the late evening of the second night, but Zammermoos found a breeze-line and pulled away for the divisional win.
 
Racing with Martinez were senior Dylan Pace, juniors Dathyn Paxton and Arik Quackenbush, as well as sophomores Henry Bushey, Ella Sipe, Octavian Ashford and Sofia Parker.
 
The crew of Poseidon now returns to the Chesapeake to compete in the Governor's Cup, an overnight race from Annapolis to St Mary's City, MD, to conclude the offshore team's summer racing calendar.