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| Naval Academy Sailing Pavilion |
Ten schools sailed on the Naval
Academy’s fleet of Navy 44 keelboats, 30,000lb, 44 foot monsters with
symmetrical spinnakers and the infamous deck layout designed to make life
difficult for midshipmen. The “winch farm” by the mast is a prime example,
which gave Kirsten plenty of things to worry about on each maneuver. In short,
the boats were about as far from typical college dinghies as can be.
The team took two vans to Annapolis
on Thursday, with one group leaving much earlier than the other. After an easy
9 hour trip, everyone made it to the Ramos’s house by 1:30am. Dave and Karen
Ramos again graciously hosted our team, for the 3rd time in 4 weeks.
The team cannot thank them enough for their support.
Friday consisted of both a short
practice session and racing, which is atypical of college regattas. The first
race saw winds in the range of 22-26 knots, a brutal introduction to the Navy
44 for a crew that hadn’t sailed together prior to this weekend. However, a
great start by Alex propelled us up the first leg in a great spot, and we
finished 4th. The second race of the day saw breeze climb to gusts
over 30knots, with the spray coming off the top of the waves violently. Another
4th in the nautical conditions left us feeling content with our
performance Friday and looking forward to Saturday’s racing.
Saturday’s conditions were
significantly more docile than the day before. For the first time in the
regatta spinnakers were allowed, bringing into play a much larger required
skill set for the teams. We took a 4th, a 4th, and a 3rd
in the three races with breeze in the upper teens to mid-twenties. The final
race of the day was one for the ages, as we were barely over the line early,
and unluckily due to a flag raised by the race committee, were required to
round the end of the pin to start the race. Catching a nice right shift and
climbing back into the race with excellent kite work, we were back in 5th
place after two legs. The fourth and final leg was described by the Mass.
Maritime coach after the race as “the best sailing he’s seen at the event” (He
had been coming to Kennedy Cup for 7 years). Needless to say, after the poor
start, a 3rd place left us feeling very confident heading into the
last day of racing.
Tied for second place with Cal
Maritime, we went into Sunday’s racing with the ultimate goal of winning the
regatta, a possibility we hadn’t really considered before the weekend.
Typically, Michigan’s offshore team places respectfully mid-fleet, more than
impressive given we’re a club program without time to practice on the boats.
Sure enough, the first start sent us off course right, followed by one other boat.
They shortly tacked over, leaving us off by ourselves and not sure whether the
move would pay off. In true Michigan Maritime fashion, we rounded the top mark
first by a mile, setting the kite and taking off downwind with a solid lead
over the pack. However, a botched kite douse left us sitting in 8th
place going back upwind. The team fought through the setback and ended up with
a very respectable 4th place finish given the circumstances. Navy
finished 1st, setting themselves up for a regatta win with a 5 point
lead going into the last race of the weekend. However, with the last upwind leg
of the last race deciding the regatta, Navy was in the back of the pack and Cal
Maritime was nipping at our heels. The final 300 yards of the leg decided the
regatta, with Cal narrowly crossing the line in 2nd before us, in 3rd.
Navy finished 8th, opening the door for Cal Maritime to join the top
of the standings as well.
7 races were sailed in total,
leaving us with a point total of 26, along with both Navy and Cal Maritime. Cal
Maritime took the tie-breaker and won the event, with Navy winning the
tie-breaker for second. While disappointed we couldn’t close the deal and win
the event, it was an extremely strong showing for Michigan Sailing and
definitely cemented our spot in the national conversation. The win ended an
incredible fall season for the offshore team, sailing three regattas and at
least tying for first in every one of them. The team looks forward to next
year’s Kennedy Cup and the chance to represent the United States in the Student
Yachting World Cup.
-Jason Doyle '14
