Six Michigan sailors made the 12 hour drive out to Tufts to compete in the 32nd Professor Stedman Hood Trophy Regatta last weekend. Alex Ramos, Tom Etheridge, Emily Gazall, Meredith Wiles, Lane Tobin, and Mason Wolters arrived early Saturday morning at the Engstrom’s house in beautiful Marblehead, MA. After dealing with some van issues upon arriving, the team crashed in the basement and got a full four hours of sleep before leaving for racing the next morning.
The forecast for wind Saturday was dismal, and the reality was even worse. After trying to get a race off in little to no wind, the lake turned to glass and remained that way for the rest of the day. With no races finished, the team was sent home around 2. The team returned to the Engstrom’s home to watch the football team lose and get some homework done. Mr. and Mrs. Engstrom made an awesome meal for us Saturday night and then even took us out for ice cream!
The team awoke Sunday morning to an awesome breakfast once again and took off for the boat house. There was slightly more wind Saturday, with 4 races being completed in each division. The team battled light and extremely shifty winds, which made for a frustrating day, and ended up 13th out of 21 very competitive teams.
Huge thanks to the Engstrom family for their amazing hospitality!
-Mason Wolters, ’18
