Six months after the Worst Winter Ever and the resulting perpetually
frozen lake caused the University of Michigan Sailing Team to postpone their Big
10 Team Race regatta, six MCSA teams came to Ann Arbor to compete for the top spot.
In an uncharacteristic display of charity, Michigan Weather
decided to provide us with exceptional fall weather and wind Saturday and
Sunday. The University of Michigan, the
University of Wisconsin, Northwestern University, Marquette University, the
University of Notre Dame, and the Ohio State University sailed all day under
blue skies and with a blowing breeze.
Michigan ended the day undefeated in first, and everyone returned back
to campus for a night of relaxation and warm showers.
Even though there was a decrease in temperature and wind
speed on Sunday, the level of competition was still incredibly high, with the
day ending in a sail-off between the University of Michigan and the University
of Wisconsin. Michigan won the final
race, but subsequently lost off the water when a protest brought to the judges
went in the favor of Wisconsin, who clenched the top spot for the weekend.
It seemed, however, that everyone drove away Sunday
afternoon feeling victorious. UofM isn’t going to name names, but we overheard
members of another team claiming they haven’t had as much fun at a regatta as
they did at Big Ten since they were freshman. It’s hard to stay upset for long about your
performance on the water when you put your accomplishments into perspective;
how many college students can say they got to spend the weekend soaking up the
sun while simultaneously getting an abdominal workout?
It’s weekends like these that remind Midwestern sailors why
they continue sailing long after the weather has taken a turn for the worse,
and start their seasons long before the ice has completely melted off the lake.
Check out this link for some incredible Drone and Go Pro footage of the regatta, put together by our own Zach Frankel.
