Challenging Conditions and Close Competition Marked a Thrilling Weekend of Racing

After two days of close competition in a tight fleet Ava Anderson, ‘27 of Tulane University and Nicholas Reeser ‘25 from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy are the 2023  Women’s and Open Singlehanded National Champions.

Athletes in both regattas were greeted Saturday on Lake Pontchartrain with overcast skies, 6-9 knots of breeze from the Northeast and a steady chop that had built overnight. The skill levels of the Women’s and Open fleets were readily apparent to coaches and spectators in the close results. 

*** O'Keefe, Braun, Costikyan and Spriggs are the NEISA Open Sailors of the Week ***

10 college sailing teams from across the country arrived Friday to Charleston, SC for the 2023 College Sailing Match Race National Championship. The Brown University Bears sailed strongly throughout the entire weekend to take home the Cornelius Shields Sr. Trophy! 

Excellent conditions for match racing on Friday allowed for the entire first stage’s Round Robin to be completed. Conditions were 6-12 knots out of the North Northeast. The defending Champions, Yale University, were perfect after day one with a record of 9-0 trying to become the first team in the history of the event to win three years in a row. The top six teams earned a berth in the Gold Round Robin to determine seeding while the bottom four teams moved to the Repechage to fight for the last two berths in the Quarterfinals.

As the fall regular season winds down, teams across the country are gearing up for the College Sailing Match Race National Championship and the Open and Women’s Singlehanded National Championships. 

College Sailing is returning to Lake Pontchartrain. Tulane University is hosting the 2023 College Sailing Singlehanded National Championships for the Glen S. Foster Trophy (open) and the Janet Lutz Trophy (women’s). Racing starts on Saturday, November 11 and continues Sunday, November 12.