The 2019 Intercollegiate Sailing Association’s series of National Championships began today in Newport, R.I. on Newport Harbor. The Sperry College Sailing Women’s Semifinal Championship hosted by Brown University with the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association (NEISA) also supported by the University of Rhode Island. The semifinals are the precursor and qualifying event for the Sperry College Sailing Women’s National Championship Finals, which will begin Thursday, May 23 at 10 a.m.

The semifinals are divided into two fleets, an Eastern and Western semifinal, each with 18 teams from across the nation. The top nine teams from each fleet will advance to the finals on Thursday. The competitors are racing on windward-leeward courses with four legs.

Today racing was in nice sunny conditions with cool winds from the west/northwest averaging around 10-20 knots through out the day. Sailors had to navigate a short difficult chop and an outgoing tide most of the day. The Western fleet sailed in Z420s and the Eastern fleet sailed in FJs.

The Intercollegiate Sailing Association’s (ICSA) three spring national championships, Sperry College Sailing Women’s National Semifinal and Final Championships, LaserPerformance College Sailing Team Race National Championship, and the Gill College Sailing National Semifinal and Final Championships start on Tuesday, May 21. The Women’s event will last for four days immediately followed by the Team Race championship on May 25, lasting for three days and the Coed championship on May 28, lasting for four days.