The College Sailing season effectively flips script, switching from a predominantly team race centered season, lasting about 7 weeks, to a short sprint to conference fleet race championships as the national championship picture becomes clear. However, last weekend offered something unique and perhaps pointed to what college sailing will look like in the future.
Last week, 12 of the 16 team race teams featured at the Laser Performance Team Race National Championship were confirmed as conference championships were sailed in New England, the Mid Atlantic, South Atlantic and the Pacific Coast. Meanwhile, the nation’s top women who aren’t sailing on the team race circuit get into gear with Conference Championships looming and the informal fleet race section of the national schedule turns on.
Brown University won the Duplin Women's Team Race at Tufts University in Larks on Mystic Lake. Like most New England regattas, the Duplin was a one day event. Brown went 10-0 after a full 8-team round robin and a top-4 round robin. Brown likely would have been most people’s betting favorite as their top team race team features Hannah Steadman and Ragna Agerup- two of the best women’s sailors in the nation. However, Brown’s undefeated effort showed their depth as it featured none of the aforementioned women.
The Graham Hall is the largest team race on the College Sailing spring schedule. Showcasing 16 teams, this year’s edition ended with 122 races sailed. The accomplished Race Committee at Navy completed a full 16 team round robin and tie-break sail offs between the second and third finishing teams as well as between the tenth and eleventh finishing teams. Ian Burman, Head Coach at the Naval Academy had the following to say of the now iconic event:
