The GW Sailing Team had a highly successful weekend down at Old Dominion University. This was not only our first regatta of the season, but our first regatta with both a coach and a team van! It truly felt as if our team was entering a new era. Our solid performance in the overall standings, against eighteen strong schools, was of course a welcome bonus.

        Saturday dawned sunny, breezy, and quite cold. With temperatures in the lower 40’s, it was time to break out the drysuits and the warmest gear on hand. We had managed to hold a few practices on the chilly Potomac before the event, and so we’d had some time to brush up on our skills. However, we’d been unable to practice any large-scale starts or tactical drills. The rust was immediately evident as GW A-Division skipper Will Ricketson ’11 came in hard contact with Fordham University right before the start of race #1, pushing GW far back in the fleet. However, after that rough beginning, Will and his crew Hilly Walrod ’12 averaged 7th place for the remainder of the day, displaying calm and consistent tactics. B-Division was manned by skipper Meredith Carroll ’11 and rotating crews Brielle Seitelman ’13 and Skye Kussman ’13. Skye raced for most of Saturday, while Brielle switched in for the end of Saturday and two races on Sunday.This group displayed a tremendous ability to emerge from tricky situations not only unharmed, but in very strong positions. Their highlight of the day was an impressive 3rd place finish in race number five. The breeze started strong in the morning, at times reaching 15 knots, but died down to around 5 knots by the end of the day. GW’s ability to effectively change gears and adapt to evolving wind conditions was a great sign that the early-season rust was quickly wearing off.

        As of Sunday morning, GW was lying in 8th place overall, far ahead of most of our traditional club team rivals, and locked in battle with several powerful varsity programs. We were determined to stay competitive, however, and came screaming out of the gate. Will and Hilly pulled off a 3rd and a 5th in the first two races, navigating extremely light and puffy wind conditions on the course. Meredith and Brielle, despite two unlucky starts, scored a fantastic 6th and 8th place in the next set, battling their way up through the fleet and keeping GW firmly entrenched in the top half of the overall standings.

        Unfortunately, the race committee was unable to complete another complete cycle of races for A and B divisions as the breeze was dying. After a brief postponement to wait for the wind to return, the regatta was called off at about 2:00PM. Nevertheless, our 8th place overall finish is an extremely positive start to the season. We were the 3rd ranked club team at the event, and also managed to beat four varsity programs. Will and Hilly held off the Coast Guard Academy for 7th place in A-Division, while Meredith, Brielle and Skye beat out Cornell University for 9th place in B-Division. Jay Sterne, our cheerful and generous volunteer coach, provided great advice throughout the weekend, and felt right at home (as an ODU alum). The Bell family once again opened their home to the team, and we are extremely grateful.

Full Results HERE.

The GW Sailing Team hopes that you continue to follow our progress as we compete up and down the east coast this Spring!

-Will Ricketson ’11

WWW.GWSAILING.ORG

Some Pictures: