Coast Guard Sailing Competes in Five Regattas Across the East Coast

Coast Guard Sailing Earns Top Five Finishes Across Five Fall Regattas

The United States Coast Guard Academy sailing team competed across five regattas from New England to Annapolis this past weekend, securing multiple top-five placements and finishing ahead of the U.S. Naval Academy in select events, Coast Guard Athletics reported.

The weekend slate featured action at the Open Atlantic Coast Championship Final in Cranston, Rhode Island, the Yale Women’s Regatta in Branford, Connecticut, the Coast Guard Invite in New London, Connecticut, the Navy Small Keelboat Regatta in Annapolis, Maryland, and the Fall Brawl Invitational at Eastport Yacht Club.

Open Atlantic Coast Championship Final

Competing against 18 collegiate programs in Cranston, Rhode Island, the Bears finished 13th overall at the Open Atlantic Coast Championship Final. Sophomores Richard Pokorny of Brick Township, New Jersey, and Isabella Clark of Newport Beach, California, placed sixth in B Division. The pair secured a win in the final race of Saturday’s slate.

The Open Atlantic Coast Championship serves as a benchmark at the end of the fall season, bringing together top-tier programs to preview the competition expected at the spring fleet race national championships. The roster of participating sailors for the event included Benjamin Reeser of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Grace Austin of Moorpark, California, Pokorny, Clark, Tomas Riccio of Rochester, New York, and Gavin VanManen of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Yale Women’s Regatta

In Branford, Connecticut, the women’s team finished 12th overall in a 17-team fleet, placing ahead of the U.S. Naval Academy. Sailors navigated eight races in each division utilizing 420s and FJs through light breeze and choppy conditions on Saturday.

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The cross-regional field included programs such as Charleston, Stanford, and Tulane. The Coast Guard sailors competing in this event were Maddie Murphy of Norfolk, Virginia, Grace Boudreau of Tequesta, Florida, Meara Conley of Hingham, Massachussets, Simone Moss of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Ella Demand of Toms River, New Jersey, and Sydney Zylinski of Lavalette, New Jersey.

Coast Guard Invite and Thames River Racing

Racing on home waters in New London, Connecticut, the Bears earned second and third place overall behind Yale. An afternoon breeze of approximately 5 to 8 knots provided conditions on the Thames River.

The home regatta roster featured Liam Marcell of Toms River, New Jersey, Gabriella Fields of Juneau, Alaska, Gus Fichtenholtz of Branford, New Jersey, Austin White of Tampa, Florida, Peter Judge of Severna Park, Maryland, Julian Henderson of Camden, Maine, David Vinogradov of Cocoa Beach, Florida, and Brady Noon of Sayville, New York.

Navy Small Keelboat Regatta and Fall Brawl

The offshore team sent two four-person crews to Annapolis, Maryland, for the Navy Small Keelboat Regatta, placing fifth and sixth overall. Bears 2 finished fifth with 29 points, while Bears 1 took sixth with 33 points following light morning winds and a breeze that built to approximately nine knots in the afternoon.

Bears 2 sailors included Trenton Mitchell of Cleveland, Wisconsin, Anna Buonocore of Naples, Florida, Nate Blake of Louisville, Kentucky, and Jacob Grohs of Anna, Texas. Bears 1 consisted of John Donnelley, Leila Derieux, Connor Lawlor of Woodstock, Georgia, and Gavin Kravchuck of Pitman, New Jersey.

Additionally, juniors Danny Cecil of Annapolis, Maryland, and Audrey Beckman of West Chester, Pennsylvania, sailed aboard a J/105 at Eastport Yacht Club’s Fall Brawl Invitational, competing alongside sailors from Annapolis Yacht Club and the New York Yacht Club.

Next Weekend Competition Schedule

The Bears will compete in four events next weekend: the NEISA Open Conference Championship for the Erwin Schell Trophy in Burlington, Vermont; the NEISA Women’s Conference Championship for the Victorian Urn Trophy in Enfield, New Hampshire; the Kennedy Cup in Annapolis, Maryland; and the Terrier Invite in Boston, Massachusetts.