SAILORS PLACE HIGH AT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

Saturday, October 29:

The US Naval Academy was the host for this year's War Memorial Regatta, the Middle Atlantic Conference Championship. Among the 46 teams in the conference, eight of the 10 varsity and 10 of the 36 club programs qualified for the championship. Our Rams placed 12th overall and fourth among all club teams.

Fordham was represented by Alex Sachs '12 & Emma Pfohman '13 in A Division, and Alex Reynolds '14 & Sarah McKay '12 in B Division. Dan Canziani '14 and Chase Webber '15 rounded out the Fordham squad as heavy-air, back-up crews. Following is from the official report submitted by Navy.

"Saturday began with heavy rain, heavy winds and an unstable front approaching, so racing was postponed until 1 PM. The fleet headed out in a slightly weaker northerly and a course was set off Triton Point in the mouth of the Severn River. A division started in FJs, while B sailed 420s. The wind shifted Northwest during the first set as the heavy rain turned to a heavy wintery mix. As the fleet headed in to rotate, PRO Ben Herring and his team of Midshipmen re-set the course further up the river, right off the Robert Crown Center. The wind ranged from 10-20 knots throughout the day and the cold rain and snow hitting the still warm water created an eerie fog, that made visibility on the course extremely challenging. In total 8 windward - leeward races were completed before the day ended at 6 PM. Judges Herb Larrabee and David Clinnin braved the rough conditions all day on the water before spending their evening hearing protests at the Crown Center. Two protests and one breakdown request were heard, resulting in two DSQs and one BKD. The divisions will switch fleets for Sunday's racing."

Sunday, October 30:

"Sunday was almost a perfect day of sailing in Annapolis. The wind came out of the NW at around 10 knots all day and a windward leeward course was set in the Severn River off the Robert Crown Center. 10 additional races per division were sailed to complete the regatta before the 3 PM cutoff time. The top 8 teams advanced to the Coed Dinghy Atlantic Coast Championship in Boston on Nov. 12-13. Congratulations to Georgetown University for winning the 2011 War Memorial Regatta."

Dan & Chase sailed the first six races in their divisions during the wild and windy weather conditions on Saturday. Emma & Sarah filled in for the last two Saturday races and all day on Sunday. Our A Division boat had a great series placing among the top 10 in 15 of their 18 races and among the top five in six of the races. They finished sixth in their division only one point out of fifth place. Despite some brilliant sailing in some of the races, our B division boat struggled and placed among the top 10 only four times. Bad luck also played a role as they were disqualified in one race for being over at the start and hit the windward mark once while in first place causing a first to twelfth change of positions in that race. They ended up in fifteenth place but only 14 points out of twelfth. With a sophomore skipper and one of the crews being a freshman, the potential is definitely there for solid finishes, greater consistency and future success.

FINAL RESULTS (* = varsity program)
1. Georgetown University - 126 points *
2. St. Mary's College of Maryland - 165 *
3. Hobart/William Smith Colleges - 185 *
4. Old Dominion University - 201 *
5. U. S. Naval Academy - 238 *
6. SUNY Maritime College - 245 *
7. U. S. Merchant Marine Academy - 278 *
8. University of Pennsylvania - 295
9. Washington College - 312 *
10. Cornell University - 342
11. University of Virginia - 353
12. Fordham University - 366
13. Stevens Institute of Technology - 404
14. Columbia University - 468
15. Princeton University - 520
16. William & Mary - 522
17. George Washington University - 536
18. Monmouth University - 572

At Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia, three sophs, Mia Cooper, Matt Winter & Mary Hamilton with frosh Jen Irwin represented Fordham in the Top 9 Regatta. Because only seven teams competed, A & B divisions raced together. Mia & Jen were without a doubt the lightest boat in A Division, and Matt & Mary were arguably the same in B Division.

As at Navy, weather was a factor. "A combination of wind, lightning and very high tides made launching at times treacherous and prevented racing from starting until 12:35 PM Saturday. Four races were sailed in a building WSW breeze from 15 knots, that quickly picked up into the low 20s and peaked with gusts in the mid-30s, which prompted the sailors to again be postponed ashore. Racing was eventually called for the day at 4:00 PM."

"Ten races were sailed on a sunny Sunday to complete the regatta. The day started with a NW breeze of app. 15 knots but quickly subsided as it shifted to the North and provided a shifty 5-10 knot headache for the sailors."

Our young Ram mariners sailed gallantly against their varsity opponents and gained good, competitive experience for the future. According to our host/chaperones, Matt & Mary should have been given a "Courageous" award for finishing the last race on Saturday. The Race Committee curtailed the race due to the deteriorating weather conditions but rather than accept a DNF, Matt & Mary successfully sailed and completed the course...thankfully without incident.

RESULTS (* = varsity program)
1. Old Dominion University I - 139 points *
2. U. S. Naval Academy - 156 *
3. Old Dominion University II - 189 *
4. Georgetown University - 192 *
5. SUNY Maritime College - 238 *
6. St. Mary's College of Maryland - 243 *
7. Fordham University - 317

Our Rams will end the fall Sailing season next weekend when Columbia & Fordham Co-Host the MAISA Club Teams' Championship on City Island. Fordham fans are invited to view the action on Saturday and/or Sunday prior to 3:00 PM from the Tiki Bar pier, the deck or lawn at Morris Yacht & Beach Club.