Forty eight high school sailors travelled to Florida Yacht
Club in Jacksonville, FL, from across the Southeast to compete to qualify for
the Cressy Trophy finals. They enjoyed
highly competitive sailing, great food and a great venue. The Jacksonville University Sailing Team
served as the official host and head coach, Jon Faudree, was both an
on-the-water judge and provided on-shore coaching and guidance for the young
sailors.
The weekend opened with practice on Friday in a strong
Southeasterly sea breeze on the St Johns river.
This was the only time the sailors were able to hike extensively. The
remainder of the weekend was marked by challenging conditions in light and
oscillating breeze with varying pressure.
James Pulsford battled it out with Erik Weis in the eight boat full rig
fleet. Over 15 races they traded races
back and forth until Pulsford won the last race and the regatta. Both St Thomas Aquinas sailors, along with
Patrick Shanahan from Shorecrest Prep qualified to go to the finals in Newport
later this year.
In the radial fleet two young ladies took advantage of the
light winds to post consistent finishes and take the top two spots
convincingly. Louisa Nordstron, Pine
View High School, and Hannah Steadman, Shorecrest Prep, beat up on the boys
over the course of 13 races.
Consistency, and avoiding fouling and being over early were keys to
success at this qualifying regatta. The
third qualifier, Nick Baird, Shorecres Prep, overcame an OCS, to finish
third.
All six qualifiers, along with the rest of the fleet,
demonstrated a high level of sailing all weekend.
Results
Results
