ICSA Match Race National Championship

Photos of todays and each day’s action: https://www.tomwalker.photography/Nautical-Sailing-and-Yacht-Photographs/Boating-Lifestyle/2018-ICSA-Match-Race-Championship-/

Scores for the event can be found here (https://www.matchracingresults.com/2018/icsa-national-championship/). Follow along on social media for live updates and coverage:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordSailing/ Instagram: @StanfordSailing (https://www.instagram.com/stanfordsailing/) Twitter: @StanfordSailing (https://twitter.com/StanfordSailing)

Day two of the ICSA Match Race Nationals was much like the first, with light breeze and large wave swells. The course was again set below the Newport Beach Pier, not too far off the beach.

The final two races of the round robin were completed around 1pm. Due to time constraints, the repechage round was eliminated, and the quarter finals were changed to a first-to-2 format. The 9th and 10th place teams sailed off for final positioning, with University of Washington beating Texas A&M with a 2-0 record. In the quarter final round, the 1 through 3 seeds won their respective finals, with SUNY Maritime, BC, and Stanford moving onto the semi-finals. #5 University of Pennsylvania beat #4 Dartmouth with a 2-1 record to move onto the next round.

The first matches of the semifinal round were completed before heading in for the day. In the first race of the first-to-2 series, University of Pennsylvania beat SUNY Maritime, and BC beat Stanford. The semifinal round will be completed tomorrow.

The format for the final day will be as follows: Complete the semifinal round Finals: first to 3 Petit Final: first to 3 5-8 Series

Scores for the event can be found here(https://www.matchracingresults.com/2018/icsa-national-championship/). Follow along on social media for live updates and coverage:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordSailing/ Instagram: @StanfordSailing(https://www.instagram.com/stanfordsailing/) Twitter: @StanfordSailing (https://twitter.com/StanfordSailing)

The final day of the 2018 Match Race Nationals was much like the two days prior, with better-than-expected breeze beginning right at the first warning for the day. Racing began right around 11, with a light westerly filling on the race course which was set just north of the Newport Beach Pier. The final semi-final races were sailed, with both Penn and BC leading in their respective series against SUNY Maritime and Stanford with a 1-0 record. Both schools took the win in their second races to move onto the finals, while SUNY and Stanford moved to compete for a spot on the podium.

In the first round of the 5-8 Semi-Series, Charleston and Jacksonville moved onto the 5-6 knockout race after their respective races against Dartmouth and Wisconsin. Charleston won the single race, ending up 5th overall, and Jacksonville finishing in 6th. Dartmouth took the win in the 7-8 knockout, finishing 7th with Wisconsin finishing in 8th.

Stanford took the first race in the semi-final, after being penalized during the prestart and killing the penalty on their second upwind. SUNY countered with a win in the second race, tying up the series 1-1. In the third race, SUNY was over early, allowing Stanford to carry an early lead up the race course and securing a podium position with a win.

The Finals were not short of any excitement, as Penn and BC traded wins throughout the series. It looked like Boston College would take the win in race 4 with an extended lead up the first beat, but an incorrect mark rounding would give Penn another win in the series. During the final race, BC and Penn split off the line and battled their way up the course. BC led from the top mark for the rest of the race, and crossed the finish line to claim their back-to-back ICSA Match Race National Championship title.

Congratulations to BC and all the competitors for an incredible regatta. Thank you to PRO Ryan Davidson, Balboa Yacht Club, and all the people who made this event possible.

For regatta photographs, visit and the ICSA Facebook page.