Sep 7, 2023 @ 20:26:53 EDT
Ten teams traveled to the Naval Academy in Annapolis to compete for the Shields Trophy Regatta aboard the Naval Academy’s fleet of Nay 44s.
The forecast for the day called for weak southerly winds to fill in by mid afternoon. Feeling optimistic, regatta PRO Jahn Tihansky sent the fleet out the racing area with fingers crossed.
AP was hoisted at 1200 and the fleet bobbed around between Tolly and Thomas Points in a flat calm. However, just after 1300 Zephyrs from the south began to appear and after another 20 minutes built to around 5 knots, the lower limit where one can actually effectively sail a Navy 44. The RC quickly got a race course set and started race one. Enjoying their home court advantage, Navy led from start to finish with Kings Point second and Coast Guard third.
After re-squaring the course to a building breeze of 7-10 knots, the RC started race two. This time Charleston came out swinging and carded a bullet. Showing great consistency, KP took another second and Coast Guard third. Navy couldn’t find their race 1 mojo and came fifth.
For race three, the breeze actually died a bit down to around 7 knots but stayed more or less on a consistent axis. Navy found their winning form again to take another bullet while KP was right behind again in second and Cal Maritime took third. Coast Guard stumbled to a sixth.
At the end of the day. KP leads Navy by one point with Charleston three points further back in 3 rd .
All week, the forecast for Sunday called for improved conditions compared to Saturday.. However, once the fleet arrived at the race course, they found a flukey 1-4 knot southwesterly that looked bleak. The breeze appeared to fill in first from the south, then shifted to the southeast. The RC twice set a course and start line only to have to bail on starting due to unexpected huge swings in the breeze. With patience running thin, it seemed to settle and the RC got a race started about an hour after the scheduled first warning time for race 4.
Navy got off to another decent start and was close to the front most of the way around but had a close cross with Coast Guard which prompted an exchange of word and a red flag by Coast Guard. Navy opted to take an I flag but went on to finish first in the race so ended up with a third place after the 2 pt. penalty was applied. Coast Guard took second and KP stayed close in third.
For race 5, the breeze continued to oscillate but the median axis remained consistent. Cal Maritime again found their groove and led wire to wire for the win while Navy stayed close to pull a second and Coast Guard again in third. KP, struggled to an eighth dropping them back from the lead.
With just minutes to go before the racing time limit, the RC started race 6 in what had solidified into good racing conditions. Maine Maritime continued their upward trajectory to win the race with Coast Guard right in the thick of it again to take second. Navy finished third but had a skirmish with Charleston at the last windward mark compelling another I flag penalty to end up with a fifth.
When the dust settled, Navy still held a two point margin ahead of the hard charging Bears to take the overall win. Coast Guard ended up second and KP third.
A huge thanks to all the volunteers who helped run the event including our RC gear manager Jan Richardson, team fleet captain Frieda Wildey, veteran signal boat assistant Ursula Keuhn, mark boat drivers John Yanick and Tom Stalder as well as midshipmen as well as staff members Pete Carrico and Erin Sprague who all put out a huge effort to keep things moving and execute six races.
Jahn Tihansky Regatta Chair
| School | Team | A | TOT | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | U. S. Naval Academy | Midshipmen | 17 | 17 | ||
| 2 |  | U. S. Coast Guard Academy | Bears | 19 | 19 | ||
| 3 |  | U. S. Merchant Marine Academy | Mariners | 22 | 22 | ||
| 4 |  | Maine Maritime Academy | Mariners | 30 | 30 | ||
| * | 5 |  | California Maritime Academy | Keelhaulers | 31 | 31 | |
| * | 6 |  | College of Charleston | Cougars | 31 | 31 | |
| 7 |  | SUNY Maritime College | Privateers | 36 | 36 | ||
| 8 |  | Massachusetts Maritime Academy | Buccaneers | 45 | 45 | ||
| 9 |  | Queen's University | Gaels | 47 | 47 | ||
| 10 |  | U. S. Military Academy | Black Knights | 59 | 59 |
| Sym. | Explanation |
|---|---|
| * | Head-to-head tiebreaker |
The following chart shows the relative rank of the teams as of the race indicated. Note that the races are ordered by number, then division, which may not represent the order in which the races were actually sailed.
The first place team as of a given race will always be at the top of the chart. The spacing from one team to the next shows relative gains/losses made from one race to the next. You may hover over the data points to display the total score as of that race.
