Nov 14, 2024 @ 13:10:37 EST
A modest 8-10 knot ENE breeze greeted the 36 competitors vying for college sailing's singlehanded championship titles. The waves across shallow Tampa Bay had time to build overnight, leaving lumpy, challenging conditions for the sailors. With daytime highs approaching record highs of 89 degrees, the wind was forecast to die, and that it did. The 7th race in each division was sailed in marginal 4-5 knot winds.
After a wise hold by PRO Todd Fedyszyn and his St. Petersburg Yacht Club team of volunteers, the 8th and final race of the day was conducted in a pleasant 10 knots as the sun lowered on the horizon.
Some lively Rule 42 discussions were held among the judges after the downwind leg of the light air race, but no flags resulted. Head judge Mike Kaspar presided over protests.
Racing was tight and at the end of the day the leaders are tied in the women's division, with the next several places within striking distance. Coaches agreed that the leaders were the ones most adept at changing gears in the widely ranging wind velocities.
A robust 12-16 knot east breeze opened racing on day 2. The waves were short in frequency but relatively steep, challenging competitors to stay as powered up as possible. Leads changed as those who struggled in the light air the previous day reveled in the breezier conditions.
Once again, with daytime highs approaching 89 degrees, the wind was forecast to die, and die it did. With a strong ebb tide current the fleet was unable to make upwind progress and the 13th race was wisely abandoned.
PRO Todd Fedyszyn, his St. Petersburg Yacht Club team of volunteers, and sailors and coaches alike waited in vain for the wind to reappear, but at 2:45pm racing was called and the regatta was over.
Congratulations to Harvard's Sophia Montgomery on winning the Janet Lutz Trophy, to 2nd place Gilda Dondona from Cornell, and 3rd place Okyanus Arikan from the University of Rhode Island.
| Sym. | Explanation |
|---|---|
| * | Head-to-head tiebreaker |
| ** | Number of high-place (2) finishes |
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.
