GW Team Race

Competitors arrived to temperatures in the 20's and a fresh 1/4 inch of ice on the Washington Sailing Marina basin. At 8:30am GW Sailing hosted a commissioning ceremony for our new fleet of 18 z420's with nearly 100 alumni, families, and supporters in attendance. The Honorable Judge James Merow, GW Class of 1953 and ICSA competitor as an undergrad, presided over the ceremony.

After several hours of motor boat icebreaking, the building breeze and warming temperatures allowed racing to commence. Winds were 5-10 Kt out of the South. With the finish line positioned just 100 ft off the dock there was excellent spectating for coaches and fans. Three flights were completed before a new ice flow entered the course area, forcing a one hour postponement while RC and Umpires pushed the ice aside.

Racing resumed, and by 5:30pm the first two round robins were complete. Hobart and William Smith and host George Washington finished day one tied for the lead with 8-2 records.

Ice once again covered the basin when teams arrived at 9am. By 11:30, the sun and warming temps cleared the race area of ice and teams hit the water. Winds were 4-10 knots out of the WNW, with large and frequent wind shifts. Temperatures peaked near 60 degrees by mid-afternoon. The third round robin was completed by 1:30pm and after a short break the fourth round began. It came down to the wire, but the final start of the fourth round robin started a few minutes before the 3pm cut-off time. A total of 60 races were completed over two days.

Hobart and William Smith sailed well in the shifty conditions to secure the overall win with a 16-4 record. George Washington finished one win behind for second overall, with SUNY Maritime finishing Third. Congrats Statesmen and Herons on winning the inaugural GW Team Race!

Special thanks to our umpires Richard "Doc" Sullivan and John Kempton, our race committee of Sam White '18, Matthew Homa '18, Riley Engelberger '18, and Madison Oleson '17, along with dock-master Kia Olsson '18.