Apr 12, 2026 @ 21:05:37 EDT
Fabulous conditions for the twelve teams competing in the SAISA Women's Fleet Race Championships for the Ann Boyd Trophy, hosted by the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg. Temperatures were in the lower 80's, winds were ENE ranging from 8 to 13 knots, with a few gusts to 18 knots. The seas made for challenging upwinds, but also provided some exhilarating downwind surfing.
The College of Charleston jumped out to an early lead and proceeded to dominate the entire day, winning 11 of the 16 total races sailed. Eight races were scored in each division, all courses were W4s, and averaged 12-13 minutes in length. No protests, no breakdowns, but three capsizes resulted in DNFs.
Forecast for day two looks like a repeat.
Another perfect day on Tampa Bay, ENE breeze at 13 knots, moderate seas, and temperatures in the mid-80's. Racing began promptly at 9:30am with race 9A. All courses were W4's, averaging 14 minutes in length. Winds diminished to 8 knots in the afternoon and racing ended at 12B.
There was one breakdown (a torn jib), two general recalls, and one protest filed. Many thanks to Miami coach Bill Johns and Charleston coach Annabel Carrington for hearing the protest which was disallowed. Thank you also to Rollins coach Esteban Forrer for serving as ICSA rep.
Congratulations to the twelve teams for making the Conference Championship a success, with a special shout-out to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville for winning the long-distance award by braving the 11 hour drive to compete in their first-ever women's championship.
Final congratulations to the College of Charleston for winning by a 26 point margin over runner-up University of South Florida. Rounding out the top five were Rollins, Jacksonville University, and NC State. Both CoC and USF automatically advance to the Women's Fleet Racing National Championship May 15-18, hosted by USF in St. Petersburg, FL.
| School | Team | A | B | TOT | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | College of Charleston | Cougars | 16 | 18 | 34 | |||
| 2 |  | University of South Florida | Bulls | 27 | 33 | 60 | |||
| 3 |  | Rollins College | Tars | 36 | 32 | 68 | |||
| 4 |  | Jacksonville University | Fins | 51 | 44 | 95 | |||
| 5 |  | North Carolina State University | Wolfpack | 80 | 70 | 150 | |||
| 6 |  | University of Florida | Gators | 85 | 74 | 159 | |||
| 7 |  | University of Miami | Hurricanes | 87 | 83 | 170 | |||
| 8 |  | Palm Beach Atlantic University | Sailfish | 103 | 91 | 194 | |||
| 9 |  | Florida State University | Seminoles | 90 | 108 | 198 | |||
| 10 |  | Florida Institute of Technology | Panthers | 88 | 128 | 216 | |||
| 11 |  | Duke University | Blue Devils | 120 | 118 | 238 | |||
| 12 |  | University of Tennessee | Volunteers | 142 | 141 | 283 |
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.
