Sailing Wins NESSA Qualifier, Takes Seventh Overall

Following a win in the qualifying fleet race regatta on Saturday at Indian Harbor Yacht Club, Brunswick picked up a seventh-place finish at the NESSA Championships (O’Day Trophy) on the waters off of Tabor Academy on Sunday.

 

On Saturday, Brunswick bested 14 other schools over six races in both the A and B Divisions, finishing with 58 points, four points better than second-place Fairfield Ludlowe (62). The win allowed the Bruins to compete for the NESSA Championship (O’Day Trophy) the following day at Tabor Academy.

 

Will George skippered in the A Division boat with Carlos Flores crewing. The duo had four top-five finishes on the day to earn a third-place finish in the A Division (31 points).

 

Leyton Borcherding skippered with Ryan Heinzerling crewing in the B Division entry for the Bruins. The tandem finished in the top-five in each of the six races, winning two races to earn a matching third-place finish (27 points).

 

On Sunday, 17 elite sailing teams took to the waters of Sippican Harbor, located off of Buzzards Bay near Cape Cod. A shifty northerly wind left parts of the course slow with limited wind for a number of boats, while other parts of the course found favorable wind, which benefitted a pair of nearby Rhode Island entries as well as the host school.

 

After the first four races (two for each Division), Brunswick had yet to master the variable winds, as the Bruins sat in 15^th place overall. After the next four races, the Brunswick boats learned to navigate the variable winds and maneuvered into the top 10. As a steadier and stronger sea breeze later moved in, the Bruins closed the gap and finished seventh overall after the sluggish start.

 

George and Flores (67 points) finished ninth in the A Division, while Borcherding and Heinzerling (57 points) were sixth in the B Division. Brunswick (124 total points) edged out eighth-place Portsmouth H.S. from Rhode Island by four points, as O’Day Trophy winner Tabor cruised to the title with 10 top-five finishes over 14 races (57 points).

 

Despite not earning a trip to the national championship, the seventh-place finish by Brunswick secured an invitation to the 2018 Spring Intersectional on May 12-13, as the Bruins will compete for the Phebe Corckran King Memorial Trophy.