Charlie Buckingham ('11) is also down under in Perth competing at the World Championships in the Laser.  Charlie had a great first day, finishing 5th in the first race and 4th in the second race to put him in 8th place overall.  Results can be found here: http://perth2011.com/competition/PERTH2011/SAM004000/results

Good luck and as one, Charlie!  

Hoya Saxa to GUST alum Andrew Campbell Down Under!

Along with his crew Ian Coleman, Andrew Campbell '06 has hit the course for the second of two Olympic qualifying regattas at the ISAF World Sailing Championships in Perth, Australia.  The first day brought unusually light breeze to the Perth course, which made for a rough day for our GUST compatriot, now lying in 20th.  His analysis of the day at www.campbellsailing.com, though, makes clear that it's still very early on, and he's optimistic for the rest of the regatta.

(Photo: Jacqueline Campbell Photography)

Andrew was the 2008 US representative in the Laser, and he has since shifted his focus to the Star class, for which he currently sits as the 4th ranked sailor in the world.  Results from the Worlds will be combined with those from June's Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta on the Olympic course in Weymouth, England to determine the US Olympic qualifiers.

The picture for the US Stars is very much in the balance after Sail for Gold, with Andrew and Ian fighting tooth-and-nail with George Szabo and Mark Mendelblatt for the spot (results here).

I'm not the first to say it, and I won't be the last, but good luck and As One to Andrew and Ian!

Useful links for following along:

• Results
• campbellsailing.com
• Photos/updates by Jacqueline Campbell '06: Twitter @campbellfoto
• Andrew's tweets: @campbellsailing
• Star class tweets: @ISCYRA
• Regatta live blog
• Twitter hashtag: #perth2011

 Women’s Atlantic Coast Championships @ SUNY - Maritime

Team: 4th of 18 w/192 points

A Div.: 1st w/68 points - Sydney Bolger / Rebecca Evans, Nancy Hagood

B Div.: 8th w/124 points - Amanda Taselaar / Maisie Totaro,

       Rebecca Evans, Katia DaSilva

The Georgetown Women’s team traveled to SUNY Maritime College to compete against the top 18 teams on the East Coast.  Conditions were pretty good for the East River with high winds and lots of current.  The Lady Hoyas have been performing well all year and this regatta was no exception.  From the start the Hoyas were in a 5 team battle for first place with Dartmouth, Yale, Rhode Island and the College of Charleston with Brown and Conn College not too far behind.  With the lead going back on forth on Saturday the Hoyas managed to end the day of racing in first place.  However an incident at the windward mark in a B race led to our team getting a DSQ and pushed us off the top.  The girls came back Sunday determined to climb back in front.  Yale and Dartmouth came out of the gate strong on Sunday and the Hoyas faltered a bit finishing in double digits in four straight races.  While most teams thought the Hoyas were out of contention we did not.  Both A and B division rallied and scored a bunch of top 5 finishes in a row to pull even with Yale and Dartmouth at the top of the board with two races left.  A penalty at the start of our second to last B race pushed back a little and we ended up in 4th overall only 10 points out of first.  All in all it was a promising finish to the fall season.  In A div Sydney Bolger and crews Rebecca Evans and Nancy Hagood sailed brilliantly en route to 1st place in A division.  Sydney and Rebecca have been dominant so far this year in both women’s and coed sailing. 

Atlantic Coast Championships @ Harvard

Team: 10th of 18 w/321 points

A Div.: 10th w/169 points - Chris Barnard / Hilary Kenyon, Leslie Cowen

B Div.: 9th w/152 points - Matt Gowell / Kate Canty

The Hoyas were once again challenged by the difficult conditions present on the Charles River in Boston at the ACCs hosted by Harvard and MIT.  In one of the most competitive regattas of the entire year the team sailed well on the first day of racing when the winds were more gusting to 18 knots from the WSW.  However, day two saw tougher and shiftier Southerly winds that rarely pushed above 10 knots.  Tough starts and an inability to connect shifts consistently made for the below expected result.  The team learned a significant amount from the varied conditions and the other teams in the field, which featured 17 of the top 25 teams in the country.

These events wrap up another successful Fall season for the Georgetown Hoyas Sailing Team.  Several regatta wins and many more close results left room for development and progress with the young and talented group.  The Women’s team continues to lead the team’s success and both the Coed and Women’s squads will be looking for success and National Championships come next Spring.

Save the date Saturday March 31

The most important fundraising event of the year for the sailing team is our annual dinner and auction. Please mark the date in your calendar. Enjoy a great evening with Coach Callahan, Coach Campbell, the entire team, parents and alumni. More info to follow.

SAVE THE DATE!

Join your fellow GUST alumni for a weekend of festivities and racing to celebrate 75 years of excellence.

GUST Alumni Weekend

May 4-6, 2012

Washington, DC

May  4

Welcome Reception

May 5

Regatta, Activities, Celebratory Dinner with GUST History Presentation and Speakers, Music and Dancing

May 6

Farewell Brunch

More information to follow.

Contact: gustalumni@gmail.com

As one.

Co-Chairs: Alex Holtan and Alex Taylor

Committee: Mike Callahan, Ryan Costello, Emily Babbitt, Erin Ward, Nik Holtan, Zack Kavanaugh, Bill Jorch, Katherine Wade, Cordo Carraher, Melanie Wood Haskell, Caila Johnson

 War Memorial @ US Naval Academy

Team: 1st of 18 w/156 points

A Div.: 1st w/59 points - Chris Barnard / Hilary Kenyon

Rebecca Evans, Leslie Cowen

B Div.: 5th w/97 points - Sydney Bolger / Rebecca Evans, Dan Eichler, Matt Gowell

The Georgetown Coed Sailing Team travelled to the Naval Academy this weekend to compete in the Coed Conference Championship (War Memorial).  Saturday morning sailing was delayed until 1PM to allow the Nor’easter to settle down.  Racing began promptly at 1PM with NE wind of about 20-25mph.  The Hoyas started off with a bang winning the first A race by a comfortable margin.  In B the Hoyas had the smallest skipper at the regatta Sydney Bolger paired with the biggest crew Matt Gowell.  While the combination was a little unorthodox it worked well in the first two races with the Hoyas getting a 7 and 2.  After the first two races the regatta was moved into the Severn River and conditions began to deteriorate.  Winds were still gusting over 20 and a low level fog rose about 4 feet off the water as the cold rain hit the warmer river water.  Then the snow began to fall.  All in all pretty tough conditions to sail in yet it didn’t seem to bother the Hoyas.  Both A and B division continued to sail well and ended the day in first place 1 point ahead of Hobart and 10 in front of St. Mary’s.  Sunday’s weather was much nicer with lighter winds and abundant sunshine.  The regatta began at 10AM and Hobart went on quite a streak winning almost every race and putting the Hoyas about 25 points behind.  That’s when the A division duo of Chris Barnard and Hilary Kenyon took over.  The pair had built up a 10 point lead in A division on the first day but really pulled ahead on Sunday.  They won 4 of the last 5 races en route to a 40 point win in A which is almost unheard of at a conference championship.  The 40 point win in A carried the team to a ten point win over St. Mary’s and gave the Hoyas the Coed Conference Championship to add to their Women’s Conference Championship from earlier in October.  The win also give the Hoyas the #1 scheduling ranking for next year as well as a berth to the Coed Atlantic Coast Championship help at Harvard November 12-13.   

Harvard Women’s @ Harvard

Team: 11th of 18 w/214 points

A Div.: 12th w/147 points - Nancy Hagood / Tory Lynch

B Div.: 3rd w/67 points - Amanda Taselaar / Katia DaSilva

The Hoya women battled freezing temperatures, rain, sleet, and snow in combination with the always tricky Charles River at this past weekend’s Harvard Women’s Regatta.  Saturday’s more consistent breeze allowed for some good race finishes in B division for Sophomore Amanda Taselaar and Freshman Katia DaSilva but the extremely competitive A division proved tougher for the Hoyas.  Sunday’s more pleasant weather brought gusty and shifty winds that forced a lot of quick thinking and allowed for a lot of learning on the part of the team.  The event was the New England Conference’s qualifier for the Women’s Atlantic Coast Championships and included many of the best female sailors in the country.  Despite the wintry mix and crazy winds the Hoyas faired well and built on their skill base.

The Hoyas will be back in competition next weekend at two significant events.  Junior Chris Barnard will be competing at the ICSA Singlehanded National Championships in Chicago starting on Thursday November 4th and continuing through the 6th.  Another group of Hoyas will be sailing the MAISA Match Race Championships at USMMA-Kings Point hoping to qualify for a spot at the ICSA Match Race Nationals in a few weeks.

Proof of life for 8 GUST Alumni competing at the 2011 Lee Trophy at Seawanhaka Corinthian Yachtclub.  Great to have so many GUST Sailors still team racing.  From the left:  Pat Donegan, Byron Lamotte, Liz Bent Herlihy, Emiliy Babbit, Ryan Costello, Steve Streit, Andy Herlihy, and John Camera.

As One!

MAISA Men’s Singlehanded Championships @ USMMA - Kings Point

Chris Barnard 2^nd of 18

Alex Post 9^th of 18

With light winds hampering racing on most of the east coast over the weekend the MAISA Men’s Singlehanded Championships was a battle to see who could keep their concentration longer.  Racing began at 10AM Saturday and two races were completed before the wind died off.  Sailors then stayed on shore until 530PM when a light sea breeze finally filled in.  Three more races were sailed in light and shifty conditions.  Chris Barnard struggled to get off the starting line in his races but once he was able to get clear air he sailed quite well.  With two first place finishes in the five races sailed Chris stood in 2^nd place at the end of the day just 3 points from first.  Alex Post, sailing in his first conference championship, was able to get off the starting line well each race.  He struggled a bit finding the favored side on the first legs and ended the day 9^th overall but very close to 4^th place which would get him a berth to the national championship.  Sunday came with bright sunshine and unseasonably warm weather but no wind.  The sailors rigged and waited from 9-3PM for the wind to fill in but it never did.  So with no racing Sunday the results from the first five races stood and Chris Barnard ended up 2^nd overall and earned his third consecutive trip to the ICSA Singlehanded National Championship November 4-6, 2011 at the Chicago Yacht Club.   

Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta @ Storm Trysail Club

5th of 12 in IRC40 Division

Skipper: Andrew Mason ’12,

Crew: Teddy Mark ’14, Ron Thompson ’14, Will Smith ’15, Dave Nichol ’12, Tristan Berne ‘12

At the annual “Big Boat” Promotional Regatta several Hoyas were given the opportunity to sail on ‘Patriot’ a J-122 owned by Steve Furnary, the father of former Hoya sailor Scott Furnary (C ’11).  Despite light winds and flat water on Long Island Sound the team was able to turn in a 5th place finish in their division with race scores of 3, 7, 3.  Larchmont Yacht Club in Larchmont, NY and the Storm Trysail Club hosted the event and provided a learning opportunity for all the sailors.

 Many thanks to Mr. Furnary for letting us sail Patriot and for the Mark's for housing the team.

Navy Fall Women’s Intersectional @ Navy

Team: 4th of 16 w/ 135 points

A Div: 1st w/ 31 points - Sydney Bolger / Rebecca Evans

B Div: 4th w/ 33 points - Nancy Hagood / Kate Canty

C Div: 13th w/ 71 points - Lexi Coudert

Light southeasterly winds were the story at the Naval Academy for the Hoya Women competing at the Navy Fall Women’s regatta this past weekend.  Only 7 races in A and B division combined with 6 in C division kept the overall scores close but the Hoyas performed extremely well with Seniors Sydney Bolger ’12 and Rebecca Evans ’12 continuing their Fall success by winning their division despite the choppy waters just outside of Annapolis Harbor.  The large High Pressure zone over the East Coast left little chance for wind on Sunday and no races were completed, which didn’t give the Hoyas any chance to move even further up the leader board.

 A big thank you is owed to Caila Johnson '10 who coached the women this weekend.

Tom Curtis Regatta @ Georgetown

There was not enough wind this weekend in the District for the Hoyas to complete enough races for a regatta at the Tom Curtis Memorial event hosted at the Washington Sailing Marina.  Sailors patiently waited in the warm temperatures but the breeze did not cooperate.  Thus there is no official winner of the 2011 event.  Members of the Curtis Family (Tom's sister Liz and her son Curtis) were present and were able to spend time meeting and interacting with current Georgetown sailors.

MAISA Women’s Singlehanded Championships @ Navy (Monday, 10/10)

Consistent to the theme of the weekend, there was not enough wind to complete any racing at the MAISA Women’s Singlehanded Championships for the Faye Bennett Trophy.  Three Hoyas, Nancy Hagood ’14, Lexi Coudert ’15, and Merritt Moran ’14, waited patiently both onshore and on the water for prolonged periods of time on Monday but to no avail.  This was already a rescheduled date after the first attempt to complete this qualifier for the ICSA Nationals could not happen due to lacking wind conditions.  The process now moves to a resume submission and Conference Selection Committee.

The Hoyas will be back in competition this coming weekend at the Navy Fall Coed Intersectional hosted by the Naval Academy and the Captain Hurst Trophy at Dartmouth University.

8 GUST Alumni are competing in this year's Lee Trophy hosted by Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club in Long Island.  The Lee Trophy is a 3v3 team race sailed in Sonars with kites and 4 crew per boat.  6 teams sailed approximately 8 races each today in light winds.  SCYC 1 leads but much more racing tomorrow. The eight of us are about to represent Hoya Nation at the regatta party.  An impressive effort on and off the water guaranteed.  As One!

Hoyas competing:

Andy Herlihy (SCYC 1)

Liz Herlihy (SCYC 1)

Patrick Donegan (SCYC 1)

Ryan Costello (SCYC 1)

John Camera (Southern)

Byron LaMotte (NYYC)

Steve Streit (NYYC)

Emily Babbit (Southern)