Pioneer LogLewis & Clark College’s Student-Run Newspaper

Sailing takes fourth place

April 16, 2010

by Lindsey Bosse

The LC sailing team travelled to Sail Sand Point in Seattle, Wash. on Saturday to compete against five other NW colleges for the district championship. The University of Washington sailing team hosted the fleet racing event, which serves as a qualifier for the national semi-finals. University of Washington and University of Oregon won the championship and will be representing the district at nationals. The championship was sailed in fourteen-foot double-handed Flying Juniors (FJs).

Sailing for A-division (varsity) were Lisa Hodges (’11) and Melissa Rathbun (’13). Sailing for B division (JV) were Evan Carmean (’11) and Sophie Harris (’10). Twelve races were held in each division throughout the day.

Hodges and Rathbun won the first start of the day, but were a bit slow in the morning, finishing in the bottom half of the fleet. With strong starts, they finished three races in second place, beating some of the skippers who will be sailing at nationals in the second half on the day. They finished in fifth place in their division.

Carmean and Harris sailed consistently mid-fleet all day amongst a competitive fleet. They had strong starts all day and learned a lot from the regatta, with finishes varying from third to fifth place. They finished fourth in their division.

The weather conditions were nearly perfect for the regatta: Clear skies and strong winds persisted all day. The breeze was steady from the north at 12-16 miles per hour all day, a rare condition in the northwest. The sailors were appreciative of the conditions, and condensed a two-day regatta into one day by spending a long day on the water.

LC placed fourth overall at the regatta, ten points ahead of the fifth place team. The team will be competing at an intersectional at Cascade Locks, Ore. this weekend, and will be sailing at women’s championships next weekend in Bellingham, Wash.

The regatta season lasts through the middle of May. The team practices Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 3-6 p.m. to at the Willamette Sailing Club and always welcomes new members. If you are interested in joining the team, please contact sailing@lclark.edu for more information.