November 7-8, 2009

MAISA Club Championship
Tom's River, New Jersey

We left Philadelphia early in the morning and began the long-familiar drive to Tom's River, New Jersey through city, suburbs, and Pine Barrens. A stop at a Wawa for some breakfast and a some hot chocolate and bagels at the club prepared the sailors for a great day of racing. At Tom's River Yacht Club, the wind had yet to show up by the time of the skippers meeting, but after changing and rigging our boats a nice breeze began to fill in.

Ocean County College has the unique distinction of being the only team in MAISA to have a fleet of Tech Dinghies. These strange sea creatures were designed by Professor George Owen for the opening of the MIT Sailing Pavilion in 1935 and were built at the legendary Herreshoff Yard in Bristol. The are the progenitor and genesis of intercollegiate sailing as-we-know-it. OCC's fleet are fiberglass and cat-rigged and these days the boats are regarded as slow bathtubs or "two-person Optimist" (the Optimist is a small beginner boat for kids). Nevertheless, it was interesting to break up the monotony of the standard 420s and FJs that intercollegiate sailing is relegated. Their scarcity in MAISA, the age of the secondhand fleet, their slow speed, and the battleship-gray the hulls are painted give the sailing experience the rare distinction of being both banal and exotic.

I skippered the B-division boat with Clara Engel ('13) as trusty crew. President Andrew Bergan ('10) skippered A-Division with the loyal crew, Regatta Manager David Schubert ('10). B-Division started the day in 420s, A-Division sailed Tech Dinghies. Our boat in the B-division had a bad first race and then progressively improved for a little while before moderating out and finding a home somewhere in the middle. While I was disappointed I didn't sail better, I had a great time sailing. As the day of sailing ended Drew, Clara, and Dave returned to Philadelphia while I remained on the Jersey Shore for festivities.

The next day B sailed Tech Dinghies and A-division sailed 420s. Clara and I were in Tech Dinghies. Tech Dinghies were a bit unfamiliar to me. I had sailed in them twice before, once as a skipper at the 2007 MAISA Club Champs and another as a crew. Proper trim is a bit different on the boat, to say the least, as is weight balance. As the wind died it became an exercise in patience and the fleet spread out as low weight and technique prevailed. Overall, Drexel finished 12th of18th boats.

This was my last intercollegiate regatta. A regatta-less freshman year and a Co-Op job abroad allowed me to be eligible to compete this last term, in spite of having graduated high school in Spring 2004. I've had the wonderful opportunity to attend many regattas, make lifelong friends, learn how to sail (well), learn how to race, serve in different leadership positions (Alumni Relations, VP/Regatta Manager, Equipment Manager), organize events, and much more. I look forward to attending events and regattas as an alumnus and helping support Drexel Sailing in the future. Though I'm currently now boatless, I hope to see everyone on the water!

Fair winds and a following sea,
—Tyler Drown

Results: http://barnegat.lhhost.com/pipermail/maisa/Week-of-Mon-20091102/001570.html
Photos: Craig Priniski's Photos