Webb Institute

Engineer’s Cup

May 14 - 15, 2010

On May 14, 2010 Drexel Sailing Team members Joan Boyle ('14), Colby Weingarten ('10), Jason Sinclair ('13), and Stephen Ciccariello ('13) headed over to beautiful Glen Cove, NY to sail at the Webb Institute for their annual Engineer's Cup. On Saturday morning the team was greeted by high winds and rolling waves. Despite the conditions the teams were sent out and the regatta begun. As the day progressed winds slowly died considerably but a full day of racing was still completed. Day 2 did not bring the winds needed to hold the regatta and after sending the B division out for two races that were in the end thrown out, racing for the day was abandoned. Bad luck and a few poor races put the team in 6th place overall but the team sailed great and is showing signs of improvement! Unfortunately, this regatta concludes the team's spring season. Congrats to all who sailed and congrats to the entire team for a fantastic spring season! Thank you all for your continuing support!

-Joan Boyle ('14)

Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia

Drexel Open Regatta

May 8 - 9, 2010

The 2010 Drexel Open at the Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia began with sunny skies and a stiff breeze. We aimed to include as many of our sailors as possible in this most exciting of regattas. Our team was finely represented by Steve Ciccariello (’13), Jason Sinclair (’12), Dave Schubert (’10), Joan Boyle (’14), Reuben Krutz (’14), Natalie Launchi (’13), and myself. Competing sailors were able to complete two full rotations on Saturday, before the wind became too difficult to compete with. Sustained winds were measured at 17KT with gusts of up to 40KT throughout the afternoon. Sailing ended around 1:00 PM and visiting sailors were able to go out and enjoy touring around Philadelphia. On Sunday, sailors arrived at 9:30 AM ready for a full day of racing, but were unfortunately unable to as a result of similar windy conditions and Drexel equipment problems. We deeply regret these unfortunate hindrances, and are disappointed that we could not fulfill as many races as we had expected. Nonetheless, all sailors were great sports about the difficult conditions, including those who ended up taking a swim in the Delaware River after capsizing! Congratulations to American University who placed 1st! And many thanks to all of the teams that attended!

-Jen Mislinski (’11)

Severn Sailing Association, Annapolis, MD

University of Maryland 2-on-2 Team Race

May 8 - 9, 2010

On May 8th and 9th, crew Erin MacCausland (’14) with skipper Trevor Nederlof (’11), and crew Kelsey Gibbons (’10) with skipper Andrew Bergan (’10) traveled down to Annapolis, Maryland to compete in the Maryland hosted two versus two team racing regatta. The competitors included UNBC, Salisbury, OCC, Webb, Christopher Newport, Maryland, and Rochester Institute of Technology. Saturday greeted the team with medium winds and beautiful weather with temperatures climbing into the 70s! Drexel was in the first race as they quickly found out, so boats were rigged and the regatta began. The first race featured Drexel versus Christopher Newport, a tough matchup and one that featured some good racing, resulting in a Drexel win in the end. Following the win, Drexel lost to OCC and then pulled out a win in tricky heavy winds over RIT. Due to high winds (sustained over 25mph, gusting into the 30s), the regatta was then called off for the day to resume on Sunday the 9th. Sunday seemed to have started out where Saturday afternoon left off with big wind making for some very exciting racing. After numerous postponements due to excessive wind conditions, the team finally got the go ahead to resume racing. The first race of the day was against Webb, the only undefeated team of the regatta at the time (and in the end as well). Despite Andrew Bergan using his expert team racing skills to push boats around, Webb still managed to etch out win over Drexel. However, the team quickly came back with three wins in a row over Salisbury, UNBC, Maryland to close out the regatta. The wind was very shifty and gusty, making for a physically challenging day. With solid team racing tactics and communication between the two boats, Drexel’s team was able to pull off some impressive wins in the end.

 

These races culminated into a 5 wins and 2 losses record, which was good for third place overall (out of eight), which is the best team racing result of the season and possible ever for Drexel. Congratulations to all four members who went and competed in the tough yet fun conditions.

-Trevor Nederlof (’11)

US Naval Academy

MAISA Women’s Championship Regatta

April 24 - 25, 2010

On April 24th and 25th, crew Natalie Lauchi (’13), with skipper Joan Boyle (’14), and crew Annie Mercurio (’12), with skipper Jen Mislinski (’11) traveled down to Annapolis, Maryland to attend the MAISA Women’s Championship Regatta at the U.S. Naval Academy. The competitors at Navy included St. Mary’s, Georgetown, Old Dominion, UPenn, Cornell, George Washington, and Hobart William Smith. The day began with very little wind, and both A and B fleets only completed one race before an early lunch break was called.  At about 12:30PM, the wind filled in once again, allowing both divisions to sail all required 8 races.  Crew Natalie and skipper Joan’s best finish of the day included a 5th place, a very exciting accomplishment since many of the other women’s teams have been nationally ranked.  The regatta ended around 6:30PM, putting Drexel Dragons in 9th place overall.  Being able to compete with the highly experienced women’s teams helped us women sailors learn many skills that will help for future regattas.  Special thanks go out to alumni Arland and Molly Knipe for their kind hospitality, we greatly appreciate it!

-Jen Mislinski (’11)

University of Delaware

Delaware Spring Open

April 24 - 25, 2010

The morning started with A-division team, Jason Sinclair (’13) and Stephen Ciccariello (’13), arriving to meet B-division, Kelsey Gibbons (’10) and Colby Weingarten (’11). The winds were far from strong but we rigged up and launched through the mud anyway. Both divisions battled extremely light winds in order to advance through the competition. During the second round of A-division the wind died and the 45 minutes consisted of rafting to the committee boat, sunbathing, and swimming. One keen-eyed racer spotted gusting winds coming down the inlet and we rushed to continue the regatta. It was decided to finish all the races on Saturday since there was a good chance of thunderstorms for Sunday. Drexel Sailing had an excellent time with the fair winds and beautiful day on Saturday.

-Jason Sinclair (’12)

College of William and Mary

Leroy Grant Regatta

Skipper Trevor Nederlof (’11), crew Erin MacCausland (’14), first-time regatta skipper Annie Mercurio (’12, myself), and crew Sean Orzolek (’14) enjoyed a merry car ride down to the historical city of Williamsburg, Virginia. Weather forecasts predicted slow winds and light rain on Saturday morning, only to precede clear skies and strong winds in the afternoon and on Sunday. The forecast proved to be correct, as “B” Division sailors (Sean and myself) waited for nearly two hours for Trevor and Erin to come in from the everlasting first two “A” Division races. Soon, however the winds picked up, blowing around 15 knots, and gusting up to 20 knots. Skippering for the first time in an intercollegiate regatta, I was quite nervous when I saw several other teams capsize, and despite our best efforts, Sean and I ended up in the James River, too! While rounding the side mark going downwind in a Gold Cup Triangle course, our boom swung violently, causing us to lose balance and the boat to capsize. We courageously fought against a bounding current and what seemed like extra strong gravity, and righted our boat in time for the second race of that round. Trevor and Erin, on the other hand, did quite well in each of their races, coming in 6th several times, and even 4th in one race, out of ten boats. On Sunday, the regatta continued and “B” Division sailed four races while “A” Division completed their two remaining races in one round. Although our overall rankings may not show outstanding success, I was very proud of my maneuvering and unexpected confidence during the start sequences, and I was proud of the rest of my teammates for keeping up a positive attitude and consistently striving for the best, despite wild wind conditions on the river.

-Annie Mercurio (’12)