October 24, 2008

Nittany Lion Open
State College, Pennsylvania

2009's Nittany Lion Open was a regatta destined for greatness. Jason Sinclair, Erin MacCausland, Tyler Drown, and Stephen Ciccariello met on Friday evening to begin a wonderful adventure to the very depths of Central Pennsylvania. After hours of driving through interstate, toll road, and back road through this fine commonwealth we arrived at our host's apartment in State College. It was our great fortune that we stayed with the Captain of the sailing team and a member of the race committee, making the arduous early-morning journey to the lake hidden in the mountains. The sailing venue, the resplendent Glendale Lake, sits atop mighty Appalachian mountains in Prince Gallitzin State Park, named for a Russian noble who grew up in Holland, served in the Austrian army, became a Catholic priest, sailed to America, and then founded a town in rural Pennsylvania in 1799, then, as now, a frontier area.

A heavy fog, abominable rain, and mountain dew greeted sailors arriving from far-fetched schools including Cornell University, Ocean County College, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Stevens Institute, and two teams from our gracious host, Penn State. The thick fog lifted and with it the wind and our spirits as the regatta began. The wind built from virtually none at the beginning of the first rotation, to the mid-teens where it remained for most of the day. Skipper Jason Sinclair and his crew Steve Ciccariello started the race multiple boat-lengths behind the line, but remarkably passed most of the competition by the end of the first upwind leg with sheer will and talent. The rest of the races were close but OCC and Cornell dominated the regatta. Skipper Tyler Drown and freshman Erin MacCausland sailed B-division and placed fourth in their division, only one point behind the notorious "Penn State White" team. Throughout the day, the thunder of rifles echoed across the lake as hunters encircled the lake. Overall Drexel placed fifth behind OCC, Cornell, Penn State White, and Penn State Blue. The regatta was ended at a frankly premature 2:30 PM, so that Penn Staters would be able to return to campus to watch the much-awaited and ultimately victorious Penn State-Michigan football game. The drive back to State College from Prince Gallitzen, through mountains, rolling hills, small old factory towns, and through the beautiful changing foliage was a nice sight for city-folk like us, confined to concrete jungle of West Philadelphia.

Drexel Sailing thanks Penn State's Tyler Braun (no relation), who hosted the team at his apartment, and everyone at Penn State who put on a great regatta et cetera.

--Tyler Drown

RESULTS