Sailing club makes waves with recent success

Author: James Kerrigan

The Middlebury Sailing Club competed in four regattas this spring while many more members logged countless hours of relaxed sailing on Lake Champlain.

More traditional teams typically have captains to fill leadership roles, but the Sailing Club has deemed three "commodores" as heads of the club -- Hayden Thomsen '07.5, Shannon Donegan '08 (racing commodore) and Pete Wolkowski '07.

Thomsen, the joy-sailing commodore, encourages amiable, casual sailing, saying, "The sailing club is about getting out on the water and having a good time," he said. The Club separated the two sailing "genres" - leisure and competitive - to fulfill the needs of each and every member. "Whether you want to hone your racing skills, cruise Lake Champlain on a beautiful day or learn how to take the helm for the first time, we try our best to offer it all. This year we divided the team into joy sailors and racers. The idea was that it would allow the racers to really focus on their form and teamwork and allow a less intimidating environment for the beginners and joy sailors so they could get out there to enjoy themselves without interrupting the racers' practices," Thomsen explained. The result has been terrific with a successful racing season and "a lot of new faces out on the water to soak up the sun," he added.

On the racing side, the club participated in four regattas, collecting three wins and one second-place finish. In each race, one skipper and one crew sail 420s, small and maneuverable sloops about 14 feet in length. The goal of the event is to be the first boat to complete a course of buoys set in the water. Races are generally short - between 10 and 20 minutes - although some races will last closer to 45 minutes, depending on conditions.

In the first spring event of the season, the Western Series One at Amherst, Middlebury held its own in the A Division and dominated the B Division to take the overall title. After each race (in the two divisions) a boat receives points based on what place it came in (first place receives one point, second place receives two points, etc.). Scores are tallied following several heats in each division. In the A Division, Williams took control by winning all five heats. But Middlebury's B boat of Donegan and Grace Rumford '09.5 sailed beautifully and earned victories in each of its heats. In the end, Middlebury finished with 16 points, edging Williams by six points.

On April 15, Middlebury traveled to the University of Southern Maine for the Eastern Series Two - a different weekend and location, but with same results. With thick fog and winds of six to eight knots, Middlebury won the event through consistency. Both boats tallied 14 points for a team total of 28 to beat Colby by a only one point.

The following weekend, at the Western Series Two in Williams, Middlebury finished second behind the University of Vermont (UVM) in rainy conditions. On weekdays, UVM and Middlebury joined forces and practiced together strengthening each team's competitive advantage. But on the weekend, friends turned into foes (although the intensity hardly matched the Red Sox-Yankees series). The second place finish in the B division offset the first place finish in the "A" division by sailors Donegan and Adam Volmilere '09 and so Middlebury finished second, three points behind UVM.

The spring ended on a high note as Middlebury out-sailed by a "water-slide" (an aqua version of the traditional "land-slide") in the season finale this past weekend. Middlebury finished with 29 points and clobbered Williams (59 points) and Amherst (50 points). Sasha Garfield '09.5 crewed for Donegan in the "A" division - the boat had four first place and two second place finishes. first-year Max Junda skippered the other boat with fellow first-year Adam Volwiler as crew. Although he had almost no sailing experience, Volwiler's boat collected mostly second place finishes to contribute to a Middlebury win.

The spring success, according to tri-commodore Donegan, was "everyone's dedication and enthusiasm." She went on to say, "Because [the club] has done so well this spring, we plan to arrange a more competitive schedule for the fall, including more trophy regattas with highly ranked schools."