United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Sailing

CAMBRIDGE, MASS.--(10/29/06)--The Coast Guard Academy Sailing team finished 4th at the Erwin Schell Trophy hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this past weekend. The 4th place finish qualified the team for a berth at the Atlantic Coast Championship on November 11 and 12 at Brown University. The last time the Bears qualified for the Championship was in the 2001.

Windy conditions at the Schell Trophy hosted by MIT.

Although the forecast for Saturday looked severe, the sailors at MIT were greeted with fantastic sailing conditions on the Charles River. After a great day of racing, Seniors Rob Gorman and Kyra Chin found themselves in 12th place while Juniors Noel Shriner, Linden Dahlkemper, and Emily Kehrt found themselves in 3rd place. The Bears were in 6th place overall after day one with plenty of room to advance.

Sunday’s forecast proved to be true. A west wind of 30-50 knots kept the fleet on shore until noon. When it was finally deemed safe to sail, both divisions raced in Tech Dinghy’s with smaller sails due to the high winds. The Coast Guard sailors were very fast in the tough conditions, putting up scores in the top five in all races, and were able to move up the ranks two spots on day two, finishing 4th overall.

The Bears will use the next two weeks of practice to prepare for the Atlantic Coast Championship. They are hoping for another good finish at the Championship, which will move them up in the national rankings.