This past weekend, Jack Schweda (‘24, Helm), Nicole Giuliani (‘24, Main Trim), Cal Lutton (‘26, Primary Jib Trim), Finn Tait (‘25, Primary Spin Trim), Ryan Tatelbaum (25’, Pit), Dylan Gorman (‘25, Mid-Bow), Iván Castañer (‘24, Mast), and Mary Daniels (‘24, Bow) braved the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD to race ICSA Keelboat Nationals: Kennedy Cup. Having never graced the presence of a dip pole, the team used a beautiful 10-12 knot wind on Friday to practice on the Navy 44s after a short car ride of 12 hours from Madison the night prior. Feeling hopeful about our survival chances, the team got some much-needed rest and studied for the following races by watching the cult classic Captain Ron. Saturday's conditions were light, with a 5-7knot breeze. The team raced two races, taking third and first, ending day one, much to the surprise of our competitors, in first place. The wind decided to shut off, so we motored back into the base and went to Dave's Crab Shack for some much-needed crab cakes. Facing a narrow loss at the annual J105 gutter boat races at Eastport Yacht Club, the team met up with fellow Kennedy Cup competitors at the local piano joint to discuss the next day's strategy. However, the strategy was unnecessary as Sunday brought winds of less than three knots, landing us on the water postponement for three hours. Thankfully, Cal Tech brought a speaker, and we brought Oreos, so negotiations took up much of our free time. The ever-so-devoted race committee decided to race one race in the minimal wind, to which the team was not on Lady Luck's side, ending the regatta in second place. Although we didn't secure plane tickets to France, the team had a ton of fun and proved their dominance despite having never sailed a Navy 44. A huge thank you to Amy and Doug Stryker, our lovely hosts, The Daniels family, for a great nap spot, and all of the volunteers at the Naval Academy for a fantastic regatta!
Open Atlantic Tournament (October 21st & 22nd)
Charlie Herrick (26), Kerstin Hyer (25), Abe Weston (25), Christina Drombowski (23), Gavin Dempsey (26), and Ryan Tatelbaum (25) headed out for the Open Atlantic Tournament on Oct 19th, in Annapolis. Thanks to the Tatelbaum family for hosting us, showing us around the city, and being so generous. The first day of the regatta was incredibly windy, with speeds up to 20 knots. Charlie and Kerstin did well in A fleet in the 420, with multiple top-ten finishes and a 2nd! In B fleet, Abe and Ryan struggled to master the FJ in the heavy air but still had decent finishes. After a long day of 10 grueling races, the team headed to AYC to rest and enjoy a nice dinner. The next day was just as heavy. Gavin took over for B fleet and excelled in the 420 with Tina, having multiple top-ten finishes. Charlie and Ryan would go on to sail the first set, but Kerstin swapped into crew for the second. Overall, the team ended in 15th place, an exciting regatta for the Badgers! Big thanks to the Navy for hosting such a great regatta!
Emma B (October 14th & 15th, 2023)
Seamus Hendrickson ('26), Paige Kurtenbach ('27), Nigel Yu ('27), and Carter Harms ('27) traveled to Holland, MI, to compete in the Emma B regatta hosted by Hope College. The regatta started with two postponements due to high wind speeds, and racing was eventually called off for day 1. The wind was up and down throughout the day, often at about 25 knots. On the second day, wind speeds were more favorable at about 15 knots in the morning. Seamus and Paige went out for the first A set and returned with 3rd and 1st place finishes. Nigel and Carter scored 2 2nd place finishes before the next A rotation. Six races were completed for each fleet, with the wind speed staying pretty consistent, although a bit shifty due to the land effect in the bay. The team finished in first place overall, with Seamus and Paige also getting first place in the A fleet and Nigel and Carter getting 2nd place in the B fleet. The regatta allowed the team to practice racing in shifty wind. The team would like to thank the Hope College sailing team for hosting a great regatta and the race officials for allowing us to get plenty of racing on the second day of the regatta.
David Lee Arnoff (October 14th & October 15th, 2023)
Jackie Ruggieri ('27), Mary Daniels ('24), Marley Barret ('27), and Teddy Winters ('26) traveled to Upstate New York to compete in the David Lee Arnoff—hosted by Hobart William Smith College. Jackie and Mary were A skipper and crew, while Marley and Teddy were B skipper and crew, respectively. Both divisions sailed the entirety of the regatta. Day 1 started with an onshore postponement from a front that brought rain and low wind. Around 2 p.m., teams were sent out to wait on the water. The RC quickly got off two races in barely raceable breeze. The key was getting off the line into a clean lane, as there was much crowding at the boat. Their brand new fleet of 420Es was fast through the water. The second day had heavier winds in the 9-18 range, building throughout the day and consistently trending left, with the breeze starting in the north. Early, the course was rather balanced, and playing a side was vital. By the end of the day, however, a persistent shift grew on the left side as the breeze started to come from the northwest, making playing the left side and staying patient very important. Thank you to HWS for pushing us to get as many races as possible.
Women's Atlantic Coast Tournament (October 14th & 15th)
Marissa Tegeder (‘25), Mary Castellini ('25), Ellena Frumiento (’24), and Lauren Salmi (’26) traveled to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. They left Thursday evening, stopped briefly to get some sleep, and arrived late Friday night when they ate delicious tacos before going to bed. Sailing out of the Edgewood yacht club, they had shifty 4-10 knots of NE, N, and NW winds on Saturday. Mary and Ellena started the weekend in FJs, while Marissa and Lauren sailed E420s, and alumni Lucas Quinn (’22) stopped by to visit and gave some great advice. Saturday night, they enjoyed some live music while eating dinner on the cute island of Jamestown. Sunday was colder with more wind, but lots of fun! There was a consistent northerly breeze between 10 and 16 knots. Mary and Ellena sailed E420s, while Marissa and Lauren sailed FJs. By the end of the weekend, both boats had a few top 5 finishes and finished 13th overall. After the races ended, the four sailors made the 17-hour drive back to Madison fueled by Panera bread. Thank you to the Ruggieri family for allowing the Honey Badgers to stay in their home while competing in Rhode Island; it was a cozy place to come home to each night. Overall, it was a great weekend with lots of fun races. Thank you to Brown for hosting a great event!
C of C Women's (October 7th & 8th, 2023)
Wisconsin skippers Marissa Tegeder (‘25) and Jackie Ruggieri (‘27) and Crews Ellena Frumiento (‘24) and Paige Kurtenbach (‘27) traveled to the beautiful Charleston, South Carolina to sail. They arrived Friday night and went straight to bed to get rested for the first day of sailing. It was a beautiful weekend of racing next to the aircraft carrier, with a tremendous north breeze on both days. The regatta was sailed in E420s in a combined fleet, putting all sailors neck and neck. After a great first day of racing, the Wisconsin Honey Badgers were in the lead, with NC State and C of C close behind. After sailing, the sailors went out for a nice Italian dinner to celebrate Paige’s birthday, where they could also enjoy the friendly and warm weather of Charleston! The next day of racing started out pretty breezy with the wind slowly dying until the end of the day of racing, increased current throughout the day also made the day a bit more tricky, as sailors balanced more pressure vs current relief. The Badger sailors sailed hard through the changing conditions and finished the day in second place. The Honey Badgers had a great time in Charleston and would like to thank The Ruggieri family for donating flights to and from the regatta, allowing sailors to be well-rested for their sailing. We would also like to thank the Herman family for housing us for our stay and getting us plenty of gushers to stay fueled on the water.
Becky Blank (October 7th & 8th, 2023)
Marley Barrett ('27), Carter Harms ('27), Thomas Erickson('24), and Nigel Yu ('27) traveled to Lake Michigan to compete in Becky Blank—hosted by northwestern university. Unfortunately, due to strong and high waves on day one, no official races were conducted on the first day. Instead, the team went to Chicken Shack. The second day had lighter winds and fewer waves, and races were conducted. Marley and Nigel skippered for the A and B fleets, respectively, and Carter and Thomas crewed (A,B). The conditions were shifty due to the offshore breeze and made for a left-hand favor at the start of the day. The more giant waves made for fun sailing, the more skippers could try upwind surfing techniques throughout the day. The A fleet did their two races before coming in for rotation. The B fleet went out to race as the wind began coming down, causing the PRO to call for 3 B races back to back to try to make the most of the wind we had left by cutting down on rotation time. They came back after 3 races for the next A rotation. The wind came back up, shifted North, and made for a brief 5-minute race before the PRO called it a day. Despite the shifty wind and shortened time spent on the water, the team had a great time sailing in the challenging conditions and milling around Evanston. The team extends our gratitude towards the Northwestern Sailing Team for housing us for the weekend and hosting a great regatta!
Open ACCs Round 1B (October 7th & 8th, 2023)
Charlie Herrick (‘26), Kerstin Hyer (‘25), Abe Weston (‘25), Tina Dombrowski (‘23), Gavin Dempsey (‘26), and Genna Gallico (‘27) traveled to Boston to compete in the Atlantic Coast Championship Round 1B hosted by Harvard University. On day 1, Charlie and Kerstin headed out for A division and Abe and Tina for B division. On day 1, our boats dealt with shifty conditions and spots of rain, yet still had a fun day of racing. For set 4 of the day, Gavin went into skipper for B fleet. On day 2, the wind picked up considerably. Charlie and Kerstin took on A fleet. For B, Gavin and Genna went in for set 5, and then Abe and Tina finished the weekend in sets 6 and 7. Despite the shifty wind, both divisions secured several top-10 finishes over the weekend and had a great time. Thank you to Genna and her family for having us stay at their house and Harvard for hosting us on the Charles!
IOR (October 6th, 7th & 8th, 2023)
During the weekend of October 6, 7, and 8th, a team comprised of Jack Schweda (‘24, Helm), Nicole Giuliani (‘24, Main Trim), Cal Lutton (‘26, Primary Trim), Finn Tait (‘25, Secondary Trim), Ryan Tatelbaum (25’, Pit), Dylan Gorman (‘25, Floater), Iván Castañer (‘24, Mast), and Mary Daniels (‘24, Bow) traveled to Larchmont Yacht Club on Long Island Sound to participate in the 2023 Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta, hosted by Larchmont Yacht Club and the Storm Trysail Club. The team sailed in the J/109 fleet on the yacht TBD, provided by boat owner Julie O’Dowd. On arrival on Friday, the team reviewed their roles with safety officer Buttons Padin. Subsequently, the team took to the Sound to practice sail trim and boat handling. The team understood the importance of good technique and communication in the corners and focused on practicing that. The first day of racing presented absolutely no wind for most of the morning, condemning the entire fleet to sit in relentless rain until the breeze picked up. Pick up it did, with southeasterly solid winds presenting an exciting setting for the first race, of which the University of Wisconsin was a victory. Unfortunately, the wind kept building, and with sailor safety in mind, the Race Committee called off racing for the day. On the second day, we also saw strong winds on Long Island Sound, this time out of the West. Unfortunately, in the interest of safety, the Race Committee banned spinnakers for the entire day, condemning the team to use just the Jib and Main. This did not deter the team, which went undefeated despite the changed circumstances. The University of Wisconsin Badgers were proud to win the J/109 class and placed second overall, winning the Puff Trophy. Special thanks to Julie O’Dowd for providing her boat and Buttons Padin for his insight and wit throughout the weekend.
Women's ACCs Round 1B (September 30th & October 1st, 2023)
Mary Castellini ('25), Carmen Lineer ('26), Marissa Tegeder ('25), Ellena Frumiento ('24), and Genna Gallico ('27) traveled to St. Mary's College of Maryland this weekend to race in the Women's ACCs Round 1B regatta. Over the course of the weekend, they raced a full round robin with A and B divisions, each racing in FJs and 420s, respectively. On the first day, the A division raced in FJs, and the B division raced in 420s. The breeze started light, around 6-10 knots, and shifty. It also became puffier throughout the day. The shifty conditions emphasized the importance of staying in phase and being prepared to execute maneuvers on short notice. After completing 10 races in both A and B divisions, the team returned to the La Quinta of California, Maryland, and rested up for the next day of racing. On the second day, the A division raced 420s, and the B division raced in FJs. The breeze started slightly heavier today and ended up building to around 15 knots by the end of the day. The conditions proved to be just as puffy and shifty, which kept everyone on their toes. A total of 7 races were completed to finish out the round-robin. Overall, this regatta was a great learning experience, and the team got to practice sailing in challenging, shifty conditions against stiff competition. A highlight of the experience was hammering in some fine boat speed details.
Pere Marquette (September 30th & October 1st, 2023)
Sam Spencer, Ellie Murphy, Iván Castañer, Sophie Lusty ‘24, Ryan Tatelbaum ‘23, and Charlie Herrick ‘22 traveled just down I-94 to Milwaukee for Pere Marquette on September 30th-November 1st. The team was very excited; the wind and weather looked good out of Milwaukee Yacht Club all weekend! Saturday started with good breeze out of the SE, and Charlie and Sophie proved dominant in A division. Iván and Sam began the day in B, with Iván on the sticks for the first time at regatta in his college career! They also put up some good races, with the wind picking up into the afternoon. Ryan subbed in to finish the day, steering A, continuing the domination with all race wins. Ellie went into crew for B, and Sam and Ellie continued this winning streak. Sunday started with a light breeze for the first few races before picking up again for the last few races. This last day was the cherry on top, with all first-place finishes in both divisions and our A division completing their picket fence! The team won both divisions and the overall regatta and had great fun! Thanks to Marquette for putting on a great regatta and alumni Elisabeth Johanson ‘22 for hosting the team! Go Go, Wisco!
Cary Price (September 30th & October 1st, 2023)
Abe Weston (‘25), Ben Weinstein (‘23), Dylan Gorman (‘25), Finn Tait (‘25), and Lauren Salmi (‘26) traveled to Baseline Lake to compete in the Cary Price Memorial Regatta hosted by University of Michigan. Unfortunately, due to extremely light winds staying under 2 knots, no official races were scored for the weekend. Sailors enjoyed hanging out on shore, eating bagels, and hoping for some breeze. A and B fleets went on the water for one set on Sunday, but the races were not scored due to the light wind. A huge thank you to Charlie Childs and Jonathan Thickens for letting us stay at their house and to Michigan for hosting the event!
Sugar Bowl (September 24th & 25th)
Tulane University hosted the Allstate Sugar Bowl. We had 6 schools and 9 teams competing, but contrary to traditional collegiate sailing, both fleets raced together. This made the fleet go from 9 to 18 boats, significantly increasing the event's competitiveness. The first day of racing began with an on-shore postponement. The breeze started rising, so Charlie and Paige went out for A while Jackie and Ryan went for B. It was light and shifty conditions all day. After 4 races, all the teams came in for a lunch break. Seamus and Teddy went in for B to finish the day out. Day two was much of the same. Very light conditions kept us on water postponement for parts of the day. But another 4 races were completed before the cut-off. It was a great weekend of sailing, and the team learned a lot. Thank you, Tulane and SYC, for hosting a great event.
GLIOR (September 23rd, 24th & 25th, 2023)
On September 23rd and 24th, we sailed in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Regatta hosted by Columbia Yacht Club and the Storm Trysail Club in Chicago, Illinois. The Co-Ed team sailed the J/105 Kinship provided by Josh and Laura Lutton and sailed in the J/105 fleet, which consisted of 7 teams. Jack Schweda (‘24) was on the helm, Cal Lutton (‘26) trimmed the main, Sam Spencer (‘24) trimmed headsail, Finn Tait (‘25) was in the pit, Iván Castañer (‘24) was on the mast, and Gavin Dempsey (‘26) was on the bow. The team drove down on Friday afternoon and practiced for about an hour under the setting sun on Friday night. On Saturday, the team was greeted with challenging light and lumpy conditions, with a confused sea state and easterly wind at about 8 knots. Unfortunately, the team had a slow start on Saturday, posting 4 straight 5th-place finishes. However, the team came together on the day's last race to post a first-place finish. The confidence carried over into the following day, which had similar conditions, where the team could post 2 third-place finishes and rounded out the day with another bullet. Thank you to the Dombrowskis for housing the team, and a special thanks to Josh Lutton for providing his boat and taking the time to help support collegiate offshore sailing.
Fall Fury (September 17th & 18th, 2023)
Charlie Herrick (‘26), Gavin Dempsey (‘26), Kerstin Hyer (‘25), Lauren Bemis (‘26), Mary Castellini (‘25), Tina Dombrowski (‘23), Sophie Lusty (‘24), and Marissa Tegeder (‘25) competed at the fall fury regatta this weekend. This was the first dinghy regatta of the season, and our team was excited to put all their preseason work to use. The breeze did not cooperate for day 1 of Fall Fury. Though looking promising on arrival, wind readings stayed below 2 knots the entire day, and with storm cells on the horizon and no forecasted build-in wind speed, racing was called for the day at 2 pm with no races sailing. Forecasts seemed much better for the next day, and the team was eager to get an early start and squeeze in as many races as possible. The team started the day at Fall Fury, with a puffy wind of around 7-10 mph from the north-northeast and choppy conditions. The Badgers started the first set off strong with a 1st and a 2nd. The honey badgers followed close behind with a 3rd and an 8th. In the afternoon, the conditions built to approximately 12-14 mph from the same direction. The quality of these conditions allowed us to complete three sets. The Coed team finished in 2nd place overall, and the women's team finished in 3rd. A huge thank you to our PRO team, AJ Schweda and Joby Boland, and our judges, Mike Kaspar, Michael Lusty, Paul Murray, and Matt Resch.
LEIOR (September 9th & 10th, 2023)
The Wisconsin Keelboat Team competed this weekend at the Lake Erie Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (LEIOR) on Family Truckster, a J92 owned by Anita Bersie-Chabalowski (Class of 2000). Sailing for Wisconsin were Nicole Giuliani (Helm, ’24), Cal Lutton (Main, ’26), Dylan Gorman (Trimmer, ’25), Finn Tait (Pit/Trimmer, ’25), Tina Dombrowski (Mast, ’23) and Ben Weinstein (Bow, ’23). The team departed Madison early Friday morning, reaching North Cape Yacht Club (NCYC) around 2 pm for a practice day. Despite the long drive, the team had a successful practice and felt prepared for the racing to come. Saturday was light air, with winds hovering around 5kt consistent, gusting up to 9kt from the northeast. Racing started with a short fixed-mark race, then switched to buoy racing for 4 races for the day. Wisconsin placed second, third, first, and second off of corrected time. Going into the second day of racing, Wisconsin was 5 points behind Ohio State on a Henderson 30 and 1 point ahead of Indiana University on a J105. Sunday was forecast to be extremely light, but wind filled from the northwest and allowed for a 10.8-mile race around NCYC’s fixed marks. The wind started out consistent, but following the first downwind leg, it became shifty and variable, with significant gaps developing in the fleet. Following an excruciating final downwind leg where the wind dropped to about 2kt, the team finished in second for the distance race. The team finished in second overall, dominating all boats with a similar PHRF rating. They are incredibly pleased with this performance at the first keelboat regatta of the season. They look forward to competing at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (GLIOR) in two weeks in Chicago. The team wants to thank Anita and her family for loaning us their boat for the weekend and Charlie Childs and Jonathan Thickens (Class of 2019) for hosting the team in Ann Arbor. Tina Dombrowksi also deserves credit for going up the mast on Sunday morning, 30 minutes before the first signal, to fix a stuck Windex.
Wisco Women's @ Wisconsin (October 22nd & 23rd, 2022)
The Honey Badgers had a beautiful weekend of fall sailing for the 2022 Wisco Womens Regatta. Honey Badgers 1 consisted of Mary Castellini (‘25) and Emma Komis (‘26), as well as Claire Considine (‘23) and Ellie Murphy (‘24). Honey Badgers 2 consisted of Annabel Bridges (‘23) and Mary Daniels (‘24), and Sydney Mandell (‘26) and Kerstin Hyer (‘25). With gusty winds coming from the south both days, the Wisconsin Women tackled the shifty conditions. Honey Badgers 1 ended the regatta in first place, and Honey Badgers 2 ended in 6th place overall. Thank you to all teams that came and special shoutout to Sophie and Finn for running an awesome regatta!
Streufurt @ Minnesota (October 22nd & 23rd, 2022)
The Wisconsin Sailing Team went down to Minnesota for a rip at Wayzata Bay. Gavin Dempsey ‘26, Carmen Lineer ‘26, Cal Lutton ‘26, Maeve Katics ‘26, and Maddy Netzer ‘26 all sailed fast in their respective divisions throughout the weekend, winning the regatta. The team battled shifty and variable wind conditions. Shoutout John Calvin Lutton. Thanks to Rita Katics for dinner on Friday, and a huge thank you to the Bartel family for their hospitality, especially Louie and Georgie. The team pet at least 10 dogs throughout the weekend.
David Lee Arnoff @ Hobart & William Smith Colleges (October 15th & 16th)
Wisconsin sailors Reed Weston '23, Abe Weston '25, Maeve Katics '26, Lauren Bemis '26, and Matt Keberlein '25, competed at the David Lee Arnoff Trophy regatta at Hobart and Willam Smith Colleges this weekend. The team finished 5th place overall, with A divison finishing in 7th, and B division finishing in 13th. Saturday, the first day of the regatta, was plagued with high gusty winds of up to 30 knots, and large rolling waves barreling down the lake. Resultantly, the regatta officials were forced to postpone all racing until Sunday. All day Sunday, conditions were amazing for sailing. A steady 12 knot breese out of the south made for a great, fair day of racing. Keys to success were getting a good, clean, start off the line, keeping a clean lane up the course, and surfing the remaining waves downwind. The breese and course was largely left favored all day long, so getting left was also a major key to succes at this regatta. Overall, the badgers are happy with their performance at the David Lee Arnoff Trophy Regatta and can't wait to hopefully return next year!
Women's Atlantic Coast Championship OR Tournament @ KP OR NYM (October 15th & 16th, 2022)
Marissa Tegeder'25 and Sophie Lusty'25 raced A fleet, and alternate Claire Considine'23 while Mary Castellini'25 and Emma Komis'26 took on B fleet. The first day was filled with ten races and strong current along the East River. The second day only had one race as the wind died and racing was cancelled. The team finished 12th overall which is one of the best season finishes ever for the women's team out East! There were great results from the gals in B fleet who got an 8th place finsish overall and A fleet finishing 16th respectively. We are thankful for our amazing hosts in New Jersey, especially Spinnaker, and were excited about being able to visit Sophie's hometown!