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!