Spring Regatta Reports

SCOR

The breeze was on at the Southern Collegiate Offshore Regatta, hosted by Carolina Yacht Club. Jack Schweda '24 was on the sticks, Cal Lutton '26 on main, Finn Tait '25 and Charlie Herrick '26 were trimming, Ivan Castaner '24 was in the pit, and Gavin Dempsey '26 was on the bow. The team was racing on Das Boot, a Dehler Optima 101. The team became acclimated to the boat with a practice day on Friday, with racing all day Saturday and Sunday. The weather was foul the entire weekend, with rain, heavy wind, and storms the majority of the time spent practicing and racing. The team didn't get the results they hoped for, but they ate strombollis, wore their bangers on Sunday, learned a lot, and had a good time. Huge thank you to Scott Herman and his family for their generous hospitality, great conversation, and willingness to host the team for the weekend. And of course, a special thank you to Jim O'Connor for allowing us to race his boat, and for his confidence in the team to push his boat in heavy conditions.

USF Women's Team Race

Marissa Tegeder (‘25), Carmen Lineer (26’), Mary Castellini (25’), Emma Komis (26’), Sydney Mandell (26’), and Lauren Salmi (26’) traveled to the University of Southern Florida to compete in the first team racing regatta of the season. The team departed on Thursday afternoon to make the drive to southern Florida by Friday afternoon. We made the long drive safely and had a really good time along the way. Big shoutout to Motel 6 on the Tennessee-Georgia border for making us want to get back on the road as quickly as possible. The Dunkin’ in Georgia was also top notch. As soon as we finished the long journey we took a quick walk to the beach for a sunset swim upon arrival. The first day of racing started out the basin as the sea breeze had not filled in yet. The morning breeze was around 4-5 knots with flat water. After lunch the sea breeze came in at around 8-12 knots and the racing moved outside of the harbor. The first couple of round robbens were a bit rough while we got warmed up after a long winter of no sailing, but as the day progressed our boat speed and tacks got better and we were able to make some plays happen. After sailing, we gave Sam Bartel a call for some advice on the starts and the down winds. He gave us some great tips and resources we were excited to use on the water for day two. Day two started out with 5-7 knots out of the basin. We sailed a round robbin and a half before the wind died as the sea breeze came in and we went in for lunch. After lunch the sea breeze filled and we went out for one last race in the beautiful 12-14 knots. Throughout the regatta we found that it was important to set a lot of small goals and determine priorities for every race. It was overall a fantastic event where we learned a lot and got to brush up on our sailing skills early in the season. We were excited to see how much we improved and were able to compete with the other teams, who have been able to practice this winter. A huge thank you to the Gorman family for letting us stay in their beautiful home, and getting food for us, as well as buying us dinner. Another thank you to Sam Bartel for helping us out with tactics and some great resources, so we could go into day 2 with some new insight. The Honey Badgers are amped up for a great season!

Garner-Tullis Team Race at Tulane

Gavin Dempsey ('26) Carmen Lineer ('26) Charlie Herrick ('26) Kate Thickens ('23) Lucas Quinn ('23) and Noah Hallerman ('23) traveled to the great state of LA for the first open team race regatta of the season. The group was unsure what to expect after hearing that they were staying with Gavin's Chicago barber, Mike, who recenelty relocated to New Orleans, but still traveled back to cut hair. Gavin's barber and his wife turned out to be extremly kind upon meeting them. The team explored the city friday night and came home early to prepare for the competition the next day. After a restful night the team was ready to race. Racing started just outside the harbor entrance of Southern Yacht Club. The leftover swells and light morning winds on Saturday proved challenging conditions for the team. The team was getting used to being back in the boat after a long winter of no sailing and was able to shake off the rust and be exceptionally competitive. The team completed 3 round robins on saturday and came out with 4 wins. 3 wins against Rice University, and 1 againt University of Texas. After a long day of sailing with minimal breaks during rotations, and lots of sunburn, the team headed straight to dinner. After a feast of southern barbeque they headed back to Mike's house to debreif the day and prepare for tommorrow. Sunday the winds were a light 6-8 knots from the northeast. After completing two round robins the team came out with 3 wins, 2 of these wins against Rice University. The team had an impressive victory over Tulane University in the last round with a 1-2 finish. At the end of the regatta they came out with a record of 7 wins and 13 losses. Although the team had not practiced in months they were still able to have many good races against some very skilled opponents. After a short day of sailing the team began their drive back to Madison and arrived early Morning. Special thanks to Gavin's barber Mike and his wife Andrea for housing the team this weekend!

J70 invite #2 at Coast Guard

After some great j70 sailing on spring break, Seamus Hendrickson ('25, helm), Cal Lutton ('26, main trim), Charlie Herrick ('26, kite and jib trim), and Gavin ('26, bow) left early on Thursday, March 23rd for Connecticut and stopped in NYC for some bagels. They had a practice day on Friday, but unfortunately there was very little wind, although it was still good to get some time in the boat as none of them had sailed together yet. Saturday was the first day of racing, and although there were very shifty conditions, they discovered that tactically it played into their strengths. They finished the first day leading the event, which had them all really excited for the rest of the event. The next day of racing was also very shifty, but much windier. The racing was really close and competitive all day, and the badger finished the event in third place overall. We had a great time and everybody they met at Coast Guard was so welcoming. The team thanks Pam and Dan Weinstein's house for hosting and providing for them the whole event, and looking forward to coming back to Coast Guard to race more J70s in the future!

MCSA Womens Team and Fleet Race Championship

Mary Castellini (‘25), Emma Komis (‘26), Marissa Tegeder (‘25), Carmen Lineer (‘26), Sydney Mandell (‘26), Lauren Bemis (‘26), and Claire Considine (‘23) all competed this weekend in the MCSA Women’s Team Race and Fleet Race quals hosted by the University of Michigan sailing team. Friday started off with a brief morning postponement due to weather and a lack of wind. Over the course of the day the wind became shifty and puffy, but sailable. 3 full round robins were completed, and it was a tight competition until the very end, where Wisco claimed second place. On Saturday the day started in postponement with rain and no wind. When the wind did fill in, there were gusts up to 30 knots. Only two A races were ran before it became too windy for most of the fleet and racing was concluded for the day. The group went out to a dinner at HopCat in downtown Ann Arbor. The wind on Sunday was very different from yesterday, often not even registering enough velocity to start. But, despite difficult wind shifts, six more races were ran. Wisco finished with a solid win, earning a berth to the ICSA Women's Fleet Race National Championship! A huge thank you to Scott Corder, Lisa Corder, and all of the volunteers for running race committee and making the regatta possible, as well as the Michigan Sailing team for hosting the Honey Badgers at one of their houses and for hosting the regatta!

Vietor Trophy

Lucas Quinn '23. Ellie Murphy '24, Abe Weston '25, Tina Dombrowski '23, and Noah Hallerman '23 traveled to US Coast Guard Academy for the Connecticut Valley Dinghy Championship Trophy.Lots of rain for the the first few hours of the day! Sailed 420's only and although it did get up to 25 knots briefly the big breeze that was forecasted for the entire day never materialized. SSW 12-16 knots then backed of to under 8knots from the WSW for the last two A races. Sunday brought brisk NW breeze in the high teens in the morning. B Division went out in 420's and A in FJ's but after one race it became apparent that 420's only was the way to go so we put the FJ's away for the day. Six B division races and four A Division races were sailed for the day. Huge thank you to the CGA Sailing team for running the event and assisting many capsized boats throughout the weekend. Congratulations to Roger Williams for winning the event.

Big Ten Team Race

Cal Lutton, Maeve Katics, Teddy Winters, Maddy Netzer, ('26) Finn Tait, Kerstin Hyer, and Seamus Hendrickson ('25) went out to Baseline Lake, Michigan, for the Big 10 Team Race. Saturday started cold and rainy, showing why this was a dry suit required regatta. Fortunately, the team had six dry suits, so Cal, Maeve, Seamus, Kerstin, Finn, and Maddy suited up for the day. The team had their first race against Michigan, and were able to get in a first win, leading to confidence throughout the day. A break was taken around lunch due to a hail storm followed by dying wind. After a yummy pizza lunch provided by Michigan, the wind filled and racing continued. The winning streak continued, and the day was rounded out with back to back wins against Northwestern. Racing ended early due to storms. After a long but successful day of racing, the sailors took a nap, and then walked around Ann Arbor looking for a Tasty dinner. They were delighted to find Nameste Flavour, which served delicious south indian food. They were also fortunately able to see some friends in Ann Arbor, before going to bed early. Sunday came, and unfortunately Teddy didn't wake up early enough to get Starbucks. This did not stop him though, as he alternated in for Maddy. The day was cold, but at least it wasn't raining. Wind stayed consistent around 10-12 knots, gusting to 15. Fueled by the bagels provided by Michigan, the team started the day off with a win against Michigan. Unfortunately the team lost the next race to Notre Dame, but it was a valuable lesson in sailing clean. However, the team were able to win as 1-2-3 for all the following races, including a rematch with Notre Dame. This brought them to an impressive amount of wins, 11/1. Racing finished around 1 as the rounds finished. The sailors loved the Big 10 Trophy, and were fascinated with the story of Mr. Griswold on the plaque. The team headed home, and let Chicago Cal find a Mexican restaurant to recharge. Food was found, and the team got back to Madison Sunday night, and were snug as a bug in bed for classes Monday. BIG thank you to Michigan Sailing for running a great regatta, letting us stay in a house, and the food!

MCSA Open Fleet and Team Race Championship

Friday morning greeted the MCSA Open Team Race Championship with light and shifty conditions. The wind gradually built through the day to 15 knots, and the southerly shifts made for some competitive and difficult racing. Everyone fought very hard, and it was a close competition until the very end when Purdue claimed the lead. The sailors for this event were Reed Weston '23, Allison Hansen '23, Charlie Herrick '26, Kerstin Hyer '25, Lucas Quinn '23, Lauren Bemis '26, Abe Weston '25, and Cristina Dombrowski '23. The MCSA Open Fleet Racing Championship left the team little time to rest, with some crazy wind fluctuations making Saturday tough, though the weather left nothing to complain about. The wind ranged from too low to race, to over 20 knots, forcing sailors to be very careful with their tactics. The team managed to prove their mettle, with an impressive score sheet for the day. Sunday morning had very different conditions, with cold rain, and 5-12 knots of wind. We squeezed out 3 races per fleet to wrap up the regatta. Wisconsin finished with a solid win, meaning you will see us at fleet race nationals again! The sailors for this event were Reed Weston '23, Allison Hansen '23, Kate Thickens ’23, Abe Weston '25, Cristina Dombrowski '23, Charlie Herrick '26, Kerstin Hyer '25, and Noah Hallerman ’23. A big thank you to Sophie Lusty ’24 and Finn Tait ’25 for running a great regatta! We’d also like to thank the race committee, Scott Corder and Lisa Corder, as well as chief umpire Geoff Pedrick, and umpires John Porter and Mike Kasper. A final thanks to the team race umpire boat drivers Jono Bailey, Dave Elsmo, and Noah Janssen.

Admiral's Cup

On Thursday, April 20th, Reed Weston (‘23), Kate Thickens (‘23), Charlie Herrick (‘26), George Lockwood (‘25), Lucas Quinn (‘23), Marissa Tegeder (‘25), and Noah Hallerman (‘23) packed up the van and headed to New York. When the group arrived in the city on Friday, they were determined to pack as much as they could into one afternoon. They visited the Oculus, 9/11 Memorial, Grand Central, Times Square, and even Wo Hop, which came at the recommendation of the 2019 IOR group. In the morning, the group hit Utopia bagels to fuel up for the day and headed to Kings Point shortly after. Reed and Kate started off in A, with Marissa and Noah in B. The day started off with a light NW breeze around 8 kts, but ranged up to 18 kts over the 9 races throughout the day. After the lunch break, the breeze got pretty funky as it fought a south easterly. The south easterly eventually took over and the course was reset. It was tough competition, but those who sailed learned a ton and Reed led a great debrief back at the Airbnb on starting strategies. The plan for Sunday was to have Charlie and George sail in A, with Lucas and Noah in B. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans and the regatta was called after just one race that day. With a little bit of a head start on the drive, the sailors arrived home before 6am ready to start the new week. In just a few weeks, Wisco will be back at Kings Point for Open and Women’s Fleet Race Nationals!

ODU Women’s Team Race

The Honey Badgers (Mary Castellini (‘25), Carmen Lineer (‘26), Marissa Tegeder (‘25), Lauren Salmi (‘26), Jackie Ruggieri (‘27), and Paige Kurtenbach (‘27)) traveled to Virginia to kick off their season (and Women’s History Month) in the Old Dominion University Women's Team Race. The first day of racing started late to avoid a morning rainstorm, but they still completed 2 round-robins (10 races). The breeze in the morning was around 12 mph out of the north, but by the end of the day, it had shifted to the east and dropped in velocity throughout the day. The day's focus was shaking off the winter boat handling rust and dialing up the boat speed. The Honey Badgers quickly got up to speed and took two wins on the day, with valuable lessons learned from multiple other competitive races. The second day was sunny with lighter winds around 6-9 mph out of the west, which shifted and lightened to the east by the end of the day. 5 races were completed, with an emphasis placed on well-timed boat maneuvers in the lighter winds. The starts were tough, but the sailors could be competitive through upwind maneuvers. Overall, a ton of progress was made throughout the event, and the Honey Badgers feel good about their momentum going into the beginning of the spring season! The most enormous thank you goes to Julie Wilson for helping the Honey Badgers have a safe and comfortable place to stay. It makes a huge difference when our teams can rest well during competitive events.

Garner-Tullis Team Race

On the weekend of March 2nd and 3rd, the Wisconsin Sailing Team competed in the Garner-Tullis Team Race hosted by Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Calvin Lutton (‘26), Nigel Yu (’27), Quinn Kaiser (’26), Carter Harms (’27), Charlie Herrick (’26), and Emma Komis (’26) finished tied for fourth of eight teams on a 7-7 record. The competition took place in the brackish waters of Lake Pontchartrain. Saturday saw the light and shifty breeze under melancholic gray skies. Sunday was sunnier, with wind ranging from feeble to 8 knots. While off the water, the team explored New Orleans’ historic French Quarter, enjoying the city’s delicious cuisine and rich musical heritage. We want to thank Patty and Chad Dickson for housing the team in their Memphis home on the drive down. We would also like to thank James Dickson and Bob, Theresa, Becky, and Charlotte Biwer for showing up to cheer on the team in New Orleans. This weekend was an excellent start for a spring sailing season showing great promise. We feel that a few factors further reenforce this. First, none of the sailors representing Wisconsin had sailed a dingy since last fall, and all the competition at this event hailed from warm-weather schools practicing already. Furthermore, for some, this was their first time sailing in a team racing regatta or competing in FJs. Overall, the team feels that this weekend represents a solid performance and the potential to accomplish greater things very soon.