Eight sailing teams from around the Northeast converged to Castine, Maine at the Maine Maritime Waterfront Saturday, September 10 for the Penobscot Bay Open and the Harman Trophy. Maine Maritime finished 2nd and 3rd out of eight teams in the Harman Trophy and 6th and 7th out of eight in the Penobscot Bay Open.
The wind cooperated only hesitatingly on Saturday, and not at all on Sunday.
In the Penobscot Bay Open, a lazy morning northerly backed around to the SW as the sea breeze crept up the bay. The fleet of 18 420's completed 8 races, and the Colgates completed 4. Winds briefly peaked at 6-7 knots in the late afternoon, allowing for some longer courses to be sailed. Tufts sailed away from the fleet repeatedly to claim first place. Salve Regina ended the day firmly in second, and Vermont won a closely contested mid-fleet battle against Mass Maritime, the two Maine Maritime teams, Northeastern, and University of Rhode Island. There was no wind to race with on Sunday. All five of the Mariner pairs that competed had at least one top five finish in the combined A and B fleet on the day. While 4th place overall was tantalizingly close for both Mariner teams, they never got the chance to fight for it on Sunday.
In the racing for the Harman Trophy out in the bay, Bowdoin and MMA 1 battled in the front of the fleet, and ended the day with Bowdoin in first by only one point. The mid-fleet competition was also very tight, with the University of Rhode Island, Tufts, and MMA 2, all vying for 3rd place. Unfortunately the calm conditions on Sunday left everyone feeling robbed of a second day of great competition. The results from Saturday stood: 1) Bowdoin 2) MMA 1 3) MMA 2.
The Harman Cup is named for Phil Harman, longtime MMA Waterfront Director, and member of the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Hall of Fame. The top 4 teams at the event qualify for the New England Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (NEISA) Match Racing Championship at the Coast Guard Academy. While both MMA teams finished in the top 4 in the event, only one may attend the Championship in October.
All in all the event was a great showing for Mariners Sailing, as we embark on an exciting season. "Thank you to the MMA waterfront staff, and all of the volunteer and student support that made this event a success," said Maine Maritime's Sailing Coaches, Patrick DiLalla and John Settles.
Up Next: Maine Maritime returns to action next weekend for the Hatch Brown Trophy hosted by MIT, the Barnett Trophy hosted by Bowdoin College, and Shields Trophy hosted by Navy.
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