2017 Downeast Championship

Racing began, with 20 boats on the line, at 10:30 in Smith Cove with a steady 10 knot Easterly, with a shift to the South later in the day. With a storm forecast to bring rain and wind gusts over 40 on Mothers Day Sunday, the Race Committee worked to get as many races in as possible, finishing 8 races in each division about 4:30.

Racing was exciting as the lead changed during the day and remained close after eight with 14 points separating first and second place and third and fourth within striking distance. Of six schools vying for the Maine State Championship, two were essentially tied and two others not far behind.

After racing, teams gathered at the Castine Yacht Club for a barbecue get together.

With the impending forecast for Sunday looking bad, the race committee and coaches met to determine an alternative if Sunday morning proved to be too challenging to attempt more races. The decision was to try and get at least two more sets in, one A and one B, assuming the worst of the heavy weather would hold off until noon.

Teams arrived at the MMA waterfront to a steady light rain and a light Northeast breeze 5-7 knots. With the heavy weather expected to hold off until noon, the Race Committee got teams on the water by 10:00 and set to go by 10:30. One set of races was completed for each division, making 10 races for the series, the last two sets of which proved decisive, with first and second place being decided by 4 points, Tabor edging Belmont Hills, and the Maine State Championship decided on a head-to-head tie break, the decision going to Camden Hills Regional High School!

Promptly at noon, racing had been abandoned, as the temperature dropped, the rain got heavier and strong wind gusts began.

Thanks and appreciation to the Maine Maritime Academy for hosting the event: Race Committee chair Caroline McNally, waterfront staff, Dana Willis Director, for setting marks, crewing the committee boat, ferrying sailors, parents and observers out into Smith Cove, maintenance of boats and breakdown fixes of which there were none, George Stevens Academy Athletic Director Larry Gray, assistant GSA sailing coach Andy Stephenson, and for the 20th or so year in a row, Dee Powell, for registering teams, checking teams into and out of the dorms, calling finishes and bringing lunch out to the floats!

The following chart shows the relative rank of the teams as of the race indicated. Note that the races are ordered by number, then division, which may not represent the order in which the races were actually sailed.

The first place team as of a given race will always be at the top of the chart. The spacing from one team to the next shows relative gains/losses made from one race to the next. You may hover over the data points to display the total score as of that race.