MASSA 2024 Fleet Championship & Mallory Qualifier

Eighteen schools from all five MASSA leagues arrived at Toms River Yacht Club for the Spring Fleet Championship and Mallory Qualifier. It was a beautiful weather day for sailing, with sunny skies, temperatures in the 60s, and a consistent breeze. The wind started at a northeast direction, but clocked right until it settled from the south-southeast at 8-12 knots. In total, 18 races were completed on the day with 15 LA2 and three WA3 courses sailed.

At the conclusion of Saturday's racing, Southern Regional held a 19-point lead over second place Christchurch. Seton Hall Prep, Severn, and Norfolk Academy were all separated by just 10 points between third and fifth place. Sunday's racing is bound to be tight for the top four spots to advance to the Mallory National Championship.

Four protests were heard on Saturday afternoon, resulting in two DSQs. Racing is set to begin by 0930 on Sunday morning.

The second day of the MASSA Spring Fleet Championship saw similar breeze from the south-southeast, albeit without much sun and periodic rain showers. The breeze trickled east as the day progressed, ranging from 6-12 knots in velocity. Ten races were completed on Sunday before the 1400 hour cutoff, ending with Race 14B for a regatta total of 28 races.

It was a nice Sunday for the Christchurch School (VISA), as the Seahorses ascended into first place by the end of the series with 154 points. The Severn School (MDISA) jumped from fourth to second over the course of Sunday, ending with 158 points. Southern Regional (NJISA) finished as a strong third place team with 168 points. Christian Brothers Academy (NJISA) used a late surge into fourth place with 177 points to solidify MASSA's four Mallory National Championship qualifiers. These four schools will travel to the College of Charleston for the Fleet Race Nationals on June 1-2.

Norfolk Academy, Seton Hall Prep, Archbishop Spalding, Hampton Roads, and Stony Brook finished fifth through ninth to qualify for the Phebe King Memorial Trophy National Invitational. The PKM will be hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club on June 1-2.

In A Division, it was Seton Hall Prep's Drew D'Orsi and Colby Christian that narrowly won over Severn School's Ava Cornell, Harrison Szot and Scarlett Harris. Christian Brothers' Christopher Small and Mitchell Hnatt finished third in A Division.

The B Division was won by Norfolk Academy's James Allgeier and Marin Soderberg by an impressive 27 points. Christchurch's William Angus, Bennet Moss and Brooke Mertz were second, while Southern Regional's Jude Ryon, Erin Little and Noah Tallman finished third.

One protest was filed and heard on Sunday afternoon, resulting in one DSQ.

A huge thank you to everyone who made this MASSA Championship possible: Dr. Randall Nunn (Regatta Chair & Mark Boat), Dave Magno (PRO), Jody Lutz (Mark Boat), John Paggi (RC boat), Harry Foote (Chief US Sailing Judge), Peter Chirlian (US Sailing Judge), Vince Harris (US Sailing Judge), and Jason Lutz (Scoring & MASSA Rep).

For the third time in four years (plus the 2023 Mallory Nationals), Toms River Yacht Club welcomed 18 MASSA teams of sailors, coaches and supporters with open arms, allowing use of the clubhouse and sailing center. The Barnegat Bay Yacht Racing Association graciously provided the 18 CFJs and a 18-foot Ribcraft RIB. A special thank you to Island Heights Yacht Club for lending its floating dock for the event and to TowBoat US Barnegat Light for moving the dock for us. Finally, CBA's Larry Levanti provided the on-water photography for the regatta.

Congratulations and good luck to Christchurch, Severn, Southern Regional, and Christian Brothers at the Mallory Nationals in Charleston! MASSA looks forward to hosting the PKM with five of our teams at AYC as well!

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.