Apr 27, 2026 @ 08:04:41 EDT
A steely grey sky greeted the 10 teams from across the Midwest to Central Ohio to compete for the 2026 MISSA Baker Championship. A cool northerly breeze steadily fluctuated between 6-12 knots through the day allowing our masterful PRO Jamie Jones to complete a full double round robin of 90 races in order to split the fleet into our Gold and Silver divisions for Sunday. A joyful ruckus could be heard among the sailors as sportsmanship and comradery filled the air as race after race was completed. As the spray settled, one team separated themselves from the rest with 5 others within striking distance to our 3 additional post-season berths.
Alas, another day of spectacular racing is set for Sunday, so stay tuned for more fun filled racing on the mighty Hoover Reservoir!
Another cool and cloudy day greeted the fleet Sunday morning. The splits for gold and silver were made after Saturday's marathon day. Upon agreement of the coaches, the top 6 sailed in Gold while the remaining sailed in Silver. We quickly moved through the first round robin of each fleet and after a minor delay waiting for the breeze to settle in, the 2nd round robin was completed by 2pm.
Race 114 was resailed due to a breakdown. Another 132 races were completed over the 2 day regatta. Jones College Prep carried an undefeated record into their last race with Arrowhead only to lose a squeaker right at the finish line for their only blemish on an otherwise perfect weekend. Congrats to Jones and Arrowhead for qualifying for Nationals and New Trier and Minnetonka for qualifying for NIT.
Many thanks to our intrepid race management staff including PRO Jamie Jones, CHUMP Clark Chapin, Dockmasters Nick Byerly and Mia Eisma and all of our mark wranglers and umpires that gave tirelessly of their time this weekend to make this event run smoothly. Thanks to Erin S and Sofia A for managing the feeding of the masses all weekend and to all of our food runners, including Jamie's wife Kristen for running for pizza Sunday afternoon!
