CNU looks to sail past the competition

Jesse Hutcheson/ CNU OCPR

Most students use the weekend to relax and take a break from the demanding and hectic school week, but every weekend the Christopher Newport University Sailing Team is busy competing, aiming for victory.

“Sailboat racing is basically Nascar on water. The goal is to beat everyone else and be the fastest boat,” said sophomore Mary Catherine Buhl.

The CNU Sailing Team was founded in 1966, before the school became an official university. It is a part of the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA) conference, which is a part of the seven direct associations that schedule and direct competitions.

The MAISA consists of various sailing teams from the Mid-Atlantic States, as well as some of the top teams in the country. The Sailing Team is not a club team but a varsity sport at CNU.

Unlike other sports, there are not divisions in sailing. Instead, each individual team at a competition has a “Division A” and a “Division B” team and both divisions’ scores are combined to make up the score for the entire team. Sailing is a low point scoring system, meaning ultimately where a boat finishes in the race determines the score.

The team competes every weekend, sometimes attending more than one competition, in both the fall and the spring. Competitions are called “regattas,” a series of races, and are two day events. They sail with small two person boats consisting of two sails, which are classified as either 420’s or FJ’s. Each hosting school has their own fleet of boats to be used during the regattas and usually about eight or more teams compete at an individual regatta.

The Sailing team is co-ed, which is unusual compared to most sports. They practice two to three times a week and have a fleet of 16 boats; eight of each classification.

The CNU Sailing Center is located in Deep Creek, about six miles away from campus, and practices are usually on Tuesdays, Thursdays and, if they are not traveling to a regatta, Fridays. The Sailing team practices in the creek to learn to manuver the courses and winds, and on the James River for open water practice.

Unlike many sports, Sailing does not send the entire team to every competition. “Boats” of people are sent to each regatta, which consists of pairs of people who sail together in practice. The boats also include a skipper, who steers the boat, and a crew, who assists the skipper and is also in charge of the jib sail (the small sail in the front).

The reason why CNU sailing competes every weekend is not just to win the individual regatta; those are just the little battles leading up to the big war. The main goal for the team, as well as most college and university sailing teams, is to qualify for the National Championships held in the summer. Throughout the season there are qualifiers that the sailing team must win in order to qualify for nationals.

Last year the team ended the spring season in May with a victory at the Jeremy A. Pinkerton Memorial Regatta, winning by a 16-point margin. The team also qualified for the War Memorial Regatta, which is a qualifier for Semi-Nationals.

“We are hoping to do so again this season,” said Senior Sailing Team member Kira Munger.

Many members of the team had previous sailing experience before coming to CNU. Buhl has been sailing since she was five and has been an active member of the CNU team for two semesters.

Munger also had past experience with sailing. She grew up in Fair Haven, N.Y., located next to Lake Ontario. She began racing sailboats in middle school and has experience on various types of boats.

“I began actively racing JY 15s and 420s, since then I’ve sailed Sunfish, Lightnings, J22s, Ctalina 38s and J30s, and I’ve been active in J24 fleet,” said Munger.

Amy Craven, a junior, has been sailing since she was seven on her family boat in Maine. Her first time in competitive sailing however, was not until she arrived at CNU. Craven said that the team is like a family.

“We are a small team therefore we get to know each other very well,” said Craven. Craven added that the Sailing team works together as a whole and one person can easily affect the rest of the team.

“We are constantly learning from each other and working to improve the team as a whole,” said Craven.

The Sailing team is led by assistant coach, Kate McClintock, and head coach, Dan Winters. McClintock is a graduate of CNU’s class of 2008. While attending CNU, McClintock was one of the best sailors, and was added to the list of Honored Sailors.

Winters has been sailing for 44 years, and has been a professional sailmaker for 33 years. Winters has a long list of previous achievements and experiences in sailing, including serving on the Florida Sailing Associate Appeals Committee and winning numerous sailing races.

Winters was named the coach of the CNU Sailing team in 1991, and was induced into the Intercollegiate Sailing Associate’s Hall of Fame in 2003 as the winner of the 2002-2003 Outstanding Service-Professional Award. Needless to say, Winters has enough experience to be a successful coach and lead his Sailing Team to victory.

This upcoming weekend, Sept. 24 and 25, the Sailing Team will be competing at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. Spectators are welcome to come watch, show their support and hang out with the team.

Posted by Samantha Bronson on Sep 21 2011. Filed under Sailing, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.