NEW LONDON, Conn. —
The United States Coast Guard Academy sailing team competed in five regattas this past weekend between New England and Annapolis. Highlights included second and third place finishes at the Coast Guard Invite; fifth and sixth place finishes at the Navy Small Keelboat Regatta; and a finishes ahead of the U.S. Naval Academy at the Open Atlantic Coast Championship and Yale Women's Regatta.
Open Atlantic Coast Championship / Results
CRANSTON, R.I. — Competing against 18 of the nation's top collegiate teams, the Bears finished 13th overall at the Open Atlantic Coast Championship Final. Sophomores Richard Pokorny (Brick Township, N.J.) and Isabella Clark (Newport Beach, Calif.) were sixth in B Division, demonstrating strong course awareness and effective traffic management on the first beat. The pair capped off Saturday by winning the final race of the day. The Open Atlantic Coast Championship offers a valuable benchmark at the end of the fall season, bringing together many of the country's top programs and providing an early preview of the level of competition the Bears can expect at next spring's fleet race national championships
Sailors: Benjamin Reeser (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Grace Austin (Moorpark, Calif.), Pokorny, Clark, Tomas Riccio (Rochester, N.Y.), Gavin VanManen (Grand Rapids, Michigan.)
Yale Women's Regatta / Results
BRANFORD, Conn. — The women's team finished 12th overall in a competitive 17-team fleet, including placing higher than the U.S. Naval Academy. Sailors completed eight races in each division in 420s and FJs while navigating light breeze and choppy conditions on Saturday, where boat speed and starting execution were key. The regatta also featured a strong cross-regional field that included programs such as Charleston, Stanford and Tulane, giving the Bears a valuable opportunity to compete against teams they rarely see during the regular season.
Sailors: Maddie Murphy (Norfolk, Va.), Grace Boudreau (Tequesta, Fla.), Meara Conley (Hingham, Mass.), Simone Moss (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Ella Demand (Toms River, N.J.), Sydney Zylinski (Lavalette, N.J.)
Coast Guard Invite / Results
NEW LONDON, Conn. — Racing on home waters, the Bears earned second and third place overall with Yale leading the competition. An afternoon breeze of approximately 5–8 knots provided challenging conditions and valuable racing experience on the Thames River.
Sailors: Liam Marcell (Toms River, N.J.), Gabriella Fields (JUneau, Alas.), Gus Fichtenholtz (Branford, N.J.), Austin White (Tampa, Fla.), Peter Judge (Severna Park, Md.), Julian Henderson (Camden, Maine), David Vinogradov (Cocoa Beach, Fla.), Brady Noon (Sayville, N.Y.)
Navy Small Keelboat Regatta / Results
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The offshore team sent two four-person crews to Annapolis, finishing fifth and sixth overall. Bears 2 placed fifth with 29 points, while Bears 1 finished sixth with 33 points. Crews raced through light morning winds before the breeze built to approximately nine knots in the afternoon.
Bears 2: Trenton Mitchell (Cleveland, Wisc.), Anna Buonocore (Naples, Fla.), Nate Blake (Louisville, Ky.), Jacob Grohs (Anna, Tex.)
Bears 1: John Donnelley, Leila Derieux, Connor Lawlor (Woodstock, Ga.), Gavin Kravchuck (Pitman, N.J.)
Fall Brawl Invitational / Results
Juniors Danny Cecil (Annapolis, Md.) and Audrey Beckman (West Chester, Pa.) competed aboard a J/105 at Eastport Yacht Club's Fall Brawl Invitational. Sailing alongside cadets and midshipmen from fellow service academies, they gained experience in a competitive keelboat fleet featuring sailors from Eastport, Annapolis Yacht Club and guest skippers from New York Yacht Club. The combined crew gave cadets an opportunity to work with sailors from fellow academies and adapt to a new team aboard a different platform. The event also strengthened connections with the broader sailing community.
Looking Ahead
This weekend, the Bears will compete in four events: the NEISA Open Conference Championship for the Erwin Schell Trophy in Burlington, Vermont; the NEISA Women's Conference Championship for the Victorian Urn Trophy in Enfield, New Hampshire; the Kennedy Cup in Annapolis, Maryland; and the Terrier Invite in Boston, Massachusetts.
