The United States Coast Guard Academy sailing team delivered an impressive weekend of competition, highlighted by multiple podium finishes and two dominant wins at home, as the Bears competed across four regattas in challenging and highly variable conditions.
NEW LONDON, Conn. — The offshore team set the tone at J/70 Invite #2, hosted at home on the Thames River, where the Bears secured a commanding first-place finish among eight teams. Coast Guard outpaced second-place Kings Point by seven points, showcasing consistency across a wide range of conditions. Saturday brought dynamic winds ranging from 5 to 25 knots with significant oscillations from west-northwest to north, while Sunday's lighter south-southwest breeze required some adjustment that the Bears handled with ease. The winning team featured seniors Connor Boudreau (Suffield, Conn.), Alexis Taylor (Mason, Mich.), and Hudson Holden (Harspell, Maine) and freshmen Adam Schaefer (Iowa City, Iowa) and Josh Stanford (Mequon, Wisc.).
NEW LONDON, Conn. — The Bears claimed another victory at the Callahan Trophy Team Race. Competing in 6 to 22 knots of shifty west to northwest breeze, Coast Guard put together a strong series to take first place and secured a qualifying spot for the Women's New England Team Race Championship in two weeks. The winning roster included seniors Julia Conneely (Tampa, Fla.) and Allie Nystrom (Barnstable, Mass.), sophomores Meara Conley (Hingham, Mass.), Olivia Spada (Huntington, N.Y.) and Ella Demand (Toms River, N.J.), and freshmen Maddie Murphy (Norfolk, Va.) and Grace Boudreau (Tequesta, Fla.).
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A separate squad traveled to Boston to compete in the Lynn Marchiando Trophy Team Race at MIT. Despite difficult and inconsistent conditions, including winds ranging from 3 to over 20 knots and even a brief period of waterspout and microburst conditions, the Bears battled through a challenging regatta to place 14th. Representing Coast Guard were seniors Bradley Whiteway (Potomac, Md.), Luke Zylinski (Lavallette, N.J.), and Charlie Pohl (Euclid, Ohio), juniors Julian Henderson (Camden, Maine), Gavin VanManen (Grand Rapids, Mich.), and Grace Austin (Moorpark, Calif.), and freshmen Peter Judge (Severna Park, Md.), and Richard Pokorny (Brick Township, N.J.).
NEW LONDON, Conn. — Coast Guard also found success at the Vietor Trophy, hosted by Connecticut College, finishing third in a deep 18-team field. The Bears delivered a strong performance across both days, opening with 8 to 15 knots from the north that gradually shifted northwest, followed by a lighter southwest breeze on Sunday that built throughout the day. The lineup consisted of senior Caroline Odell (Burke, Va.), sophomores Ella Demand (Toms River, N.J.) and Gabriella Fields (Juneau, Alas.), and freshmen William Bryant (Lawrenceville, Ga.), John Fichtenholtz (Branford, Conn.), and Will Clay (Leonardtown, Md.).
The Bears will look to carry this momentum into another busy slate of competition next weekend. Coast Guard is scheduled to compete at the Mystic Lake Team Race hosted by Tufts, the Emily Wick Regatta at Connecticut College, the NEISA Team Race Championship at Brown, and J/70 Invite #3 at CGA.
