The San Diego Yacht Club hosted a national level sailing match at college level last weekend.
In the 2016 College Sailing Match Racing Nationals there were ten teams that participated and the racing events were held at the San Diego Bay. The teams that raced had J/22s as their boats and were fighting for the Cornelius Shields Sr. Trophy. The competition was a format akin to round robin. As on 18th when the races commenced, there was a semi final planned for the weekend depending on the breeze conditions.
In 18th the racing started around eleven in the morning. When the AP flag was hoisted the wind was light and it remained under 6 knots during the afternoon while it dropped to a level below 4 knots towards day’s end. Four flights were packed in the day agenda before the races were wrapped up by four in the evening. The temperature was low, though the skies were clear. With the wind being lighter on the second day, most boats focused on maintaining speed as the breeze helped them build on the acceleration. Among the racers were some who were experiencing, such as Christopher Killian from College of Charleston who has gained the number one title in the US Youth Match Racing World Championship.
The first race of this match series was difficult and challenging for the competitors. There were a number of reasons for the same. However, most of the competitors reminded themselves that they had to remain in the competition which was more important. Hence, all teams stayed on course and followed the rules, even though the wind conditions did not make it ideal for thrilling race to be held. Boston College won three races which was thrilling for the college members to watch. Greg Wilkinson, who was part of the crew, stated that planning the competition one day at a time helped them stay on course and focus on wind conditions.