ICSA News

RALEIGH, N.C, OCTOBER 9, 2018 – Week 5's outstanding performance by South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association sailors is a case of déjà vu as we witnessed another dominant performance from College of Charleston sailors Alie Toppa and Annabel Carrington, who were named SAISA Week 4 Sailors of the Week. This week, the pair was nominated and selected for winning the A-fleet division at the Stu Nelson Women's Showcase Regatta hosted by Connecticut College. Toppa and Carrington finished the regatta with a 13 point lead over Yale. The Cougars' experience and acumen in current proved beneficial in a strong Thames River ebbing tide and their A-division win helped propel the College of Charleston to second place overall in the regatta.  

***Baird and Lingos-Utley are the NEISA Coed Sailors of the Week***

***Hibben and Malpani are the NEISA Women’s Sailors of the Week***

Alfonso Garcia Bringas of Jacksonville University
Alie Toppa and crew Annabel Carrington of the College of Charleston

The South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association recognizes co-ed sailor Alfonso Garcia Bringas of Jacksonville University for an outstanding performance at the helm during this past weekend’s SAISA Match Racing Conference Championship Regatta. Together with Jacksonville teammates Andre Guaragna, Telmo Basterra, and Ana Carrasco, Bringas completed the first and second round with wins over fellow SAISA South division rivals Florida State, U. Miami, Univ. of South Florida, and Eckerd College, as well as SAISA North’s Vanderbilt. Sailed in J/70s and hosted by St. Petersburg Yacht Club, the St Petersburg Sailing Center and University of South Florida, this year’s event was especially competitive in challenging, light conditions. Finishing with a 7/2 record, Bringas led the Fins to qualify for ICSA Match Race National Championships for the first time in program history. They will be joined by the College of Charleston, representing SAISA on November 1-3, 2018 hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club of Marblehead, Massachusetts.

***De urdanibia panos and Bertolini are the NEISA Coed Sailors of the Week***

***Haig ’21 and Caso ‘19 are the NEISA Women’s Sailors of the Week***

William Smith College won the Women's Showcase Semifinals at St. Mary’s College of Maryland decisively over second place MIT, 56 to 82 points respectively. William Smith, the third place finisher at last year’s Gill Women’s National Championship, is led by A-Division skipper and senior, Bailey Carter. Ms. Carter, who walked away with the regatta, winning A-Division by 30 points after 9 races, finished with 17 points. Carter, sailing primarily with a freshman, Sarah Smith, bested Isabella Loosbrock of Boston College and Louisa Nordstrong of Yale which puts Carter at the top of the extremely premature watchlist for this year’s Quantum Women’s Sailor of the Year.

***Burnes and Episalla are the NEISA Coed Sailors of the Week***

***White, Clarke, and Genthner are the NEISA Women’s Sailors of the Week***

The Mid-Atlantic Conference single handed championship, the Carl Van Duyne Trophy was held at the US Naval Academy in provided boats. The top five finishers of the 18 boat regatta would move on to sail the national championship in Michigan, November 2-4.

A freshman, Leo Boucher of St. Mary’s college took the event in the late stages of Sunday, edging Thomas McCann ‘22 of Georgetown and Charles Carraway ‘22 of Hobart. Boucher started slow with 23 points after the first 3 races. However, Mr. Boucher recovered impressively, finishing in the top-5 in 11 of the final 12 races sailed, including three first place finishes. Boucher finished with 51 points. McCann and Carraway finished with 55 and 56 respectively.

Ten races were sailed for both men and women in the PCCSC Singlehanded Championships. After a slight delay to make sure that all competitors made it to the sailing site, sailors launched at 11am for a full day of sailing. The racecourse was set on the Emeryville Flats, just east of Treasure Island.

Conditions ranged from 10 knots at the beginning of the day to a steady 15, before backing to the low double-digits for the final races - a phenomenal day for sailing on San Francisco Bay.

As light and variable conditions were afflicting dinghy sailing on the east coast, sailors strong and determined enough to be proficient in the Laser Radial and Laser Full Rig classes had their sights set on a berth at two of College Sailing’s 6 National Championships. The two events, Men’s and Women’s Singlehanded Championships, hosted by Hope College and Grand Valley State University, will sail either in Macatawa Bay, a small bay in Holland Michigan or on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, November second through the fourth. Needless to say, the conditions expected on Lake Michigan in November likely will add to the already hardcore nature of the Laser- a singlehanded boat stripped down so that the college athlete has no one to turn to as they face the elements.

**Marshall is the NEISA Coed Sailor of the Week***

***Nordstrom is the NEISA Women’s Sailor of the Week***