Seahawks on the water in Connecticut and Maine

NEWPORT, R.I. - The Seahawks kicked off the season with a busy weekend sailing at two venues - The Penobscot Bay Open hosted by Maine Maritime Academy, and the Pine Trophy hosted by the Coast Guard Academy.

The dinghy team at Maine Maritime worked its way into a solid 12th place just behind Northeastern and Coast Guard. The sloop team at Coast Guard beat out Brown to qualify for the New England Match Racing Champs, which will be held at Salve Regina the second weekend of October.

While it wasn't too cold in Maine, the bay did not provide much wind for the dinghy team on Saturday. The light and shifty conditions made for some difficult racing and a lot of course adjustments. Sunday the wind picked up allowing for some better racing, but unfortunately some simple mistakes cost the Seahawks some advancement.

"While we could have done better, it was a great weekend competing against some excellent teams," said head coach John Ingalls.

While temperatures were similar in Connecticut, the sloop team had some better wind and was more consistent with its scores. With freshman Charlie Welsh at the helm, the four-man team battled it out with Brown, eventually passing the Bears to qualify.

"Qualifying against some of the best teams in our district has given us confidence as we look forward to what's in store for us at the championships," commented sophomore crew Matthew Miranda.

This weekend the Seahawks will be on the water at four different regattas. While it will be a challenge, Ingalls is excited the team has grown to allow them to do so.