Cal Maritime Goes Bicoastal

September 22, 2010

The California Maritime Academy has once again walked off with the top prize at the annual Shields Cup Regatta in Annapolis, MD. For the fifth time in the past seven years, Academy sailors came away the victors, edging out Navy for the top prize in the event which draws together top teams from the nation’s service and maritime academies.

The Cal Maritime Academy team collects their prizes. Left to right: Andrew Lamb '14, Jessica Bernhard '14, Kyle Vanderspek '13, Jessica Schember '12, Sara Himes '13, Matthew Van Rensselaer '13, Dillon Lancaster '14, Scott Doyle '14. ©2010 U.S. Coast Guard

Wind conditions on the Chesapeake Bay were light and variable all weekend, but were sufficient to get in four races on Saturday. Ten teams were in competition as Cal Maritime finished 1, 2, 1 and 6 for the first day.

“Sunday was a long waiting game as the winds failed to materialize," Cal Maritime Sailing Director Charlie Arms explained. "Finally the race organizers had to call a halt and declare a winner based on the Saturday results. We were tied with Navy at that point, but their finishes included two firsts and a third place, so our second place finish gave us the edge for a tie-breaker.”

Several members of Cal Maritime’s TeamUSA squad of offshore sailors were part of the Shields Cup team. For them it was excellent preparation for their October trip to La Rochelle, France, and the Student Yachting World Cup Regatta, a week-long competition which brings together some of the world’s top student sailing teams. It will be the first time in the 30-year history of the event that a West Coast team has competed for the U.S.

Meanwhile, a second contingent of TeamUSA sailors campaigned Cal Maritime’s J/105 One Trick Pony in the Rolex Big Boat Series on San Francisco Bay. They finished seventeenth overall in a fleet of 24 boats in the class.

The Cal Maritime Academy entry in the Rolex Big Boat Series. ©2010 Doug Webster/Sonoma CRM, Inc.

“The Big Boat Series draws some of the top sailors in the world, many of them with long experience dealing with the winds and tides of San Francisco Bay," said Jesse Cartee, coach of the Academy’s Offshore team and TeamUSA. "Our team had finishes of 13 and 12 among their seven races and they clearly were gaining valuable experience and demonstrating new skills learned in training for and participating in this prestigious event.” Jesse felt the weekend results were very satisfactory.

Team members Thor Proulx, from Wrangell, AK, and John Gray of Santa Rosa. ©2010 Doug Webster/Sonoma CRM, Inc.

The latest news and information about Cal Maritime’s TeamUSA Quest for the Gold can be found on a special blog, including photos, videos and full details on the final standings in the Shields Cup, available via a link from the home page at www.csum.edu or directly at http://followteamusa.csum.edu.

- Doug Webster, Cal Maritime Academy

This Saturday evening, September 25, Golden Gate YC will host a fund-raiser for TeamUSA to help pay the expenses of traveling to the Student Yachting World Cup in France. Guests will taste fine wines, enjoy savory hors d'oeuvres, meet the team, see the America's Cup on display, and bid on auction items in support of the team. Tickets are $35 for singlehanded (one ticket) or $60 with crew (two tickets). For more information, go to www.alumni.csum.edu.