Rye’s Sailing Team scored an impressive double win Saturday during the first qualifying regatta of the season hosted by Stony Brook School at Port Jefferson.
By Dan Walsh
Rye’s Sailing Team scored an impressive double win Saturday during the first qualifying regatta of the season hosted by Stony Brook School at Port Jefferson.
The 1st Team of Emily Fung, Molly Robertson, Fiona Walsh, Clara Robertson, and Sean Walsh was overall winner in the League Fleet Qualifying Event, beating 13 other schools in some very challenging conditions.
Rye started off strong with Clara Robertson and Fiona Walsh posting a 1st and 7th in the first two races. Sean Walsh and Molly Robertson followed it up with a 4th and 1st in the next two-race rotation. With the wind starting to lighten, a 3rd and a difficult 8th from Rye left the final result wide open with Rye, Mamaroneck, Harbor Fields, and Horace Mann all within four points of each other for 1st-place position.
The race committee, which did a fantastic job all day, had to wait until 5:59 p.m., or one minute before the deadline for starting a race, to get the last race off to constitute a complete event. Emily Fung and Molly Robertson took on the challenge and with a difficult start in the lightest of winds and fading light, they were able to coax their boat around the course to finish 3rd and seal Rye’s win for the day.
This win qualifies them to represent their league in the MASSA District qualifiers on October 20 when they will compete against Northeast schools for the honor of going to Nationals.
Not to be outdone, the second team of Eli Reynolds, Nick Davis, Alec van Beek, Raleigh Barnes, and Serena Bradt dominated with a great overall win during six challenging races.
