By Nick Judson
Contributing Writer
The sailing team traveled to the Orleans Yacht Club Monday and beat Cape and Islands League co-leader Nauset 3-2 for its first win ever over the Warriors. With the victory, the Whalers moved into first place in the league, currently tied with Dennis-Yarmouth at 2-0 overall.
The Whalers were scheduled to travel to Bourne yesterday, too late for this edition of Sports. The sailing team will be busy over the spring vacation week in preparation for the New England Fleet Racing Championships April 25-26. The qualifying event will be held in Wolfeboro, N.H. on Saturday with the top three teams advancing to the finals in Portland, Maine Sunday.
Against Nauset Monday, the Whalers continued to have success following their win over Martha’s Vineyard last week.
Nauset sails in a small harbor surrounded by hills on three sides and typically the conditions call for variable winds with lighter wind strengths that go up and down constantly. Monday was a bit different in that the day started with stronger variable winds at around 18 knots and finished up in the four- to eight-knot range. While the stronger winds played to the boat-handling strengths of the Whalers, the lighter breeze has typically been Nantucket’s weakness.
The five-race series provided a roller-coaster of finishes. Nantucket won the first race by finishing first, second and fifth, even though Adam Ceely and Jesse Lang sailed the entire race without a tiller extension which helps the skipper steer. In team racing the extension is one of a small list of parts that if it breaks during a race, you can not get a replacement until after the race is completed.
Even with this disadvantage Ceely and Lang sailed a masterful race, getting out to an early lead and maintaining it while slowing two of Nauset’s boats. Annie Sager and Julianne Costello were able to pin out one of the Nauset boats, allowing Sarah Erichsen and Trevor Lockley to move up to second for the Nantucket win.
Nauset won race two to tie up the series and then the two teams split races three and four, forcing a fifth and deciding race.
In race five Nantucket moved out to an early lead at the first mark with Ceely and Lang in first, Sager and Costello in second and Erichsen and Lockley in fifth.
As the teams rounded the second mark the wind died out, allowing the Nauset boats to catch up on the downwind leg. Sager got into a jibing duel with one of the lead Nauset crews and although she held a starboard right-of-way position, she jibed in too close to her opponent, not giving them room to avoid her. Because the two boats collided, Sager and Costello were obliged to do a penalty circle with their boat. This time-consuming maneuver changed the standings in the race, giving Nauset a point advantage halfway down the leeward leg of the course.
The Whalers have been working on slowing opponents and being aggressive on the race course all season, and went into action as Ceely started maneuvering against the lead Nauset boats, slowing them so Sager and Erichsen could catch up. Staying on the starboard tack Sager seized a great opportunity, forcing a slower port-tack Nauset boat to foul her, and as the dust settled Nantucket had a slim point advantage with a first, third and fifth at the leeward mark.
On the last leg, the Nauset boat in second tried to set up Sager on a starboard against port altercation at the finish, but Sager and Costello deftly ducked the Nauset boat and snuck in at the finish for second place, sealing the fifth race for Nantucket and giving the Whalers the victory.
Nick Judson is the head coach of the Nantucket High School sailing team and executive director of Nantucket Community Sailing.
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