Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown Sailors Bring Home Fifth Place

Georgetown Sailors Bring Home Fifth Place

By Ted Bauer Hoya Staff Writer

Sometimes it pays to get away for a while.

Led by an impressive performance from junior B-division sailor John Camera, who spent his first semester abroad in South America, the co-ed sailing team finished fifth at the College of Charleston’s Spring Intersectional this past weekend. The event was the commencement of the collegiate spring sailing season.

“I was a little nervous about how John would do after being away for a while,” Head Coach Mike Callahan said, “and in his first few races, he was pretty rusty. But overall, he picked up right where he left off as one of our best sailors last year.”

The Spring Intersectional going to be contested across two days, featuring 17 teams in 17 races per division. Due to a lack of wind Sunday, however, the regatta featured 17 teams in eight races per division with sailing only on Saturday. A second day may have been advantageous to the Hoyas because they were beginning to click towards the end of Saturday.

Specifically, Camera began poorly. In his first race, he was in first from the outset until near the middle of the course, when he began to falter. He finished in eighth place for that race, but went on to post two first-place finishes, three second-place finishes and a fourth-and fifth-place finish.

The A-division sailors for the Hoyas, usually the stronger grouping, turned in a subpar performance. Junior Ryan Costello finished in 11th place out of 17 teams, including losses to several squads he had previously defeated.

The Hoyas finished first among MAISA teams at the meet, coming in ahead of St. Mary’s and Old Dominion. At the women’s meet the weekend before, Georgetown placed behind both those schools. The most recent issue of Sailing World placed the Hoyas ninth nationally. St. Mary’s was ranked second and Old Dominion eighth in the rankings. King’s Point, another MAISA representative, was in 11th place, and Hobart-William Smith was in 12th.

“Right now I am generally happy with the B-division sailors and think the A-division has a few things to work out,” Callahan said. “I expect Ryan and the rest of the A-division sailors to bounce back this next weekend.”

This weekend, the coed team participates in the St. Mary’s Intersectional team race, which will feature league competition from the host, Old Dominion, Naval Academy, King’s Point and Hobart-William Smith. In a team race, each school is given three boats and the final score is the sum of the three finishes.

“Team races are interesting to watch from a strategic standpoint, because you are not always trying to win,” Callahan said. “Sometimes you will let your teammates and other teams pass you, depending on what place you are in.”

The trip to the Chesapeake Bay area will give the Hoyas a good estimation of where they stand heading into the first weekend of arch, when they will play host to a regatta made entirely of MAISA teams.

Whether Maryland or the southern hemisphere, sometimes it does pay to get away for a while.

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