SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. (November 10, 2019) – The LaserPerformance Men’s and Women’s Singlehanded National Championships, co-hosted by Santa Barbara Yacht Club and the University of California Santa Barbara wrapped up today with Leo Boucher (West River, Md.), a sophomore at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, winning the Men’s Championship and Sophia Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), a junior at Boston College, wining the Women’s Championship.

The championships included the top 18 men and top 18 women singlehanded sailors in the nation. LaserPerformance, the title sponsor, provided full rig Lasers and Laser Radials for the events. Marlow Ropes was a supporting sponsor for the events. 

The LaserPerformance Men’s and Women’s Singlehanded National Championships, co-hosted by Santa Barbara Yacht Club and the University of California Santa Barbara are set to begin Friday, November 8 with registration, boat assignment and a competitors meeting. Racing will take place Saturday, November 9 and Sunday, November 10.

The championships include the top 18 men and 18 women singlehanded sailors in the nation. At least one male and female sailor has qualified from each of the seven collegiate sailing conferences to compete in this prestigious event. The regatta will take place out of the Santa Barbara YC and the sailing area will be in the Santa Barbara Channel, south of the yacht club, the course is viewable from either the end of Stearns Wharf, or the Santa Barbara Harbor Breakwater.

The Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Match Race National Championship for the Cornelius Shields, Sr. Trophy was completed today after three days of racing. The event began on Friday, November 1, although due to strong winds (steady 25-30 knots) racing was canceled in the afternoon, and got underway Saturday morning. After two days of challenging competition, Stanford University came away the winner.

The regatta was hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead, Mass. with support from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Racing took place in Sonars in and around Marblehead Harbor. Ten college sailing teams qualified to compete in the championship having advanced from their own conference qualifiers. Each team had four crew members one of which was required to be female.

Brown and Yale win NEISA, Cornell and St. Mary’s win MAISA, Stanford wins the West and Charleston wins the South Atlantic to conclude the fall season

Unfortunately, we must start by paying tribute to a legend and a multi-decade servant to College Sailing, Dan Winters, who passed over the weekend. In an email forwarded by ICSA President, Mitch Bridley, Maxwell Plarr, Head Coach at Christopher Newport University and successor to Winters had the following to say about his colleague and mentor; “Dan H. Winters fulfilled many roles in his life.  He was a husband, a father, a coach, a friend, a sailmaker, an animal lover, and when he was passionate about something, a well respected adversary. Of all the titles and roles that Dan held during his eighty years on this earth we will remember him because of the great knowledge he bestowed upon us and his selfless dedication to the causes he upheld.  A man of moral and principle he taught thousands of people life lessons while becoming better sailors in the process.”