Parents, coaches and sailors pose at the Manchester Yacht Club at the end of the coed sailing season.
ME Sailing, at practice off Smith’s Point, last week.
The Nelson Bowl was presented to the top high school team in the harbor at the Manchester Yacht Club. The winning team this year was the Landmark School. Here Pamela Nelson, whose husband Valle donated the trophy, awards the prize to Doug Walker from Landmark as Tony Leggett from Manchester and Steve Hall from Pingree look on.
(Courtesy Photos)
We ended the sailing season with two events on the Charles River in Boston, and a cook-out at the Manchester Yacht Club.
Ian Carlin and Cole Cote, our top skipper and crew, travelled to Community Boating on the Charles River on Monday, to compete in the 420 A-Division, and managed a creditable 12th in the 19-team event.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the Hornets travelled to the MIT Sailing pavilion on the Charles River to compete in the Mass State Championship. On Wednesday, the A Division sailors, Ian and Cole, racked up a score to finish 10th in the 18-boat fleet. But prior commitments meant they couldn’t race the next day. On Thursday, the team of seventh and eighth graders comprised of James Donohoe, Max Deery, Thaddeus Bardsley, Gus Hall, Giulia Bussone, and Beckett Gibbons faced off against much older and more experienced competitors, including seniors already accepted at college! The coach’s pep-talk in the bus included encouragement such as, “You’re going to get your butts kicked today, but every start, mark rounding and windward leg will be a chance to learn what works and what doesn’t, and in two or three years, you’re going to be the ones at the top of the fleet!” said Steve Hall from Pingree the Landmark School.
The enthusiasm of the team was infectious. After the long days and tough competition with very crowded starting lines, and gusty and shifting winds, as they got off the bus on Thursday evening back in Manchester, they asked, “Coach, what time is practice tomorrow?"
On Tuesday, the Manchester Yacht Club hosted its annual cook-out and celebration for the three teams that compete in Manchester Harbor: Landmark School; Manchester-Essex High School; and Pingree. This is the second year that the three teams have met for dinner and celebrated the winner of the Nelson Bowl, awarded to the top High School team in the harbor.
The cook-out was a huge success, with Alex Felton, the Commodore of the Manchester Yacht Club welcoming all the sailors, coaches, and parents, followed by comments by each of the three coaches, Steve Hall for Pingree, Doug Walker for Landmark, and Tony Leggett for the Hornets.
Landmark School was this year’s winner, given their enviable race record, beating both MERHS and Pingree by a score of 3-0. Paced by two excellent skippers, Dillon Almeida and Grant Dalton, the Landmark team also won B-Division North with a record of 8 wins and no losses.
After Pamela Nelson awarded the prize, which was originally donated by her husband Valle Nelson, the coaches underlined how much better our sailing season has been over the past two years, training with more boats out on the water, allowing the sailors a broader opportunity to build their sailing skills given the greater numbers. In this heightened competition the coaches can provide more sailing tips and better instruction for all the sailors, not just their own team. Furthermore, the additional safety provided by having six coach boats out on the water has been a benefit for all involved. Everyone, is eager to hone their sailing skills this summer at the Manchester Sailing Association, and already looking forward to next spring’s sailing season.
