NATIONALS ROSTER
ICSA OPEN FLEET NATIONALS @ USF
A: Abe Weston '26 / Paige Kurtenbach '27 / Ryan Tatelbaum '26 B: Quinn Kaiser '26 / Jenna Princing '28 / Carter Harms '27 Alternate: William Styslinger '28 / Caden Harrison '28
MARCH & APRIL REGATTA RECAPS
Nelson Roltsch Team Race @ Tulane
Ryan Tatelbaum ('26), Nigel Yu ('27), Claudia Kroll ('29), Carter Harms ('27), Claire Poremba ('27), and Jenna Princing ('28) travelled to New Orleans over the weekend to compete in the Nelson Roltsch Team Race regatta hosted by Tulane. They arrived at the hotel around 3:00 AM Saturday before getting some sleep and then arriving at the venue, Lake "The Pontch" Pontchartrain, for call time. The first day was light, with lots of fog and chop, and only three races being completed overall between postponement and abandonment at 4:00. Sunday brought much better conditions for team racing, with winds sitting around 6 to 8 kts gusting up to the 11-12 kt range out of the ENE after the fog burned off. The Pontch was still pretty choppy. The Pontch sustained great racing for the entire day, allowing for the rest of the first round, as well as an entire second round, to be completed before heading in around 2:30. The team enjoyed getting back in the dinghies for the first time of the spring season and learning a lot of team racing along the way. We would like to thank the Tulane team and the race officials for putting on a great event.
CGA J70 Qualifier @ CGA
Erin McDonagh (‘28), Caitlin Costello (‘28), Catherine Dickson (‘28), and Carter Harms (‘27) competed in the Coast Guard Academy J/70 Invitational Regatta. The team had a great time and learned a lot! The regatta started with a gnarly practice with gusts well over 20 knots. The team kept the boat upright, for the most part. They were able to figure out the boat and get ready for the regatta ahead. Saturday brought heavy winds and challenging conditions but the team worked well together. On Sunday, the breeze lightened up, and though it was challenging, the team adjusted and was able to get 2nd place in the last race of the day! We would like to say a big thank you to our generous hosts, The Weinsteins. They helped to make the event run incredibly smoothly and cooked us some incredible meals. The Wisconsin Keelboat Team looks forward to returning to the Coast Guard Academy next year.
Big 10 Team Race @ Michigan
12 Badgers: Sydney Mandell ('26), Carmen Lineer ('26), Claudia Kroll ('29), Jenna Princing ('28), Adam Pickhardt ('27), Katherine Ahlquist ('28), Finn Tait ('26), Ella Engel ('27), Nigel Yu ('27), Sam Burnet ('29), Alex Bixby ('29), and Paige Kurtenbach ('27), traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan over the weekend to compete in the Big 10 Team Race regatta hosted by Michigan Sailing Team.
A lack of wind led to an initial postponement of Saturday's races. Later in the afternoon, once the wind began to fill, the team was able to get out on the water. Conditions were puffy and shifty throughout the rest of the day. By the end of the day, they managed to complete one full round robin and the first race of the second round robin. Sunday brought more of the same, with light conditions leading to an initial postponement of races. Eventually, the team was able to get out on the water, racing on a shortened course in very light and shifty conditions. With all teams making fast rotations, they managed to complete 80% of the races within the second round robin before the end of the day on Sunday. Overall, the team enjoyed being back on the water and, for some, getting back in dinghies for the first time of the spring season. The regatta was an excellent team racing educational opportunity for our sailors. The team enjoyed sailing and learning together. The team would like to thank the Michigan Sailing Team for hosting the event. They would also like to extend their gratitude to the race officials for making this event possible and persevering through difficult wind conditions to ensure racing time for our sailors.
MCSA Open Fleet & TR Qualifier @ Wisco
This weekend (4/10-12), Abe Weston (‘25), Paige Kurtenbach (‘27), Charlie Herrick (‘26), Jenna Princing (‘28), Carmen Lineer (‘26), Quinn Kaiser (‘26), Katherine Alquhist (‘28), Caitlin Costello (‘28), Will Styslinger (‘28), and Caden Harrison (‘28) attended the MCSA open team and fleet race national qualifiers in Madison. On Friday, the team racing squad (Abe, Paige, Charlie, Jenna, Carmen, Quinn, Katherine, Cailtin), sailed all day to finish the team racing qualifier. The wind was light in the morning but picked up a little bit throughout the day. The badgers finished 3rd after two round robins, and were happy to be able to compete in this event as it was competitive and fun for all the sailors! On Saturday, our fleet racing team (Abe, Paige, Charlie, Jenna, Carmen, Will, Caden), sailed another long day in order to finish fleet race qualifiers. Saturday was quite a bit windier than Friday, picking up throughout the day and capping around 12-14kts. After 22 races, the badgers won overall, and also won 1st place in B division and 2nd place in A division! This result qualifies us for nationals this May! We would like to thank team members and volunteers who helped us host these events. These were exciting and competitive events for our sailors and we are looking forward to more sailing at Nationals this May!
NU Spring @ Northwestern
This weekend, a group of Wisco (’29) freshmen [Claudia Kroll, Ida Wade, Morris Salzmann, Sam Burnet, Alex Bixby] traveled down to Evanston, IL, to compete in the NU Spring fleet race at Northwestern University. Saturday started off nice and breezy with about 15 knots coming from the W/SW. As the day went on, the team got more comfortable with their racing, and the improvements followed! The day ended early because of strong, shifty, wind and cold weather. Sunday was even windier, so the races were canceled. The group made the most of this extra time and went into Chicago to see the Navy Pier before heading home. Overall, this weekend was an amazing opportunity for our sailors to practice adapting to shifty and gusty conditions while racing, and taking charge while going to regattas. It was also a great weekend for team bonding! We would like to thank the Northwestern team for graciously hosting us and for putting on such a great event! We would especially like to thank the sailors from the Treehaus for letting us stay with them!
BDC @ MIT & George Morris @ BU
This weekend, Abe Weston [‘26], Paige Kurtenbach [‘27], Carter Harms [‘27], Will Styslinger [‘28], and Caden Harrison [‘28] traveled to Boston to compete in both the Boston Dinghy Challenge Cup (Saturday) and the George Morris Trophy (Sunday). The team was able to stop in Niagara Falls and enjoy the view on the way up to Boston, and get bagels in Syracuse, NY. On Saturday, the BDC Regatta was competed with 3 divisions – techs, FJs, and 420s. The day started with 12-13 kts of breeze out of the east, down the Charles River. As the day went on, the wind lightened up to around 7-10 kts, but the puffy conditions called for reactive boathandling and quick maneuvers. Overall, 10 races were sailed in each division, and the changing conditions of the day allowed for good practice in both heavy and light air racing techniques. Among the weekend’s highlights, B fleet found success and scored a 2nd, and Carter in C fleet sharpened his skills on the Tech. On Sunday, the George Morris Trophy began! The badgers headed to Boston University to begin racing, and started with 30 minutes of postponement on shore due to light wind. The breeze began to fill from the West down the river and A fleet went out, practicing their light wind maneuvers in the FJs. The wind built as the B fleet sailed their set. By midday, wind was up to 15 kts and conditions were puffy, with stark wind lines coming down the Charles and necessitating eyes on the course and good communication in the boat. The second set for A fleet started with torrential rain and ended with more torrential rain, but the badgers were able to finish the weekend strong with a 2nd and a 1st, although thunderstorms meant B fleet could not complete their set and these scores were not counted. The team would like to thank alumni Lucas Quinn for providing housing for the weekend!! They would also like to thank MIT for hosting BDC and smoothly getting in races for all three divisions, and Boston University for hosting the George Morris Trophy.
SPRING BREAK IN JACKSONVILLE
From March 28th to April 3rd, Wisco sailors packed into fleet vans and drove down to Jacksonville. The first weekend they spent exploring the city and soaking up the sun; trying out local restaurants , tanning on the beach, and even getting to see the Artemis II Launch in person.
During the week, Seamus Hendrickson and Matt King led an intensive clinic, where sailors defrosted their skills to prepare for the season ahead. Race after race, drill after drill, the team ended the week ready to triumph at upcoming events.
When the wind died during a drill, teammates anchored and swam together. To wind down after long days of sailing, sailors took slow evenings cooking for each other and conversing in the backyard as the stars came out. One evening, teammates celebrated their efforts at a Masquerade party.
A huge thank you to Matt King and Seamus Hendrickson ('26) for coaching, Florida Yacht Club for hosting us, and to Ava Buchholz ('28) for organizing this trip.
SAILOR OF THE MONTH
Jenna Princing
Our sailor of the month is Jenna! Jenna is a Sophomore crew from Hemlock, MI, majoring in Consumer Behavior and Marketplace Studies.
Jenna grew up sailing lightnings and J22s on the Saginaw bay with her parents. In high school, she became a summer sailing instructor, teaching kids to sail Optis and Fevas. When she started college, she learned to sail FJs and 420s, which she competes in to this day.
Last season Jenna sailed at both of our home events, reporting that these were her "favorite events of the season because they are so competitive, making the racing really fun." This season, she kept up her competitive spirit and raced in 4 regattas, Nelson Roltch, B10 Team Race, and the MCSA Fleet and Team Race Quals. She states that these events "are great to get practice in before our boats are out for the season! [She] got to sail with Claudia two times and [they] had lots of fun!" Due to her consistent efforts and excellent crewing skills, she is currently on the roster for Open Fleet Race Nationals!
Jenna's dedication to our team was demonstrated as she, as the acting fundraising chair, organized our team's first giving day. The event was a huge success, and thanks to her cooperation with local businesses and friends, we are able to continue the wisco sailing legacy.
Focused, responsible, and talented, Jenna has proved she is ready to take on any challenge ahead, we are so grateful to have her on our team.
Go Go Jenna!
SCOR Photos by Priscilla Parker
ENDOWMENT
Our Endowment fund is now LIVE on our website. As a club-run team, we have to organize much of the funds ourselves, and with your help, we aim to ensure the success of the Wisconsin Sailing Team for years to come. Linked below is the donation link!