Graduation!
Two weeks ago, our seniors graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and they are on to big and bright futures! We would like to take a moment here to honor these seniors:
- Sam Spencer
- Mary Daniels
- Ellie Murphy
- Nicole Giuiliani
- Sophie Lusty (graduated in Fall 2023, walked in Spring 2024)
- Ethan Jones (graduated in Fall 2023)
We are so grateful for their time and dedication to the Wisconsin Sailing Team over these past 4 years. Wherever you go, remember that you will always be a part of our Sailing family, and we are so lucky to call you all forever friends!
ICSA Women's and Open Fleet Race Nationals
Mary Castellini (‘25), Carmen Lineer (‘26), Marissa Tegeder (‘25), Lauren Salmi (‘26), Jackie Ruggieri (‘27), and Dylan Gorman (‘25) traveled to Boston to race on the Charles River for ICSA Women’s Fleet Race Nationals, hosted by Harvard and MIT. This was their second time racing on the Charles this season, so it was nice to be on somewhat familiar waters for the National Championship event. After two days of intense racing, they came out of the event placing 17th.
The Women arrived in Boston, checked into their Airbnb, and made Mediterranean bowls to fuel the next day of racing. They were also joined by Coach Ian Beckley, who reviewed important focus points for the team.
On the first day of the event, the Women were at the Harvard Boathouse with A fleet in FJs and B fleet in 420s. The breeze was around 4-6 knots throughout the day from the east. The women were in a competitive mindset and ready to take on Nationals! It was a long day of racing, ending around 6:00 pm. The first day was challenging due to the high level of competition, but it was helpful to hone in on specific skills that varied between each boat.
On the second day of the event, the women were at the MIT Boathouse, with A fleet in 420s and B fleet in FJs. The day started in postponement for a few hours while the competitors waited for the breeze to fill consistently. Around midday, the breeze filled from the southwest direction and built to around 5 knots. Luckily, most of the required races were finished on the first day. The day was challenging and there was an immense focus on keeping the boat fast and pushing the line.
Overall, this was a great end to a successful season for the Honey Badgers! The team would like to thank everyone who has supported them on the road to nationals.
Charlie Herrick ('26), Kerstin Hyer ('25), Gavin Dempsey ('26), Ellie Murphy ('24), Mary Castellini ('25), Carmen Lineer ('26), and Carter Harms ('27) traveled to Boston, Massachusetts to compete at the ICSA Fleet Race Nationals, hosted by MIT and Harvard. The first day began with one round of racing in typical Charles River conditions—lots of shifts and inconsistent puffs. The wind soon picked up and continued to build throughout the day, eventually picking up to just over 25 knots. After switching in the heavy crews, the boats went back out for the remaining rounds and fought hard to stay on top of a couple of other teams. Both boats, A (Charlie and Kerstin/Carter) and B (Gavin and Ellie/Carmen) managed to secure multiple top 10 finishes on the first day, making for some rewarding and educational sailing. We found that the key to a good race was having a clean start with plenty of room to accelerate into a clear lane, and then playing the consistent puffs on the right side of the course, immediately offshore from the MIT sailing center. Despite a couple of shockers toward the end of the day, the team left the venue feeling accomplished and ready to take on the next day of racing.
The second day brought us right back to the familiar on-and-off shifty breeze of the Charles. With the A fleet now in FJs and the B fleet in 420s, the team spent the first couple hours of the day leaving the dock and returning almost immediately after due to repeated postponements caused by variable winds. After a lot of waiting for the breeze to fill in, the wind shifted 180 degrees to the East and began to give the fleets something to race in. Both fleets completed five races each. The team noticed that the starts were even more important than the day before, with the focus now being more on boat handling on the line rather than only position. The team managed to finish satisfied in 17th place in the Western division.
The team would like to thank all of its supporters for allowing us to have the opportunity to attend regattas such as this one. Experiences like these are immensely valuable to us and provide us with educational experiences that we can take back home to the Midwest.
Go Go Wisco!
SAILOR OF THE MONTH: Carter Harms
This month, we are honoring Freshman Crew, Carter Harms! Carter is from the Madison area, so he is a Lake Mendota expert. He is a Mechanical Engineering major.
Carter has been an enthusiastic and highly involved member of the team since he came to us in September! He has a drive to get better and attends almost every weekly practice. Carter attended regattas both in the fall and spring and has continuously pushed others around him to get better.
His favorite regatta he attended was the Garner-Tullis Team Race Regatta hosted by Tulane University, and he also was a member of our Open Nationals Team for the 2023-2024 season. Carter hopes to get involved in more keelboat sailing in his future endeavors.
Carter is going to be a member of the 2024 board, and he hopes to plan regattas that keep running smoothly, and make sure that everyone has fun and sails well!
Go Go Carter!
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