Boothbay Region Sailing Club (BRSC) team returned to SailMaine in Portland this weekend for the Clipper Challenge hosted by Yarmouth High School. The high pressure system over New England meant light winds and the racing area adjacent to the shipping lane meant vessel wakes. The BRSC Team is supported by the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club and the BHYC Junior Program Foundation.

In the first race, Boothbay’s A Boat, crewed by Lincoln Academy’s Ella Beauregard and skippered by Boothbay Middle School’s Hamilton Barclay, started at the pin with clear air. The pair have sailed together for a year and excel in light wind. They were soon able to tack and cross the entire fleet. When they reached the starboard layline the finish was theirs to take. The second race was a repeat of the first with the only difference two nifty tacks with less than 30 seconds to start and a controlling position on the fleet. The pair dominated the first flight.

Boothbay looked to their B Boat, crewed by senior Nate Graves and skippered by freshman Nate Rideout. The B boat rounded the weather mark in 2nd place then jibed inside but found their wind disturbed and finished 4th. Their next start was just as good and they rounded the weather mark hot on the heels of the Greely Rangers’ boat with Islesboro close astern. Rideout jibed in and the Islesboro boat stayed on starboard finishing just ahead of Boothbay in 3rd.

In the third race Beauregard and Barclay were over early at the start, yet passed nine boats to finish 6th. The fourth race they were early again and while the race committee mulled over who to call back the pair thought they were clear. As the last boat to be called OCS, the Boothbay boat struggled to pass two boats in a race half the length of the earlier one and finished 13th.

With the B boat up next, Rideout and Graves needed another good start and clean air. They got the start near the pin but soon found themselves slowing down … to a near stop. A lobster pot fouled the centerboard and the pair found themselves deep — also finishing 13th. The next race went their way, with a good start in clear air, and a strong finish for second place.

Beauregard and Barclay in the A Boat started in the left middle of the line forcing points leading Greely to tack away early on the leg. The pair tacked to cover but midway up the weather leg they found they were unable to keep pace and lost their commanding position to Greely who rounded first just ahead of Boothbay. Going on the attack Boothbay got upwind of Greely and stayed close then bore away to the opposite gate mark. Sailing a shorter course upwind the slower Boothbay boat found themselves another boat length back of Greely at the final weathermark. Attacking vigorously downwind by first stealing their air and then sailing so close on starboard that Greely on port could not jibe and had to sail by the lee as Boothbay took a small lead and the win at the finish.

Boothbay was not done winning, as Rideout and Graves started well in their fifth and final race and carried to the port tack layline and rounded third. They split with the leaders at the leeward gate going left and held a comfortable lead at the final weather mark cruising to finish with the win. They took second in their division with 23 points, while the Boothbay A boat took 4th with 22 points. Combined the team took 3rd place of 15 boats.

Next week the team races in the Gale Winds Classic at SailMaine and in the second Penobscot Bay League event of the season at Rockland’s Apprenticeshop.