The Boothbay Region Sailing Club, which is open to all area students, kicked off practices on Sept. 3. Despite a short first week of practice, new and experienced sailors jumped right in and the club participated in their first regatta of the season last weekend.

Hosted by the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club, the Boothbay Region Sailing Club serves all high school and middle school students from the Boothbay, Damariscotta and Wiscasset regions, including public, private, and homeschooled students. All students who meet their school’s eligibility requirements are invited to participate, and all experience levels are welcome, from the new racer to the elite.

The Sailing Club hosts two registered New England Scholastic Sailing Association (NESSA) teams, Boothbay Region High School and Lincoln Academy, as well as a conglomerate community team composed of middle and high school sailors from all schools.

This year, the Sailing Club hosted an open trial period to give students the chance to see what the club is all about and have hosted at least 20 different students that we hope will join the team this fall or come back in the spring. We have already matched our record high fall numbers for participation – giving all sailors additional opportunities to advance their skills. The club is continuing to accept registrations – find out more about the team at bhyc.net. 

After three short days of practice last week, we sent eight sailors to MDI Community Sailing to compete in a local Penobscot Bay League Regatta where our sailors did not disappoint. The Lincoln Academy team of Alton Coolidge, Nate Rideout, Ella Beauregard and Hamilton Barclay easily took first. The community team of Toby and Bobby Clarkson, Arden Carleton and Maren Whitney sailed well with sailors continuing to show improvement. Bobby and Toby sailed to a personal best second place in the last race. But most importantly, a great time was had by all.

Next weekend the teams will likely compete in both Portland and Rockland.