The Boothbay Region Sailing Club was busy again this week, enjoying the warm clear days of practice and focusing on starts and upwind speed during the week. The team practices Monday through Thursday out of the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club before hitting the road for weekend regattas across the coast of Maine.

Over the weekend the Lincoln Academy team competed in the Casco Bay Open at SailMaine, joining teams from all over New England. The event was a qualifier event for this fall’s 420 Atlantic Coast Championships in New Jersey for the first-place team.

The Lincoln Academy team of Hamilton Barclay, Andrea Gutierrez, Nate Rideout and Arden Carleton gave a great effort in the challenging light and fluky winds. Ella Beauregard was there cheering on her team and ready to jump to action if needed. The team was in contention up until the very end, bouncing between first and fourth place, ending fourth overall. While not the result they had hoped for, it was still a great showing and we are all excited about the future for this young team.

On Sunday, members of the Boothbay Region Sailing Club, our community-based team, were at SailMaine for a JV regatta which also served as an exhibition event for the Maine Small Craft Celebration at the Portland Shipyard. Toby Clarkson, Hannah Hills and Maren Whitney sailed in oscillating winds alongside numerous hand-built and unique small boats and in front of spectators and participants.

The purpose of JV regattas is to provide experience and teaching moments, all of which happened in the tight exhibition space. A narrow channel to the starting line and changing winds strongly affecting by surrounding landforms gave all sailors present an excellent opportunity to learn the value of mid-race tactical adjustments. Toby and Maren had a best third-place finish, and Hannah, who sailed with a new Portland racer, became both teacher and racer to a best fourth-place finish.

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. With both JV and varsity level competitors, the Club focuses on growing everyone’s skills on the water and creating life-long sailors.