The Boothbay Region Sailing Club had another successful week of sailing and racing. With 16 kids on the roster, we have had some great practices and an opportunity to field a full sailing team for Lincoln Academy for the first time. Last week’s practices were mostly light wind, and the team focused on upwind boat speed and downwind boat handling for much of it. The 420 sailboats the team uses are a technical boat, with a lot of room for even advanced sailors to improve their techniques.

On Saturday the Lincoln Academy team went to SailMaine in Portland to participate in their first New England Scholastic Sailing Association (NESSA) event as a fully recognized team. The team took first place, edging out Falmouth High School by just four points spread over seven races despite a very windy day and challenging conditions. The Lincoln Academy team never finished worse than fifth out of 16 boats in any of the races.

Also on Saturday, the Boothbay Region Sailing Club conglomerate team consisting of students from Boothbay Region High School, Lincoln Academy, and Boothbay Region Elementary School, competed in our local Pen Bay League at the Apprentice Shop in Rockland. While NESSA events are part of the nationwide Interscholastic Sailing Association and have rules that do not allow schools to combine, the Pen Bay League is Maine’s answer to growing the sport of sailing, and teams are allowed to be 7th grade and up, and to consist of mixed schools when needed. Although the team finished third of four, the sailors never gave up and fought through mistakes and heavy wind to continue learning. The Boothbay Region Sailing Club will host the third and final Pen Bay League regatta on Oct. 5 at our home, the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club.

This coming weekend the Lincoln Academy team will race in a qualifying event at SailMaine where a win would grant them a spot at the 420 Atlantic Coast Championship in New Jersey later this fall, while the conglomerate team will compete in a Junior Varsity Event at SailMaine on Sunday. The Boothbay Region Sailing Club practices Monday through Thursday, is open to all area sailors regardless of experience level, and competes most weekends through the fall.