Over the years NBYC has produced several
national champions – but this one is exceptional. NBYC’s
Kelly Stannard, along with Emily Maxwell of Stonington, won the U. S. Junior Women’s
Doublehanded Championship!! Congratulations to Kelly (and a tip of the
hat to every NBYC sailing instructor and coach that helped her along the way).
The full story from U. S. Sailing follows:
Connecticut Sailors Emily Maxwell and Kelly Stannard Capture U.S. Junior
Women's Doublehanded Championship in Close Finale
Mandeville (La.)
July 11, 2007 — After seven races sailed in Club 420s on Lake
Pontchartrain, Emily Maxwell (Stonington, Conn.) and Kelly Stannard (Salem, Conn.)
triumphed over 35 teams in a hotly contested finale to capture the U.S. Junior
Women’s Doublehanded Championship for the Ida Lewis Trophy. During the
three-day regatta, sponsored by Vanguard Sailboats and hosted July 5-11 by
Pontchartrain Yacht Club, the young women racing at this event were schooled in
conditions that try the patience of the very best sailors: the vagaries of
light air. On the final day of this US SAILING Championship, the top teams in
this national fleet were tested even further by a points situation that had
escalated into a lethally close battle.
Maxwell/Stannard sailed into the final
race tied in points with the team of Stephanie Hudson and Laura McKenna
(Winnetka, Ill./Palo Alto, Calif.), with the California duo of Syndey Bolger
and Morgane Renoir (Long Beach, Calif./San Diego, Calif.) only one point behind
the leaders, factoring in a discard race. A win for Maxwell/Stannard in the
last race cinched their victory on a slim two-point margin.
The light winds and lake chop were
conditions that Maxwell described as, "pretty tough … My biggest
challenge was being really patient in the light air and chop. The downwind legs
were brutal!"
Maxwell finished sixth at this regatta
last year, but this was the first time she and Stannard campaigned for this US
SAILING Championship together. According to Maxwell and all those who watched
this team sail, these two young women with little time in the same boat
together clicked extremely well.
Stephanie Hudson and crew Laura McKenna
sailed to a very close second. For Hudson,
the light air, the heat, and staying hydrated and patient on the racecourse
made this a challenging series; still, these two women pulled a strong
performance out of the conditions. Hudson
noted that many competitors tried to wring the most speed from the light-air
conditions, but the strategy of Hudson/McKenna was to push for high angles:
"All of the girls went for speed, but we worked on our pointing." Hudson was the leading
skipper after the first day, with four races.
In third place were Syndey Bolger and
crew Morgane Renoir. Renoir came to this championship fresh off a win at the
U.S. Youth Sailing Championship, sailed in late June on Lake
Pontchartrain. Renoir was top crew in the Club 420 class at this
US SAILING Championship.
A two-day clinic preceded the event to
prepare the fleet for the challenge of the championship. Lead by United States Naval Academy’s
head intercollegiate sailing coach, John Vandemoer, and a team of instructors,
top competitors found the clinic good preparation for the regatta; conditions
on clinic days were quite different, however, with stronger breezes and rolling
waves. The top-ten finishing teams will have an opportunity to take their
sailing education even further by receiving invites to an advanced racing
clinic, held in 29ers and run in conjunction with CORK Sail Week in Kingston,
Ontario.
As winners of this championship, Emily
Maxwell and Kelly Stannard become the next young women to wear the mantle of
the legendary Ida Lewis, by accepting the trophy that bears her name. Born in
the mid-1800s, Ida Lewis was only 16 when she became the lighthouse keeper of
what was then Lime Rock Light in Newport (R.I.), after her father could no
longer perform the job. Renowned for her skill in her wooden rowboat in extreme
conditions, Lewis is credited with 18 documented rescues.
When interviewed about her performance at
this national event, Maxwell not only discussed the sailing that earned her the
regatta win: she made note of the smooth running of the championship that gave
her an opportunity to compete for this national title. "The clinic was
very well run," said Maxwell, "and the Race Committee, they did a
great job in the trying conditions."
The C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Sportsmanship
Award went to the team of Caroline Wright (Ft. Lauderdale,
Fla.) and crew Megan Place (Wilton Manors, Fla.). Place had
dislocated her shoulder during the weekend; in a show of true determination,
she raced the entire regatta one-armed—her injured arm carefully
bandaged, wrapped in a sling, and held firmly in place within her lifejacket.
This Florida
team finished the regatta in 12th place.
For complete results, visit the event
website at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjrw/double.
The U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship for the Ida Lewis
Trophy is part of US SAILING’s National Championships series; for more
information about these events, visit www.ussailing.org/championships.
About Vanguard Sailboats
Demonstrating a continuing commitment to youth sailing, Vanguard Sailboats,
manufacturer of the Club 420s sailed in this event, is once again sponsoring
the U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship. Vanguard Sailboats has
been a dedicated sponsor of numerous U.S. National Championships for more than
a decade, encouraging sailors in the U.S. to enjoy the sport while also
ensuring great competition. Visit their website at www.teamvanguard.com.
About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing
body for sailing. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth,
Rhode Island, the organization provides
leadership for the sport of sailing in the United States. US SAILING offers
training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a
wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating
certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing
across the country, including National Championships and the U.S. Olympic and
Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.
FINAL RESULTS (seven races / one discard)
1. Emily Maxwell/Kelly Stannard (Stonington, Conn./Salem, Conn.);
5*, 4, 2, 5, 2, 1, 1: 15 points
2. Stephanie Hudson/Laura McKenna (Winnetka, Ill./Palo Alto,
Calif.); 8, 1, 1, 2, 20*, 2, 3:
17 points
3. Sydney Bolger/Morgane Renoir (Long Beach, Calif./San Diego,
Calif.); 2, 2, 3, 8, 4, 4, 27*:
23 points
4. Chanel Miller/Melany Johnson (Ft. Lauderdale,
Fla./Berwyn,
Pa.); 4, 26*, 4, 3, 5, 5, 10: 31
points
5. Eliza Richartz/Nicole Heinl (Old Lyme, Conn./Barrington,
R.I.); 6, 6, 8, 1, 25*, 3, 18: 42
points
*indicates discard