On Sunday, October 2, NESA’s (New England Sailing Association) second annual Northeast High School Keel Boat Invitational was hosted by Stamford Yacht Club for schools up and down the east coast, including two schools from Maine. They were racing heel boats or the “ideal 18’s” which are 18 feet long and 6.2 feet wide. Students on Sunday navigated a 3-mile course, just outside the yacht club’s channel.

Stamford High Captain Gus Doricko said before the race “We just think it’s really cool that we can attract a crowd from all over the east coast.” The competition included two Stamford teams, as well as teams from Fairfield-Ludlowe, Portland, and Stanwich.

At the moment, the SHS team is self-run and looking for a coach. In the meantime, they are being supervised by parents of the sailors. They are now receiving a $15,500 budget, which in the long run is just a scratch on the surface due to expenses for coaches, repairs, and other equipment.

Sailing is a dangerous sport. To prevent a disaster, the crew will give the skipper tactical advice and the skipper has the final say, all moving around 6 to 30 nautical miles per hour. Alec Weatherseed, an experienced adult sailor, commented about the number of rocks present on the course. “It is a mine field out here,” Weatherseed said.

The races usually last around 30 minutes, and during the regatta on Sunday there were a total of two races. This was because there was a lack if wind and only the two races got out.

The seven SHS students were used to racing the club’s keel boats, but other teams participating faced a challenge in the form of the three-person vessels. After becoming adjusted to the more common two-person dinghies after the first race, they were able to keep up. To keep it fair they rotate out the boats for each race; although
the differences in the boats are slight, they can make or break a race, and sometimes the sailor’s personal record.

  I advise anyone interested to get out on the water and join the team for this fast paced and physical sport; practice will be four days a week in the fall. Contact Gus Doricko or Stamford High’s athletic director Jim Moriarty for more information.