The University of Delaware Sailing Team hosted and won the McCurdy Memorial Regatta held Oct. 11-12 at its home site, the North East River Yacht Club.

Sailing victory

Host UD Sailing Team wins McCurdy Memorial Regatta in North East

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9:59 a.m., Oct. 17, 2014--The University of Delaware Sailing Team hosted and won the McCurdy Memorial Regatta held Oct. 11-12 at its home site, the North East River Yacht Club.

The team competed against six other teams from the Mid-Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA) conference, including Drexel University, Ocean County College, Princeton University, Rutgers University, the University of Maryland and the University of Maryland Baltimore County. 

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After two full days of sailing, UD pulled out ahead of Ocean County College by one point, with the Blue Hens earning their first win in many years. 

The team has had a record season this semester, said Chelsea Regan, the club’s commodore. The roster of more than 60 members is the largest in team history. 

The roster size is not the only record that has been broken this semester. In September, the team finished in eighth out of 14 teams at the Central Fall Qualifiers hosted at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. This finish qualified the Hens for the Henry Luce Regatta at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, this weekend, Oct. 18-19. 

UD will also compete in the MAISA Club Championships in early November. The team has not qualified for these regattas since 2005, Regan said.

She said the recent success of the team has been the result of many changes in the past few years. 

In fall 2012, the team moved its home location to the North East River Yacht Club in North East, Maryland. “The move to NERYC has increased our opportunities to sail year-round and also to learn more about sailing from the members of NERYC,” Regan said.

In the past year, many of the UD sailors have become active in keelboat racing as part of different racing series at NERYC and along the Chesapeake Bay. She said these added opportunities for sailing have transferred into their traditional dinghy sailing and have produced great results for the team. 

This semester has been extremely rewarding for the sailors who have seen the team undergo these changes. “We began to really see the improvements last semester when we started placing fourth or fifth in regattas,” Regan said. “Now, it’s almost a different team than it was two years ago. It’s great because we are still able to maintain many of our team traditions, and now with a winning attitude.” 

Regan said the team is looking forward to establishing itself as a competitive club in the MAISA conference and also in becoming more involved in various offshore opportunities in future years.

Visit the University of Delaware Recreation Services website for updates on club sailing and other club teams at UD.

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