Hotchkiss School sailors are NE Fleet champs

LAKEVILLE — The Hotchkiss School hosted one of five New England High School Fleet Race Qualifiers on a very cold and blustery Saturday, April 16. Eight teams of brave high school sailors were on the water from 1000 to 1630 hours. The top gust we recorded was 24-knots and the wind chill was often near 20 degrees. Sailors from The Hotchkiss School, Darien High School, Greenwich High School, Greenwich Academy, Brunswick School, Xavier High School, Greens Farms Academy and Fairfield Prep competed all day in 14 fleet races. We were able to run seven races in the A division and seven in the B division. Four other sites across New England were also racing all day long. The totals from each division are added together at the end of the day and the team with the lowest total is the winner.The Hotchkiss School scored only 22 points over the 14 races. Our A division boat, comprised of Graham Landy from Norfolk, Va., as skipper and Parker Rawlings of Lakeville as crew, won each of their seven races. Darien High School finished second with 46 points and Greenwich High School finished third, also with 46 points. The top three teams advanced to the finals at Tabor Academy of Marion, Mass., on Sunday. Sunday dawned a bit brighter with the breeze down a little and the temperature up more. Again, our A division boat won the day with 32 points over 10 races. The next closest competitor in the A division had 49 points. Our B division boat became more consistent throughout the day and finished third. Adding the scores of the two divisions, though, was enough to win the day and the regatta: The Hotchkiss School sailing team became New England Fleet Race Champions.So, next time it is cold and wet on Lake Wononscopomuc remember to look for our New England high school sailors. They’re a pretty tough bunch!