GAINESVILLE, FL (February 21, 2015): Just a week after the conference season opening regatta the SAISA Open in St. Petersburg, Florida, NC State sailors once again ventured to the Sunshine State to the birthplace of Gatorade, in Gainesville, Florida to compete in the Old South Interconference Regatta hosted by University of Florida. NC State sailors escaped the cold snap in Raleigh and were welcomed by the sunshine and warm conditions at Lake Wauburg with great breeze for sailing as winds sustained 10-12 knots throughout the day with puffs reaching around 14-16 knots. Both fleets sailed 420s and were able to finish six races each to finish the regatta in a single day.
NC State's B-fleet entry dips the JU Dolphins in boat 4 on an upwind leg of a race Saturday.
Although tied for 4th in points with host school University of Florida, NC State finished the regatta in 5th place, losing the tiebreak to a high place finish. The Gators and Wolfpack were joined by teams from USF, Jacksonville University, Georgia Tech, and Auburn.
Great conditions on Lake Wauburg for Old South 2015
Sailing for the Wolfpack in A-fleet, skipper James Robertston (Fr., Durham, NC) and crew Caroline Eberhardt (Fr., Stuart, VA), had strong initial results in their first college regatta as a pairing. Finishing 3rd in their fleet throughout the day, the squad was able to show consistency and a competitive spirit. NC State’s A-fleet proudly captured honors with the first capsize of the day.
NC State’s B-fleet featured a sailor making his college sailing debut, freshman skipper Eli Jones (Hickory, NC) who was accompanied by veteran senior crew Jill Tucker (Jamestown, NC). Jones and Tucker finished 4thin their fleet, just 1 point short of the Jacksonville University Dolphins. Both NC State squads performed consistently in their fleets, and both enjoyed a high-water mark of 2nd in races throughout the day.
SailPack sophomore skipper and current fleet captain, Nathan Niles talks tuning with A-fleet during rotations.
“We had great conditions with a good, strong breeze. It was fantastic to see such a consistency, and improvement throughout the day, in both of our fleets," said senior crew Jillian Tucker. "Seeing our younger sailors get into a groove so quickly was amazing. We also had a fun and unforgettable weekend thanks to our hosts Sara Wedemeyer and the rest of the Sailing Gators.”
Freshman skipper James Robertson and freshman crew Caroline Eberhardt sail upwind neck-in-neck with Georgia Tech's A-fleet
“Old South is a great regatta and University of Florida sailing team shows great hospitality. The regatta always proves to also be a great learning experience for our sailors,” said NC State head coach Dana Magliola. “The competition they faced today is good for the development of our sailors, and the way they performed is positive for our team and program.” Full scores are available at http://scores.collegesailing.org/s15/old-south/full-scores/.
The NC State Sailing Team deep in the swamps of Florida at the 2015 Old South regatta! Go Pack!
About the Author: Caroline Eberhardt is a freshman Integrative Physiology and Neurobiology major from Stuart, Virginia. Her sunny disposition is sometimes mistaken for sarcasm, but this Annapolis, Maryland native is all business on the race course. It's crab cakes and winning regattas for this second-semester freshman crew who competes in both co-ed and women's events for NC State.
