RALEIGH, NC (April 5-6, 2014): Sailors from UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University made the short journey down Tobacco Road over to Raleigh this weekend to join NC State on the water at Lake Wheeler for the inaugural Triangle Tango Race Clinic & Regatta. With sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s for most of the day, Saturday's clinic featured a full slate of race drills on a short windward/leeward course and on the water coaching with cooperative, consistent wind of 8-10 knots for most of the morning. After a break for lunch, sailors spent the afternoon with a focus on boat handling, finishing the day with a good helping of smiles and sunburn compliments of perfect sailing conditions. Sunday morning however greeted sailors with chillier temperatures hovering in the low 50s for most of the morning. The wind direction shifted 180° from Saturday, classic Lake Wheeler-style, but maintained strength between 8-12 knots.
Perfect conditions greeted sailors on Lake Wheeler for Saturday's race clinic.
Although traditional rivals, the three Triangle-area sailing teams maintain close ties and support each other's growth and development as competitive programs, a dynamic prevalent in College Sailing. The weekend's clinic and regatta showcased this relationship, but when it comes to racing, each team wants to win and races were fiercely competitive all day. Following a short skipper's meeting, sailors took to the course and raced on a modified windward/leeward course with an upwind finish. UNC started strong in A-Fleet with back to back bullets, but as the regatta progressed, racing proved to be more evenly matched in both fleets with each of NC State and Duke picking up first place finishes in both fleets throughout the day.
"Duke sailors really enjoyed practicing with and competing against our friends at UNC and NC State. It doesn't get any better than having great competition on the water and camaraderie off the water," said senior skipper and Duke Sailing Vice President Jackson Morton.
Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill & NC State sailors get together for a group shot on Saturday afternoon.
"The weekend was a success. Sailors from each of our three teams, whether a beginner or more advanced racer, worked together to help everyone improve and have a great time," said junior skipper and UNC-Chapel Hill sailing co-captain Elyse Schaefer.
Both NC State and Duke fielded two squads with UNC racing one. After 6 races in both divisions, NC State's first squad delivered the low score for A-Fleet, but Duke-1's performance in A and a solid 8-point win in B-Fleet proved too much as they finished in first place beating the home-team NC State Wolfpack by 7 overall. NC State's second squad, the Red Terror, finished 3rd, followed by UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke-2. Full scores are available HERE.
Sailors heading downwind during Sunday's races
"This was a great weekend of sailing, learning, and racing with near-perfect conditions both during the clinic and for Sunday's regatta," said NC State race team captain David Rogers.
NC State Wolfpack B-fleet crosses the finish line.
"This entire weekend event was organized by sailors from NC State, Duke and UNC, and we were happy to host," said NC State head coach Dana Magliola. "It's exciting to see each of these programs' commitment to racing and we're already looking forward to next year's 'Triangle Tango'."
Duke sailors talking tactics on the first downwind during races Sunday.
Special thanks to UNC, Duke and our sailors for their hard work, enthusiasm and great sailing over the weekend.
