As the 2015 spring athletic season starts off, the Belmont Hill Varsity Sailing Team has gotten off to a great start. Captains James Collins ‘16 and Lucas Jurgensen ‘16 are leading the team to places as far away as Tabor Academy on the Cape and St. George’s School in Rhode Island, and bringing back victories for Belmont Hill.
There are many returning veterans, such as Spencer Kim ‘16, Jacob Whitney ‘17, Jack Murphy ‘18, and Stephen Pellegrino ‘19. These team members have helped the newer members of the team learn the ropes of sailing. Since the first practice on March 30, the team has gotten much more efficient and better at team racing and roll tackling. This year the sailing team has received a set of 6 new boats, and last year’s 6 boats have now been transferred to Winchester High School’s sailing team.
The team’s first race was on April 8, at the Winchester Boat Club on the shore of Mystic Lake, against Dover Sherborn. The sailors braved tough weather conditions which included rain and hail, and came back with a very close loss with a score of 2-3. This did not deter the sailors, who went on to win their next two races 2-0 and 3-0.
The current record of the team is 2-3, but the team has many a couple more races to sail, and due to the strong nature of the squad, it is expected that they will win. The culminating event of the sailing season for the year is the Downeast Regatta. Starting on May 15, a group of sailors will drive up to the Maine coast several hours away to have a shot at claiming victory for Belmont Hill.
