Sailing Team Logbook 2002

6/2/02 - PLEASANT BAY - Nationally ranked Dartmouth High beat local favorite Harwich by one point to win the Cape & Islands High School Sailing Championship Sunday at Chatham Yacht Club. Sailing in conditions that went from light air to heavy gusts and white caps late in the day all seven schools were able to make use of their entire bench. At the lunch break it was Harwich leading with 20 points trailed by one point in a tie for second place between Nauset High, Dartmouth and Martha's Vineyard. Heading back on the water the two fleets were greeted with a ninety degree wind shift and the threat of lightening in the sixth and last race. Tom Leach with Iris Compton sailed out the A-Division with three second place finishes against Dartmouth's Nate Powell with Kira Deland who managed four firsts. Sailing for Harwich in B - fleet were Neal Donovan with Shawna O'Loughlin who went fourth and 2nd and traded skippering duties off to Jamie Scarbrough who sailed four bullets with Jackie London, Heather Mallory and Jim Adams to leverage Harwich to second. Several protests messed up the other teams but Harwich and Dartmouth stayed in tact. Nauset's Peter Schwebach and crew Ben Peno sailed the low point score in the first Division. The final results combining both fleets were Dartmouth 28, Harwich 27, Martha's Vineyard 42, Nauset 43, Nantucket 62, Sandwich 62, Chatham 80. A perpetual trophy for the Cape & Islands League Championship is dedicated in the memory of Ann Antolini of Harwich who was a school principal in New Hartford, CT.

5/29/02 - HARWICH - The Rough Riders lost their return match with schedule opener Duxbury on Pleasant Bay today. The Dragons came out fighting in light air and tucked it to Harwich 1-4-5, 1-2-5, 1-3-4.We sailed shorthanded by the momentary loss of anchor skipper Jaimie and crewman Bryan due to conditions beyond the teams control (food fight in cafeteria). Tommy, Shawna and Neal skippered with Iris, Gina, Jackie and Heather crewing but lack of producing good cover, getting into a suitable one position for trap, and an over early made the transformation to winning combos impossible. Much less Dux was psyched! We won a consolation (fourth) race 1-2-3 with Jim sailing with Heather as Dux shifted its crews. We will need to pick up the pace heavily for a go at the Cape & Islands League Championship scheduled for Sunday June 2nd at CYC. Reminder to team members: we are hosting this Sundays event and are collecting from each family to pay for barbecue; Mrs. Leach still needs to collect frm many team member families. Thank you for your help.

5/24/02 - CAMBRIDGE - Harwich is 3rd at State Sailing Championship; Nauset is 5th. For the second year in a row the Harwich High Sailing Team has found itself in a neck and neck race with BC High at the State Fleet racing Championship on the Charles River. Last year Harwich was the runner up at MIT in the sixteen race event that went down to the wire with the Eagles winning. This year BC High and the Rough Riders were all even after the first day of racing tied at third both one point out of second behind Marblehead and Hingham. The two tier event has been a must do for two Harwich seniors and co-captains Jamie Scarbrough and Tom Leach over their four years. Going down to the wire and trailing the leaders by 6 points in the 14th race, Scarbrough and crew Shawna O'Loughlin sailed out of dead last after an obligatory 720 after contact with the committee boat and pushed themselves to fifth place finish in the heat. Leach and crew Gina Legge then added to their low point scores for the day of a 3rd and 2nd with a fifth and finally found their groove with a bullet in the last race placing Harwich solidly into third. Scoring for this the 30th annual State Sailing Championship was: Marblehead, 56; Hingham, 67; Harwich, 73; Boston College HS, 78; Nauset, 112; St.Sebastians, 126; Wellesley, 138; Manchester/Essex, 144; St. John's Prep, 152; Dover Sherborn, 161; Noble&Greenough, 174; Buckingham, Brown & Nichols, 198; Linclon Sudbury, 205; Notre Dame, 210; Brookline, 210; Windsor, 230; Boston Latin, 230, North Quincy, 234; Winchester, 249.

5/23/02 - CAMBRIDGE - The Harwich High School Sailing Team ranks one point out of second with 34 points after day one of the 30th Annual Massachusetts High School Fleet Sailing Championships yesterday at MIT. It was a breezy day on the Charles in southwesterly wind. Nauset High stands fifth. The event is a two day contest flooded with private schools, each with long sailing history. Harwich's program is in its fifth year. Harwich's team with 34 points, scored just behind Marblehead (33) and first place finisher Hingham (28). BC High trails Harwich with 37 points and Nauset skippered by Mike Falcone and Peter Schwebec notched 61 points. Doing the work for Harwich were Jamie Scarbrough (skipper) and Shawna O'Loughlin with 17 points, and Tom Leach (skipper) and Gina Legge with 17 points. Scarbrough also earned a first place finish in fifth race of the series. Today Harwich hopes to challenge for the first place position with the same team on the line. Harwich took second place at the event last year behind BC High after leading all teams the first day.

5/22/02 - HARWICH - Sailing in moderate 15-20 knot southwesterly the Harwich Rough Riders outmatched rival Nauset at the Chatham Yacht Club on Pleasant Bay. This was the second victory for Harwich over an evolving Nauset going 3-2 in some close racing. Harwich won the first heat after a 1-2-4 at the top mark slipped back to a 1-3-5 as Nauset captain Peter Shwebec/Ben Peno sailed back into contention on the reaching leg. Nauset took the next two heats 1-2-4 and 1-3-6 as juniors Heather Nickerson and crew Hannah Conway stormed into first with Schwebec/Peno assisting after some heated mark trapping that produced offsetting protests from both teams. Harwich team came to life in the final two heats as Tom Leach with Heather Compton, Jamie Scarbrough with Gina Legge and Neal Donovan with Shawna O'Loughlin blitzed both starts and turned back the Nauset sailors by the top marks going 1-2-3, 1-2-3 for the win. Both Harwich (13-6) and Nauset will travel to MIT today to race in the State Fleet Racing Championship on the Charles River.

5/21/02 - CHATHAM - The Rough Riders sailed to an easy win over the Blue Devils Tuesday on Pleasant Bay. Harwich rotated through the entire team going 1-2-3; 1-2-4; 1-2-4. Coaches Greg Kelly and JD decide a fourth race was in order between the two friendly rivals which sent Chatham packing with a 4-5-6. Nate Batchelder with Joe Durso won an excellent start in the third race port tacking the entire fleet but were rolled by the first mark by two of the Harwich boats. The last race of the day had Jamie Scarbrough with Jill Shutteworth coming from second to nip teammates Tom Leach /Heather Mallory at the finish line. Harwich is now 12-6 and will race Nauset on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the four team members will compete at the State Fleet Championships at MIT in Tech's. Then on Sunday Harwich will send a team to the Figawi School Invitational in 420's..

5/18/02 - CUNDY'S HARBOR, ME - The Harwich Sailing Team traveled to Bowdoin College to compete in the New England Interscholastic Team Racing Championships on Quahog Bay. Sailing in Lark dinghies the Harwich Sailing team members led by co-captains Jamie Scarbrough and Tom Leach found they were sailing not only against the razor sharp competition but adverse weather in a cold pouring rain with 10 knot winds. Eventually the temperature plummeted to 38F. Although Harwich and each of the eight teams finished as they had been seeded, the Rough Riders sailed well enough throughout the event to have mixed boat finishes with all the schools each with a deep bench of warm sailors. In a plan to sail as light as possible, Harwich Coach John Dickson maintained his crews of Heather Mallory with Tom Leach, Neal, Donovan/ Shawna O'Loughlin, Jamie Scarbrough/ Gina Legge. By the last two heats against Milton Academy and Tabor Academy the team's fate was sealed as the grey skies began spitting snow and crews said they could no longer feel their hands and feet after five hours of sailing. Dickson had little choice exchanging the girls for his heavy air crews Bryan Knowles and Jim Adams. Later, Rob Hurd, President of the NE School Sailing Association said that Harwich should indeed be proud of its rank officially number eight in New England. He said that Harwich was only one of two public schools (Barnstable finished 6th) to make it into the team racing finals against a pile of private schools with deep sailing pedigree and can actively recruit members.

5/16/02 - - PADANARAM - Sailing in gusts to 30 knots Harwich sailors were challenged by the Bishop Stang but proved they could dig deep when required to grab the win. The Rough Riders led the first race from the first mark 1-2-3 led by Neal Donovan/Jim Adams. The second race had close mark roundings at all marks in the planing conditions with Stang going 1-3-6. Harwich then won the third heat 1-3-4 led by Jamie Scarbrough/Bryan Knowles. The Bishop Stang sailors then rolled Harwich with a 1-2-3 from the first mark as the teams split and Stang found the lifted wind shift. Harwich won the rubber match 1-2-4 led by Tom Leach/Jill Shuttleworth after being sprung at the leeward mark by Scarbrough. Harwich (11-6) will travel to Bowdoin College for the New England Team Racing Championships Saturday and Sunday.

5/15/02 - Wednesady parctice is another blowout. Where is all this wind coming from?? Four boat practice pits Bryan/Heather against Tommy/Shawna, Neal/Jimmy, Jamie/Jackie. Capsizes all over except for Bryan. Only embarrassing part was Eric Adler was onboard for sailing story for Chronicle as the coaching staff attempts to reassure him this capsizing stuff is not routine! Right.

5/14/02 - Tuesday practice is a blow-out. We sail three boats in 30 knot gusts giving skippers and crews all the planing conditions they can handle. Shawna and Gina sailed with Tom, JIm and Jill sail with Neal, Bryan and Jackie sailing with Jamie. Jamie and Bryan Capsize before the start, then Neal split jib and augers in twice with Jimmy. Jackie climbs for Bryan and crash after a controled race capsizing occurs again. Finally Mr. Leach calls off the "practice", and Jamie and Jackie manage to spindle the 420 mast into the mud on the way back to the club. Moral: "you have to go out and you have to come back". Many thanks to Bay resident Austin Knight who sent the team a generous check for $100.

5/13/02 - NEW ENGLAND - The Harwich High Sailing Team (10-6) has qualified for the New England Fleet Racing Championship which will be sailed at Bowdoin College Saturday and Sunday. Harwich is among eight schools that have qualified for the competition which will be sailed in Lark dinghies. Other secondary school teams qualifying are Barnstable, BC High, Hotchkiss, Milton, St. Georges, Tabor and Williams. Eligibility is based on each teams record and strength of schedule. Schools with winning seasons but not receiving a berth in the Championship tier are Duxbury, Falmouth, Belmont Hill, Martha's Vineyard, Portsmouth Abbey, Hingham, Greenwich (CT), Fairfield Prep. The Harwich sailing team co-captains seniors Tom Leach and Jamie Scarbrough have had their sights set on making the New Englands for four years. This is the climax of their efforts, a shot at the New England Schools Sailing Association's Mark Trophy. Government teacher John Dickson and Harbormaster Tom Leach coach the Harwich sailing program in its fifth year. Both coaches believe that the team can do well against the competition. Harwich will team race Bishop Stang at New Bedford Yacht Club Thursday. The team will leave school early Friday and travel to Cambridge for a sailing practice in Larks at Harvard before heading on to Brunswick late in the day.

5/9/02 - SANDWICH - The Harwich sailing team improved to 10-6 with a 3-0 win over Sandwich on Hawthorne Pond. Sailing for Harwich were Jamie Scarbrough with Iris Compton and then Jackie London, Bryan Knowles/Gina Legge,Neal Donovan/ Shawna O'Loughlin, Jim Adams/Heather Mallory. Skippering for Sandwich were Peter Creedon with Ryan Beikes, also Mat Burque/Jana Simpson and Nick Christiani/Kara Morris.

5/8/02 - HARWICH - The Rough Riders coming off a 3-2 loss to Dartmouth Tuesday swept Martha's Vineyard 3-0 in light air on Pleasant Bay. The first race was chucked with Harwich 1-2-5 after protests from both sides. Harwich then swept the deck with the next three races 1-3-4, 1-2-3, 1-2-5 with Tom Leach/Iris Compton, Jamie Scarbrough/Gina Legge and Neal Donovan/Shawna O'Loughlin trading places in the pack with solid team racing. Sailing for Martha's Vineyard were Mike Villa/Julia Fleischman, Cal Monas/Chritina Diaz, Ben Hanigan/Calvin Brew. Harwich (9-6) will travel to Sandwich this afternoon.

5/7/02 - PADANARAM - An old rivalry the Harwich High sailing team lost to Dartmouth 3-2 on the waters of Apponagansett Bay. Sailing in a steady 10 knot onshore breeze Harwich won the first race after a Tom Leach won a protest involving buoy room at the leeward mark. Dartmouth won the start and the second race going 1-2-3 over the finish line led by Nate Powell with Kira Deland. Harwich won the next race with an unstable 1-3-6 led by Neal Donovan/Shawna O'Loughlin. Dartmouth took the rubber match 1-4-5. Also sailing for Harwich were Tom Leach with crew Iris Compton and Gina Legge, and Jamie Scarbrough /Scott Penfield and Heather Mallory. Harwich (8-6) still hoping to qualify for Fleet Racing New England's will sail against Martha's Vineyard on Pleasant Bay. BTW the boys said the AP test was hard.

5/6/02 - Monday. Practice makes perfect. Four skippers and crew practice fleet and team racing in 25 knot winds at the Head-of-the-Bay. Screech planing holds excitment for all initial Teams were Tom/Jill; Neal/Shawna; Jamie/Gina with Heather, Jimmy and Jackie rotating in and out. Dr. Gilbert got approval from the School Committee for our road trip to Maine next week. Tomorrow we take on Dartmouth at New Bedford YC. Also five teammates will be taking the Calculus AP test in the morning. Good Luck guys all the way!

5/1/02 - HARWICH - In their return outing the Falmouth High sailors discovered Harwich was more than an equal match for their one two punch of Peter Fallon and Eric Savery. Sailing in tight racing throughout the afternoon Falmouth swept the first race 1-2-3 led by Katie Smith with crew Adam Duncuchelle, Eric Savery /Ian Gordon and Peter Fallon/Sam Johnston. In the second heat, Harwich's Jaimie Scarbrough/Scott Penfield were sprung by a mark trap by Tom Leach/Gina Legge at the top mark as Scarbrough held a tight cover over Fallon to the finish with Harwich going 1-2-6. Harwich won the third race 1-2-5 with mark traps all around slowing down the racing and Neal Donovan/Shawna O'Loughlin coming over the line first and Leach/Legge second. Falmouth held a tight cover in the fourth race going 1-3-4 for the win led by Fallon to make it 2-2. Finally Harwich won the rubber match with a tight 1-3-5 at the finish as the Rough Riders did a better job of covering around the course. Harwich is now 8-5 and sails against Martha's Vineyard tomorrow on Pleasant Bay.

4/30/02 - ORLEANS - Harwich sailors agilely beat Nauset High 3-0 yesterday on Town Cove. Sailing in a moderate southwesterly breeze the Rough Riders went 1-2-4 in the first race led by Tom Leach with Iris Compton and Jaimie Scarbrough /Shawna O'Loughlin. In the second race, Peter Schwebec with Ben Peno sailing for Nauset grabbed a 1-4-5 lead at the first mark but the Harwich sailors brought the race back to a 1-2-4 finish after mark traps at the gybe and leeward marks. The final race went for Harwich with a loose 1-3-5 when Neal Donovan/Gina Legge called over early were sprung to a first by Leach/Compton in a pass back. Also sailing for Orleans were Mike Falcone/Ryan McCarthy and Heather Nickerson/Hannah Conway. Harwich is now 7-5 overall (4-0 in the Cape & Island League) and will sail against Falmouth High today on Pleasant Bay.

4/25/02 - HARWICH - Harwich handily beat the Chatham Varsity Sailing Team 3-0 this afternoon in shifty southeasterly 20 knot breeze. Facing falling air temperatures Coaches Greg Kelly and John Dickson got the race off quickly in Chatham boats. Harwich went 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 2-3-4 both teams changing through skippers and crews as the thermometer fell to 45°F. Harwich is now 6-5.

4/24/02 - LEWIS BAY - Sailing in their only match up of the regular season Barnstable beat Harwich 3-1 in shifty Northeasterly winds off Hyannis Yacht Club yesterday. The Red Raiders went out to an early lead winning the first two races 1-2-5 and 2-3-5 led by Anthony Mazzeo and crew Madelyn Kanter and Sam Mazzeo/Amy Gallagher. In the third race Harwich dug in with several good moves and a come from behind effort when Tom Leach/Iris Compton stalled Sam Mazzeo's boat in the final leg leveraging teammates Jamie Scarbrough/Shawna O'Loughlin and Neal Donovan/Gina Legge to make it over the finish line 2-3-4. Barnstable iced the Harwich sailors in the final race 1-3-4 after Harwich split tacks and fell on the wrong side of a wind shift during the first leg. Also sailing for Barnstable were L.J.Gallagher/Kate Lynch and Cyrus Buffum/Clare O'Keeffe. Both teams are trying to qualify for the Team Racing New England's. Harwich (5-5) will sail against Chatham today.

4/22/02 - HARWICH - Bishop Stang proved they were a very friendly team with great spirit, if not the best sailors. Tom/Gina, Jamie/Jim and Neal/Shawna went 1-2-3 in the first race, Tom/Iris, Bryan/Jamie, Neal/Heather went 1-2-3 in the second race; Neal/Jackie, Jamie/Jill Jim/Gina went 1-2-4 in the third. We went 1-2-3 and 1-2-6 in the consolation. Racing the Bishop were: Scott Banercroft/Amanda Sparks; Emily Babbitt/Leslea Berglund; Sean Conaragh/Jessica Oliveira. Also skipering Jay Everson, Drew Gore, Devon Gaudet with Caitlin Hill, Emalie Prior and Kevin Spirlet crewing. Hopefully we are ready for Barnstable away tomorrow.

4/20/02 - MARION - The Rough Riders learn about the agony of defeat today missing qualifying for the New England's by only two points. Jamie/Gina and Tom /Iris sailed well most of day but both crews had a mid-day sag in results shifting our position from second place to sixth by 2 PM. In their attempt to get more aggressive both Jamie and Tommy made it over the starting line early in respective heats (never a good thing in fleet racing). We spent the balance of the day battling back to fifth just two points from tying Barnstable for fourth. Tom's and Iris's results placed them third in fleet. Unfortunately the top four teams move on to USCGA tommorow without us!

Results from the top: 1. Tabor 16+11=27; 2.BC High 32+43=75; 3.Duxbury High 37+38=75; 4. Barnstable 48+32=80; 5. Harwich 45+37=82; 6. Nauset 40+42=82; 7. Belmont 58+43=101; MVY; Hingham; St. Sebastian's; BBN; Nantucket; Brookline. Barnstable came within 2 points of qualifying for Nationals the following day. Our nemesis Dartmouth High coming from another tier qualified and will be going to San Diego. We should have been there!

4/19/02 - Friday. The teammates have returned from variety of school vacation destinations so Coach Dickson's practice goes well in preparation for fleet racing qualifiers tomorrow at Tabor.

4/11/02 - HARWICH - The Harwich team sailors out maneuvered Sandwich High A-team 3-0 yesterday on Pleasant Bay. Senior Tom Leach along with crew Gina Legge managed mark traps in all three races setting up Harwich with 1-2-5, 1-2-6, 1-2-4 finishes in the 10 knot easterly breeze. Also sailing for the Rough Riders were Shawna O'Loughlin/Iris Compton, Jamie Scarbrough/Jill Shuttleworth, Neal Donovan /Heather Mallory. Skippering for Sandwich were Peter Creedon with Ryan Beikes, also Mat Burque/Jana Simpson and Nick Christiani/Kara Morris.

4/10/02 - QUINCY BAY- The Harwich Rough Riders sailed into rough waters today losing three straight against Milton Academy. Milton, the 2001 New England Fleet racing champs, led by returnees Charlie Enright and Rip Hale, surgically took Harwich apart. Our failure to gain strong starting position from the beginning help to clinch each race for the Red and Blue. Harwich went a disappointing 3-5-6, 3-5-6, 4-5-6. We need to bring it all up a notch if we want to remain competitive with the best teams. We have postponed racing Nantucket tomorrow, instead we will make-up with Sandwich on Pleasant Bay. (Barnstable beat Dartmouth today 3-1 so it appears we may be on par with Barnstable at this point)

4/5/02 - Practice today in shifty winds keeping our competitive edge for NE Fleet Racing Championship in two weeks at USCGA. Good time to practice starting and shifts in the Head of the Bay near Route 28. Wind SW at 25 kts and 43°F. Tom with Iris then Shawna, Jamie/Heather, and Neal/Jillian, Bryan/James. Then team racing 2 on 2 with Tom and Jamie drawing opposing straws. Milton Academy (among others) is on our radar screen for next week! We need to stay sharp , focused and psyched.

4/4/02 - HARWICH - The Harwich sailing team swept Dartmouth High 3-0 in light air yesterday on Pleasant Bay. While both squads used plenty of team racing tactics to control opponents, it was the Rough Riders advantage to take the first heat 2-3-5 and not look back. Neal Donovan and crew Gina Legge were sprung by Tom Leach/Iris Compton in the second race with Harwich going 1-3-5. In the third race, Jamie Scarbrough and crew Shawna O'Loughlin led their teammates across the finish line for a 2-3-4 finish that was nearly foiled by Dartmouth's Nate Powell with Kira Deland who came 5th but could have easily ghosted to a second on a breeze filling in from the left side of the course. This was an important victory for Harwich (3-3) helping establish position, as Dartmouth (0-2) was ranked 6th in New England last year. Also sailing for Dartmouth were and Zack Kavanaugh/ Creighton Armstrong and Mike Sullivan /John Walker.

4/3/02 - HARWICH - Tabor Academy beat Harwich High School 3-1 in close racing on breezy Pleasant Bay yesterday. Harwich took the first race (1-2-6) which saw capsizes by both teams. The Seawolves led by Zander Kirkland who managed three first place finishes went 1-3-6, 1-3-6 and 1-3-4 besting the Rough Riders. Also skippering for Tabor were Ben Sampson, John Cahoon, and Katie Whitman with crew changes including Jesse King, Midori Shirokava, Chanz McManus, Angus Lyall, and Kati Johnson . Harwich stayed with its heavy air team of Tom Leach/ Scott Penfield, Jamie Scarbrough/Bryan Knowles and Neal Donovan/James Adams through the afternoon. Both Coaches Rob Hurd and John Dickson said they were pleased with the competitiveness from both squads at all turns of the course during the team race. Harwich (2-3) will sail home against Dartmouth High at Chatham Yacht Club this afternoon.

4/2/02 - TISBURY, MA - The Harwich High Rough Riders sailed to a 3-2 victory over Martha's Vineyard in Vineyard Haven. Harwich led by senior captains Jamie Scarbrough and Tom Leach decisively won the first two races in the steady Southwest breeze. Then the Islanders in their opener tied up the Capers in two close races making it 2-2. The rubber match ended as a win for Harwich, leveraged by a mark trap set by Scarbrough and crew Scott Penfield allowing teammates Leach/Shawna O'Loughlin and Neal Donovan/Gina Legge to go 1-2-5. Harwich (2-2) will take on Tabor Academy at Chatham Yacht Club tomorrow and MV (0-1) takes on Chatham at Vineyard Haven Thursday.

4/1/02 - Back on the Bay training along with Chatham HS, April fools was day for capsizes for both school in the steady 15 knot southwester. Even Chatham coach Greg Kelly decided to take an unplanned swim while assisting two of his girls back aboard a capsized 420. Harwich drilled decively in fleet starts and team racing readying themselves for MV road trip tomorrow. Good news for seniors Jamie accepted at Tufts, Bryan accepted at Stanford, Jill accepted at URI, Scott accepted at UNH, and Tommy accepted at Coast Guard.

3/28/02 - FALMOUTH - Rough Riders get off to a bad start and lose a decisive opportunity against the well organized Falmouth sailors in straight sets.

3/27/02 - Heavy rains thoughout the morning let up by 3 PM so practice was possible getting ready for Falmouth High tomorrow. Chatham High is now on the water with us for the first time. Five boats and an imaginary made team racing possible. Coach Dickson with Heather crewing, Bryan and Jimmy vs. Tommy with Shawna, Jaimie and Scot and Neal with Gina. Wind out of N-NE 10 knots at 46°F. After five races we were off the water.

3/25/02 - BRISTOL, RI - The Harwich High Sailing Team beat Portsmouth Abby Prep, 3-1 in a steady 10 knot southwesterly breeze on Bristol Harbor (air 42.8° F). Seniors Tom Leach/Gina Legge and Jamie Scarbrough/Scott Penfield sailed 1-2-5 and 1-2-5 in the first two races. PAP took the third race with a tight 1-3-6. The Rough Riders took the series with Leach and Neal Donovan/Shawna O'Loughlin sailing 1-3-6. Harwich (1-1) will sail at Falmouth Thursday.

3/22/02 - DUXBURY, MA - Team takes one on the chin in a 1-3 loss against Duxbury HS at Duxbury Maritime School. This was Harwich's first time using storm sails on the 420's. Vessels were icing up decks and sheets in the 28.9°F 24.2 kts breeze to 34.5 knots gusts (windchill index 12°F). Tommy said they gave away two downwind leads with boats plunging and loading up with water. Bone chilling conditions were the toughess any team has had to face yet. Both coaches decided it was sailable. Harwich sails against Portsmouth Abby Prep on Monday. The event made the Boston Globe's Tony Chamberlain sailing column calling high school sailors as tough as any high school linemen.

3/21/02 - Team holds a good practice in a steady 10 knot SW breeze and 45F air temp. Our twelve members spar in pass back drills, starting practice, traps and team racing. Coach Dickson gets in the act as well while Mr. Leach runs the committee boat. At 5:20 we broke for practice and head back to the yacht club. Not feeling they had enough captains Jamie and Ton instigate a monkey in the middle drill and off the team goes again. This squad likes being on the water! Our new members Heather, Iris and Jackie are enthusiastic about the sport and seem to realize their important role to the team. All crew is determined and prepared to take on Duxbury away at Duxbury Maritime School tomorrow.

3/20/02 - Wind 20 kts SE, Rain 39F. Practice Canceled. We'll try again Thursday.

3/19/02 - Team gets in its first practice and looks like they have lost nothing over the school year. Five boats on the water Shawna/Jill; Jamie/Gina ; Bryan/Scott; Tommy/Iris Compton; Neal/Jimmy. Heather Mallory and Jackie London switching in with Tommy and Jamie. The new recruits show they are quick studies. Heather who has never sailed was willing to put her back into it from the start. Wind was about 10 - 15 knots from the East and our sun kept fading in and out with dark cumulus clouds. We found out later it had rained in Harwich Port. Air temp 39F, water 42F. Practice involved first tags and traps, then practice starts and three triangles followed by a short team race. The team shows raw determination.

3/18/02 - A rainy day the idea of sailing is out of the question with 20 kts of wind out of the Southeast. Instead we launch the chase boat and set up the courtesy float at Round Cove.

3/14/02 - And so it begins...Ahead of schedule the team takes advantage of a mild day and drags out the 420's and begins dewinterizing the clubhouse under Coach John Dickson's direction. Onboard for the event and busy as beavers were Tommy Leach, Jamie Scarbrough, Bryan Knowles, Jill Shuttleworth, Scott Penfield, Neal Donovan, Jim Adams, new comers Jackie London and Heather Mallory, also helping Keith Ripa and Ben Bachert and Coach Leach.