HARWICH HAS SOLID SAILING TEAM AT STATES AND ELSEWHERE

(Chronicle - 6/1/00)

HARWICH - Sailing has been in the blood of a squad full of Harwich students for several years now and has produced the best season yet for the Rough Riders, an impressive 11-2 record with 2 team races left to go. Coach John Dickson led his team to Castine, Maine the weekend before for the Maine Invitation where they held the lead until the wind dropped off on the second day. Most recently the team was able to beat Barnstable High (ranked 8th nationally), score 8th out of 20 school in the State Fleet Racing Championship at MIT, and pull a second at the Figawi Invitational. More than 1800 people have followed the teams success on it’s webpage at www.harwich.edu the most hit page on the school server.

On Sunday, a pair of sophomores Tommy Leach and Jamie Scarbrough represented our team on Nantucket Island and came within one point of winning the Figawi High School Invitational, fleet racing in 420's. Trading the helm, Jaime racked up an impressive 1,2,3,4 score and Tommy steering scored an equally impressive 1,2,3. The event came down to the last race with Harwich leading with 12 points over Belmont Hill and St. John's Prep tied for second with 14. Jaime's 4th place nail biter finish came at the hands of being the middle of a port tacked fleet which had to break rank to avoid the Nantucket High crew crossing the pack on starboard at the line. Order of finish after seven races was: Belmont Hill, Harwich, St. John's Prep, Nantucket, Chatham, Martha's Vineyard, Sandwich. Awards were given at the Figawi awards ceremony under the tent. Each crew received an official Figawi High School Invitational fleece vest embalzoned with the new Figawi seal (showing a sailboat passing Brant Point Light House). Very sharp. Thanks go to Nantucket sailing coach Nick Judson for pulling together all the details of the race, from transportation to awards .

Harwich sailors at the States at the MIT Sailing Pavillion on the Charles River first day freshman Gina Legge, Senior co-captains Josh Mongeau and Mike O'Loughlin, and freshman Shanna O'Loughlin.

A first place finish from senior Josh Mongeau and freshman Gina Legge was the placebo Harwich was looking for during the first day of racing at MIT Thursday. The State Fleet Championship in Tech Dinghies put the Rough Riders seventh place, well above middle after a bad start due to equipment problem for co-captain Mike O'Loughlin and crew sister Shauna in the first race (won by BC High). The wind built from the NW and by the second heat the O'Loughlin duo faired better finishing 9th out of 20 teams. In the B Division, Mongeau and Legge watch their chances at an additional first place finish evaporate, having rounded the weather and jibe marks well ahead of all competitors before the race committee postponed the heat due to multiple capsizes. The entire fleet was sent to the dock for storm jibs. "Of course we felt robbed after our good seamanship" said co-captain Mongeau. "The next start had us over early and dragging back to an 11th on the modified starboard course". Not to be dissuaded they blitzed the next start, 3 boats from the pin end, and carried out to the left side with great speed, out distancing the entire fleet on all four legs of the course by 30 boat lengths. A solid first day showing for Harwich, the only Cape & Island secondary school team entered.

Sophomore Tom Leach sail #16 looks for crossing boats during last weeks MIT State Championship on the Charles.

The following afternoon, sophomores Jamie Scarbrough and crew Bryan Knowles kept hopes alive for the Rough Riders at MIT with best races of a 2nd and 3rd place finish and a ninth. Tommy Leach and Scott Pennfield did not fare as well laying a trail of 7's and a 17th in an over early race. The Charles River was up to its flukey self and dished out its share of NW shifts and SW lulls frustrating competitors, leaving Harwich in eighth place (event won by BC High over Wellesley) in the State Fleet Racing Championship. "All in all, it was a great learning experience in which we gleaned a lot of useful strategy and info for next year." said Assistant Coach, Harbormaster Tom Leach. "The team came away somewhat pleased with snip-its of their day."

Harwich teammates Gina Legge and Josh Moneau arriving dockside after taking a first place finish in the Tech Dinghy at MIT State Championship.

Wednesday, The Harwich High sailors bested Barnstable's top team in a squeaker on Pleasant Bay proving again that on any given day of sailing a good team can beat a great team. The Red Raiders lead by Nathan St.Onge and crew Meredith Butler were not surprised to see the Rough Riders drive over their teammates sailing out of cover in the first two races lead by Mike O'Loughlin with crew Tom Leach and Josh Mongeau with crew Scott Penfield. The next two races won by the Hyannis based team were "nothing short of the closest team racing the Rough Riders have seen this Spring" according to Coach John Dickson, as Jaime Scarbrough and crew freshman Neal Donovan won the start and set mark traps at two points on the course but Barnstable held off. The final rubber match fell to the last leg after tight pinwheel roundings at all marks. Scarbrough again leveraged his teammates in a passback maneuver while O'Loughlin and Mongeau broke cover from Barnstable’s St.Onge and Robin Deliso finishing 2-3-4 for the dramatic come-from-behind 5th race win.