St. Mary's sailors gave their Southern Maryland school its first-ever win in the War Memorial Regatta at the Naval Academy last weekend.
Crew Perry Reeves of Annapolis and skipper Tim Healy of Niantic, Conn., sailed to first by an eight-point margin in the A Division, and skipper Bill Healy, also of Niantic, with crew Karen Raley of Hollywood, Md., worked into third in the B Division.
The War Memorial Regatta is the Mid-Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association district championship for collegiate dinghy sailors.
Navy was second in the event, with A Division sailors Brad Rodi, the 1991-92 College Sailor of the Year, and Heather Keane taking third in their portion of the regatta, and Dave Fagen and Melissa Jackson taking first in the B Division.
Sailing 420s and Flying Juniors through a full 16-race series, 16 schools from the Mid-Atlantic region took part. The top six teams qualified for the Atlantic Coast Championship this weekend at SUNY Maritime.
In addition to the St. Mary's and Navy sailors, among the local sailors who most likely will be going to New York for the Atlantic Coast Championship are Heidi Thoma, a member of the Old Dominion University team that placed third overall, Scott Allan of the fifth-place Georgetown University team, and Rusty Deane of sixth-place Boston University.
In other collegiate sailing last weekend, the annual MAISA Fall Freshman Championship Regatta sailed at St. Mary's.
Of the 12 teams competing, Old Dominion was first overall with 76 points, with Navy a close second at 79 and St. Mary's in third with 83.
Navy sailors R. D. Burley and Julie Maynard won A Division in the freshman regatta, and St. Mary's sailors Willem Van Waay and Paola Hayes won the B Division.
Navy's single-handed sailors competed in a Laser regatta at the Coast Guard Academy Friday through Sunday in light breezes and heavy currents in a 16-race series. Midshipmen Eric Naranjo, Jeff Whiteway and Mark Nelson earned fifth,
eighth and 10th, respectively, and brought home 12 of a possible 16 Fowle Trophy points for the 1992-93 season.
The Fowle Trophy is one of the most hotly contested collegiate sailing honors and recognizes top performance through all phases of intercollegiate sailing. Navy has won this award several times over the past few years.
( War Memorial Regatta MAISA Fall championship 1. St. Mary's College, 136 (35-81); 2. Navy, 141 (74-67); 3. Old Dominion, 147 (63-84); 4. Coast Guard, 220 (106-114); 5. Georgetown, 223 (159-69); 6. Boston University (230 (107-123).
Sailing school fall regatta
Nineteen teams competed in the Chesapeake Sailing School's eighth annual Fall Regatta conducted Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
Teams sailed boats ranging from an O'Day 39 down to seven Tanzer 22s on a 14-mile course from Annapolis to Herrington Harbor at Herring Bay on Saturday.
With cold winds in excess of 15 knots from the northwest, all boats finished the run before 3 p.m. All competitors completed Sunday's race back nearly as quickly despite similar conditions, which meant sailing into the wind.
Overall winners in the two-day event, with the best combined corrected time, were Tim McDonough, Jim Roche and Jan Barkley aboard Tenacious, a Tanzer 22.
Support for young sailors
One of the most appropriate possible memorials to the late sailing legend Tom Blackaller has opened in the form of the Tom Blackaller Fund.
The fund, open to all U.S. sailors 25 years old and younger, will support competitors who are mounting Olympic, national and world championship campaigns. It is adminis
tered through the St. Francis Yacht Club Foundation in San Francisco, Calif., but is not restricted to St. Francis members.
Blackaller, who had many friends and admirers here, was known not only for his great sailing prowess and his often colorful behavior, but also as a strong supporter of young sailors who gave freely of his time and energy to help those starting out.
Paul Cayard, today a world-class Star sailor and skipper of Il Moro di Venezia in the most recent America's Cup contest, was one of many that Blackaller helped.
"Tom was a tremendous influence on me during my early years in the Star Class as well as in the America's Cup," Cayard said at ceremonies to announce the fund last month at the SFYC. "We worked closely together through many campaigns, and I know Tom would be very pleased to see the continuation of this important fund supporting young sailors in their efforts and aspirations."
Young sailors seeking grants should request applications by writing to the Tom Blackaller Fund, c/o St. Francis Yacht Club Foundation, On the Marina, San Francisco, Calif. 94123.
Applications are due by April 1, 1993 and awards will be announced May 15.
FTC Contributions to the fund can be sent to the same address.
For more information, call (415) 776-2672.