2013 Sailing Season: Edward Teach Memorial Regatta

The sailing team only had one home regatta this year, which was the Edward Teach Memorial that we have every year. This regatta is hosted by Hampton University at Strawberry Banks. The event doesn't get a lot of Hampton publicity, and since Strawberry Banks stopped being a boys dorm, most students don't even know where it is. During the school year, most students aren't allowed to go there, even though it has a very convenient beach. But once every school year, all of the college sailing programs in the Hampton area congregate there and take advantage of the great winds and sailing the location has to offer. This is also usually our first regatta of the season, so it is usually the first time that our new sailors get to participate in a real regatta. 

First person in the Marine Science Center is always a great achievement. Don't be fooled by the sunny looking weather outside, it was freezing cold in September. From what I can tell I have on 4 top layers in that photo, and I'm not even in the water yet. 

Mrs. Schuker providing us with our regatta breakfast. Always super healthy, and I get to choose which brand of orange juice I want before anyone else. 

Coach Ambrosi giving us a briefing before the regatta starts.  

Coach discussing race committee things with Dr. Schuker the head of the Marine Science department. 

Who knows what they're talking about....all these boys are from the islands, so when they get together, they turn off their American accents, so they could be talking about sailing or football. 

The lovely Veronica Maccari, our "A" Divvision skipper eating her strawberry yogurt. This is her first year at Hampton University as Coach also recruited her from Italy. 

Josh is also new to the team, and is one of our "A" division crew

This regatta was a great start for the Hampton University sailing program, and was the only regatta we won the whole fall season. We somehow didn't have enough cups for the prize giving ceremony, so we had to have a singing competition to see who would get the full set. 

My regatta trophy!

2013 Sailing Season: War Memorial Regatta

I don't post often enough. This semester has been a pretty hectic one for me, trying to balance out the academic, athletic, and social. The athletic side was sometimes the most frustrating, because those weekends become pretty crucial in the middle of an architecture project. Trying to stay in contact with my group when we have a presentation the next day was hectic too. But on the whole I think I was pretty successful.

During this sailing season I had some of the best regatta results of my sailing career. We made our main goal of the year, participating in the War Memorial Regatta at Old Dominion University. The regatta itself was intense, freezing cold water, crazy high winds, and fierce competition. I was sailing with my usual skipper Guidi, and the boat took on several gallons of water throughout the day. It was still pretty fun. You know you're working hard when you're taking off layers in 40 degree weather. 

Old Dominion University's Sailing Center. A new building, with a classroom, lockers, bathrooms, and offices. I nearly designed a similar building for the Hampton University Master Plan project we just did. 

Everybody paying attention during Saturday's skipper meeting except.... Guidi.....and I guess me too since I was taking the picture. 

The Italian Sailing Ladies!

Hampton University Sailing Girls, all rocking the blue and white in one form or another. This was our first day with our new Varsity Sailing jackets and boy did we use them. 

The "B" division! Notice that my jacket is the only one with the first name, since my last name is almost 15 letters and would have wrapped around my entire arm. Still love it though. 

Please pay attention to the girl on the far left wearing SHORTS! And she wasn't close to being the only one. Even if I kept sailing into my fifties, I don't think I will ever be about that particular lifestyle. 

Veronica and Albert in boat #6 getting ready to head out for the first race. 

Boats lined up on the ramp getting ready to take the plunge into the icy depths. Being in B Division has its perks, since we are usually not the ones who have to put the boats into the water, but we are usually the ones who have to bring them back in after almost 8 hours of sailing. 

Kimannee and Guidi discussing strategy and wind shifts and other things that are generally over my head. I just pull the ropes!

It's always crazy to me how the water on the shore looks really calm and flat, but when you're in the boat looks like the scene with the Kraken from Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Return of the shorts in November from Princeton, and we're waiting for the boats to come back in so we can head out. 

Team Italia again, all wearing our new jackets. So stylish. And so many pockets!

All together now! Please ignore my salt covered spray pants.... I think the boys were busy drying off and warming up in the van.

Edward Teach Memorial Regatta

Hampton University only hosts one sailing the regatta the entire school year. This regatta is known as the Edward Teach Memorial. It is held every year at Strawberry Banks in Hampton, Virginia, right down the road from the veteran's hospital.

The date is September 15-16th 2012, a two-day event. I attended last year, and it was a great time with music, and since it was early in the fall, still great weather. I always think it's a shame that we don't get better student attendance at Hampton Sailing events, so I wanted to share this one. Here is a description of last year's event!

Surprisingly, it will be our third regatta of the season, so we get going pretty early. Check out the sailing team's schedule, to see if they have any events close to your home town, and invite your family and friends to come watch and support. The Pirates have regattas up and down the mid-Atlantic, in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

P.S. For all of you who didn't know, Edward Teach is the real name of Blackbeard the Pirate. So apparently the regatta is in his honor. You know, the guy who used to light his beard on fire to intimidate his enemies?

I'm intimidated.

Go Pirates!

Not Braggin', Just Sayin' with Bonus Pictures

So yeah, in honor of me making the  2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Commissioner’s All-Academic Team, I decided to do a bonus photography post. You can check out Hampton's honorees here. I never thought that I would publish these pictures, because I was like come on,what are the odds of sailing randomly jumping back into my life? Welp, in a very suspicious twist of fate it has, so here are some photos honoring my sailing experience. There aren't a lot of photos, but in my defense, electronics are the last thing you want to take with you out on the water. 

Josh and another teammate in the motor boat.

Yeah......

The view of the dock and Marine Science building from the water. At this particular point in time, we're going to meet the other boats that are already out on the water so we can switch crews.

A boat from our sailing fleet 

A view of Hampton that people outside the sailing team rarely get to see.

Anya looking pensively out into the distance

Lake Anna -shudders- never again. I think every boat out there capsized that day. I know we did.  Which is probably the worst time to find out that someone's waterproof bodysuit is taking in water.  

Boat 12 again and a side shot of some sailors head. 

That's all I have for now, stay tuned for more photography series' in the future. I've got bunches of photos from this and previous school years that I haven't bothered putting anywhere, let's see if I change my mind.