BOOTHBAY HARBOR — Teams from MDI, Rockland Community Sailing (RCS), Islesboro HS, Southern Maine (SoME), and Boothbay raced on Boothbay Harbor Sunday in the first of this spring’s Pen Bay League Series.

This is the league’s third year and this was the 10th Pen Bay Series regatta. The racing takes place in both the spring and fall sailing seasons moving north in the spring and south in the fall to take advantage of small weather differences between the venues around the Penobscot Bay. Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club, Rockland Community Sailing, and MDI Community Sailing host the regattas.

Pen Bay League events depart from traditional high school sailing by welcoming middle school and conglomerate teams to compete. RCS and SoME are conglomerate teams with students from several schools. SoME was invited to try the Pen Bay league this spring. Camden Hills HS team lacked enough sailors on the heels of spring break week, but are expected full strength for the second Pen Bay event in May. The league is open to new teams, and the teams are always open to having new sailors.

The fine spring weather saw clear skies and temperatures in the 50’s with a puffy northwesterly that by the last race had switched to a southeasterly seabreeze. Throughout the day the wind averaged 8-10 knots with gusts to 15 and lulls to two. There was one capsize in the chilly waters that delayed racing a few minutes.

The format also differs from traditional high school races in that the courses may vary from Interscholastic Sailing Association prescriptions and rotations are permitted to maximize the number of races run. Nine races were completed while the race committee moved the course several times to capture neutral weather starts.

In a tightly fought battle, the Islesboro team had 69 total points to the home team Boothbay’s 73.

Consistency was the key as the Islesboro sailors were always in the top ten with most finishes in the top five. Playing the shifts as the wind went northerly then westerly was the key throughout the day. Smart sailing, good starts, and not fouling competitors made for good finishes too.

Rockland Community Sailing, came in third followed by MDI, and Southern Maine represented well for their first trip to Boothbay and a Pen Bay event.

Islesboro leads the series with the next event at Rockland Community Sailing’s Apprenticeshop May 6. The third and last event of the Pen Bay League Series occurs May 26 at MDI during the Great Harbor Regatta.

As is frequently the case in Maine high school sailing, the host Boothbay parents provided refreshments to develop the camaraderie so important among the schools, especially the smaller ones like Islesboro and Boothbay.

In a public-private partnership common among public schools that compete in scholastic sailing the Boothbay Region School District, the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club, and the BHYC Junior Program Foundation support the Boothbay sailing team. 

Reach the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.