College and High School Pacific Coast Championships final day

by Rich Roberts on 11 Apr 2011 College and High School Pacific Coast Championships, US Sailing Center, Long Beach, Calif. April 9-10, 2011.

Go Coronado! The Islanders from the other side of San Diego Bay don't take a back seat to rivals that have dominated high school sailing in Southern California in recent years.

For the second consecutive year they conquered the field in the College and High School Pacific Coast Championships this weekend, as Stanford University, ranked 11th nationally, breezed through the 12-team college fleet.

The top four colleges qualified for the College Coed Dinghy National Semi Finals scheduled at this same venue April 30-May 1.

The top five high schools qualified for the high school nationals in Texas next month.

Coronado's total of 80 points for their A and B boats bested Point Loma's 121 points and Newport Harbor's 134 among the 22 teams from California and Hawaii.

'Usually this time of year we build momentum to this event,' said Hans Henken, a senior who drove Coronado's A boat to a regatta best of only 27 points in 12 races, with no finish worse than fifth.

A throng of cheering spectators crowded the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier on the edge of the trapezoid course set in the eastern outer harbor inside the breakwater. Sunday's wind was an 8-knot southerly building to 12, slightly lighter than Saturday. The high temperature was 65 degrees F.

All teams sailed two-person CFJ dinghies.

'Our goal was to place in the top five,' said Henken, who alternated with Katie Dowling and Kaitlin Dunphey as crew.

What's the difference?

'Kaitlin is our heavy air crew … er, better say 'stronger' crew, and Katie is our light air crew,' Henken said.

The Islanders' scores reflected that both came through in their specialties as conditions changed slightly from strong to moderate breeze from Saturday to Sunday.

Stanford, ranked 11th nationally, tallied only 76 points, leaving upstart UCLA---building from scratch with freshman sailors Kevin Laube and Kelly Ordel as skipper and crew---to squeeze out second place over UC Santa Barbara, 103-104.

'Santa Barbara beat us at the fall PCCs,' Laube said. 'Since then we've been working at it.'

Laube, who learned to sail in lighter air in San Diego, said, 'We really like sailing in the breeze [at Stanford]. We practice on the [San Francisco] bay.'

Stanford coach John Vandemoer said, 'This [victory] was a great tribute to the team.'

The regatta was based at the US Sailing Center in Long Beach.

At season's end the Roy E. Disney Trophy will be awarded to the PCISA high school team with the greatest number of Disney Trophy points.

Results http://www.uscsailing.org/PCCs/results.shtml
http://www.uscsailing.org/PCCs/

*Coronado's Esteban Forrer along with crew Paris Henken, Greg Coumes, and Jenny Melnick sailed a regatta best of only 36 points with no worse than a sixth place finish in B fleet. The Alternate skipper was Chuckie Eaton and the 2011 PCC's champions are coached by Rob Hallawell.