Rivalries will warm Rose Bowl Regatta sailing

by Rich Roberts on 3 Jan 2009 Rivalries between two of the nation's top college sailing teams and a pair of Southern California perennial high school powerhouses figure to heat up the local chilly climate in the 24th annual Rose Bowl Regatta on Alamitos Bay Saturday and Sunday.

St. Mary's College of Maryland and Boston College---both featuring West Coast and all-American talent and currently ranked first and third nationally---have won the last three of these events between them, and BC may be on a mission of redemption after last year's apparent victory soured into St. Mary's second consecutive win on a protest by Stanford.

For the high schools it usually comes down to mano a mano between Newport Harbor and San Diego's Point Loma, which has won the last two.

Altogether the country's largest combined collegiate and high school regatta has 27 college entries from the East Coast to Hawaii and 44 high schools from throughout the state, some with multiple teams. All will sail two-person CFJ dinghies with male, female and coed crews competing equally.

St. Mary's Coach Adam Werblow doubts that Boston College holds any hard feelings against his team about last year, considering that St. Mary's was merely in position to inherit the win on Stanford's protest.

'We didn't protest them,' Werblow said. 'We had nothing to do with it. We were just bystanders.'

In fact, his Megan Magil and BC's Briana Provancha sailed together in the Youth Worlds in Europe last year. Later, St. Mary's won the Atlantic Coast collegiate championship and is on course to win three Rose Bowl regattas in a row.

'We've had a good fall,' Werblow said. 'We hope to sail well enough to have a chance at a three-peat.'

He did have once concern when he arrived in Long Beach to find Friday's temperature in the mid-50s and a forecast for the weekend of days in the upper 50s and lower 60s, with light breeze.

'It's colder here than it is at home [in Maryland],' he said. 'Two days ago it was 70.'

The event is hosted by the USC sailing team, organized by the US Sailing Center of Long Beach and based at ABYC. Racing will be on the inside bay starting at 11 a.m. each day, conditions permitting.