Dawn Saturday morning saw five sailors, five parents, and one coach leave Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club for MDI Community Sailing Center for the first of three regattas in the new Pen Bay League. The five sailors Gabriella Boord (BRHS Class of '19), Liam Cullina (Lincoln Academy '19), Nate Rideout (BRMS '21), Ella Beauregard (Center for Teaching and Learning '21), and Hamilton Barclay (BRES '23) alternated every two races for their best finish of the year and program history. Both A and B Boats bested the fleet with first place finishes.  

Beauregard and Barclay showed they meant business starting in a thick of boats from Isleboro, MDI, and Rockland in the first race. Working hard to keep the boat flat in 12 knots gusting to 18, the pair knocked out a 2nd, then followed it up with a good start and hitting two key upwind shifts to record their first 1st place with a 40 second margin over second place MDI. Considering Beauregard and Barclay were the lightest and youngest team on the water. Rideout and Boord came back with a strong start of their own, and led at the weather mark, but the Rockland team proved strong and the MDI sailors' local knowledge choose a different leeward gate saw the Boothbay pair finish in a squeaker for 3rd place less than boat length behind MDI.  

In the 3rd A Division race, Barclay drove over the start early and was called OCS, he and Beauregard returned to restart last, but picked up two boats and were closing on 3rd when they ran out of race course. The pair worked hard to fight back with a good clean start in Race 4 and nailed down a 2nd place. The pair finished the day recognizing a 20 degree left wind shift favored port tack. They nailed the pin end on starboard, tacked immediately, and crossed the entire fleet within a few seconds of the start. They sailed on to a 35 second margin of victory. Their final race emulated the first but with a hard fought cover of the Rockland boat which was skippered by the current 420 State Champion. Boothbay's A Boat won with 17 points ahead of Isleboro (21) and MDI (22).  

The B Boat's 3rd race of the day saw Boord hit the line on time, and with strong hiking to flatten the boat when the wind gusted to near twenty, she and Rideout powered upwind to a strong advantage rounding the mark first and maintaining their lead to finish close behind an exhibition boat from Isleboro. They were awarded 1st. The 4th race saw the pair foul a boat on a windward leeward exchange, do their circles and pass two boats to earn 4th place.  

The B Boat then switched skippers with Lincoln Academy sophomore Liam Cullina skippering the last four races with Rideout as crew. Cullina showed flashes of speed during practice. Unfortunately he drove the Turbo 420 well over the line on race 5 and was sandwiched between boats unable to return quickly. After 45 seconds the pair returned to the line, then sped off to see what they could salvage of the race. The pair caught one boat finishing 5th. Redemption was not far away as Cullina and Rideout had a sharp start on race 7 and forced the Rockland team to tack away from leeward position. They rounded the mark behind the Rockland team and cruised to a 2nd place which seemed like a victory. The B Boat finished in 3rd with 31 points 4 points behind Isleboro (27) and 1st place Rockland (12 points).   

The Pen Bay league was created this summer to address the needs of smaller club teams not necessarily belonging to NESSA (New England Scholastic Sailing Association) a way to compete without traveling to invitational events. It includes the teams from MDI High School, George Stevens Academy, Oceanside, Isleboro, Rockland Community Sailing, Camden Hills, and Boothbay Region Sailing Club.  

The second Pen Bay Regatta will be hosted by Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club on Oct. 1 at noon. The public is welcome to spectate from anywhere in Boothbay Harbor, the Aquarium grounds appear to be a prime viewing location. Contact Charles Barclay at office@bhyc.net for more information on the Boothbay Region Sailing Team or the Oct. 1 regatta.