PORT TOWNSEND — Light winds may have calmed seas and slowed boats, but they didn’t dampen the enthusiasm as Port Angeles and Port Townsend high school sailing teams raced for the first time in more than a year on Port Townsend Bay.
Sailing started at 1 p.m., but race coordinators were only able to hold one race before winds calmed, so further races were postponed until later in the afternoon.
The teams were able to hold three shorter races before getting off the water around 5 p.m., with the Port Townsend duo of Mary D’Arcy and Chance Bates claiming first place, followed by Port Townsend teammates Lhotse Rowell and Ava Butterfield in second, and Port Angeles’ Ozzy Minard and Jonathan Scott in third.
“It was definitely great to get the chance to race with new people,” said Minard, a sophomore at PAHS. “Next time, maybe we will have a bit more wind.”
Five Port Angeles boats with 10 sailors and six Port Townsend boats with 12 sailors participated in the races.
“We raced against some very talented sailors, which helps us hone our own skills,” Port Angeles High School Sailingcoach Eric Lesch said. “I am proud of the whole team, particularly those sailors who were racing in their first-ever regatta.”
The Port Angeles team is part of the Community Boating Program, a nonprofit effort to provide boating and paddling opportunities for youth and young adults.
For more information, email sailing@payc.org or visit https://www. communityboatingprogram.org.
For more information on the Port Townsend team, email coach Sugar Flanagan at schooneralcyone@yahoo.com or call 360-531-0356.
Sailors from Port Townsend and Port Angeles high schools compete in a regatta on Port Townsend Bay on Saturday, April 3. Sailors from Port Townsend and Port Angeles high schools compete in a regatta on Port Townsend Bay on Saturday, April 3.
Competitors in a regatta featuring Port Townsend and Port Angeles high school sailing team members prepare their sails. Competitors in a regatta featuring Port Townsend and Port Angeles high school sailing team members prepare their sails.
