The Vineyarders opened the season with a busy weekend in Greenwich, Conn., sailing against four schools. With temperatures in the low 60s, under sunny skies, the Vineyarders swept three races from Greenwich Academy, defeated Moses Brown of Providence 2-1, and lost to both Greenwich High School and the Brunswick School, 2-0. Vineyard Coach Andrew Burr was pleased with the results. “I was totally happy with everything I saw, and it bodes well for this season and next year,” he said. “Team racing is mentally draining. We were sailing for five hours. We had a good day on the water. We could have executed a little better, but the team sailed really well. It’s tough with a best-of-three series, because once you lose the first race, your back is against the wall.”
Coach Burr took six sailors to Greenwich, with skipper/crew combinations of Joe Serpa/Abigail Hammarlund, Zach Ward/Trent Bilodeau, and Miles Wolff/Caleb Burt. “I brought the exact number I needed,” Coach Burr said. “We had good team races, good boat speed. In the losses to Greenwich High School and Brunswick, it wasn’t a question of skill, it was not seeing the big picture. We were very evenly matched in boat speed, boat handling, and team racing.”
The Vineyarders sail in Maine against Cape Elizabeth, Cheverus, Falmouth, Isleboro, and Portland High School on April 6 before returning home to Sailing Camp in Oak Bluffs for the home opener against Sandwich on Tuesday at 3 pm.