The Iowa State Sailing Club recently competed in the Davis Cup Regatta at the University of Iowa. The regatta took place on Lake McBride, which produced some extremely difficult sailing conditions.

Fourteen teams participated from eight different schools, with ISU sending two teams. Michigan and Western Michigan along with several Big 10 programs took part.

The first day of the event consisted of 10 races and was characterized by strong and gusty winds. These gusts reached up to 30 mph and caused many boats to capsize.

“We learned a lot about sailing in strong wind, and also how to right quickly after capsizes,” said ISU Sailing Club member John Snyder.

The heavier crews seemed to do much better in these adverse conditions because they were less likely to tip over.

“We discovered that some of the techniques that improve speed in light wind also make the boat more prone to capsize in strong wind,” Snyder said.

The final day of the regatta consisted of four races. The wind was much lighter, very shifty and only reached 15 mph.

“The most important consideration was being able to read the wind and wind shifts, and which side of the course was favored at what time,” Snyder said.

These conditions definitely favored the lighter crews and allowed ISU to improve on its standings. Overall, ISU 1 finished 4th, while ISU 2 finished 12th.

“This was one of the better finishes we’ve had in recent memory,” Snyder commented.

ISU 1 consisted of Lu Han, Adam Ailabouni, Peter Tribuno and Snyder. ISU 2 team members were Ryan Richardson, Scott Service, Josh Krakos, Michael Tribuno and Melissa McConnell.

ISU will compete next in the Area West Eliminations at Iowa on October 31 and November 1. The top five finishers from this event will participate in the MSCA Fall Dinghy Championship on Lake Michigan on November 27-29.

“We have some really fast skippers so there is a good possibility we may advance,” Snyder said.