ROCKLAND — As the sun and clouds battled to determine the days weather, junior varsity sailing teams took to the power of the wind to push them to victory through the choppy waters at the “Show Up and Sail” Regatta hosted by Rockland Community Sailing, at The Apprentice Shop, in the Rockland Harbor Sunday, Oct. 5.

Onlookers — including parents, coaches, and fellow team members — positioned on a nearby floating dock, watched the complicated racing with excitement and enthusiasm.

Nine teams and 41 sailors made it out to the race, including Southern Maine High School, Portland High School, three Rockland Community sailing teams, two Camden Hills Regional High School sailing teams, Boothbay, and Cape Elizabeth High School.

The racing started at around 11 a.m. and finished around 3 p.m.

In first place was Southern Maine, followed by Rockland Community Sailing #2, Rockland Community Sailing #1, Camden Hills #2, Cape Elizabeth, Boothbay, Portland High School, Rockland Community Sailing #3 and Camden Hills #1. 

The teams had to race around the course, which consisted of strategically positioned floats in triangular or linear-shaped paths. The race courses were short, and mainly focused on tactics, such as when to jibe and tack in accordance to the wind.

"The races aren't too long, and usually last for about 15 minutes," said the Rockland Community Sailing coach Patrick Dilalla. "Younger guys get great experience and practice from courses like these. The varsity riders will also sit in with them in the boats, giving them a chance to learn from the older kids. Kids from this team range from 8th to 12th grade."

Sailers raced in two-person fiberglass 420 dinghies, which were provided by Rockland Community Sailing. “These boats are lightweight, fast and maneuverable,” said Rockland Community Sailing Waterfront Director Kevin “KC” Heyniger. “If the boats capsize, sailors can flip them back over themselves making the vessels both safe and fun to race.”

Each team was split up into A teams and B teams.

First, A-team riders left the dock and did two laps of the course for their team. When finished, they returned and the B-team riders switched with the A-team riders to complete their own two laps.

This allowed for efficiency with fewer boats needed to complete the race. As the racers prepared themselves on the water, a three minute countdown signaled the onset each race. The racers did their best to cross the start line at the exact same time; crossing the line before the race began resulted in a penalty.

"The sailing regattas really just started out as scrimmages, but were able to gain momentum in the past couple years," said Heyniger. "Although the team's are really only club sports right now, we all really hope that we will eventually have official varsity teams. The fact that we have a facility, boats, and sailing seasons both in the spring and fall makes it that much easier for schools to adopt sailing as a sport. Right now, the Camden Hills High Schoolers have their own team, and the Rockland High School, Rockland Junior High, and Camden Junior High have a conglomerate team.”

“Camden and Rockland teams practice separately two days a week, and then come together for a practice one day a week,” Heyniger noted. “Generally, in other sports, there is a huge rivalry between Camden and Oceanside, but in sailing we have a community where everyone is just trying to make everyone better. We have friends here even though they are from different schools, and there can still be rivalry with everyone staying friends at the end of the day. They aren't just teams trying to race and win all the time, but really connect and have a good community."

Rockland Community Sailing will host an 11-team scrimmage Saturday, Oct. 11 under the stars in an awesome team building experience. The event happens once a season, and not many other schools in the world do it. The sailors will cover themselves, and their boats, in glow sticks and flashlights to make themselves visible.

Community members are encouraged to witness the excitement of this unique race.

Reach Ben McKenna and the sports department at sports@penbaypilot.com.