22 Oct SUNY Steals the Show at Season Closer
Oakcliff’s final Grade 5 match race of the season was won by newcomer (to Oakcliff and to match racing) Benton Amthor representing SUNY Maritime. Roberto Steves took second, while Carrson Pierce grabbed third. See the full results here.
“We really focused on speed, just making the boat go fast,” said Cormac Murphy, who crewed for Amthor. “As a team we just tried to do our jobs and sail a clean race.” Amthor’s team was mostly comprised of dinghy sailors from SUNY Maritime College, most new to match racing.
“We decided to come down and just give it a shot since we haven’t been able to race with college sailing cancelled,” said Murphy. “It turned out to be a lot of fun; we’ll definitely be back in the spring!”
Over this COVID summer Oakcliff has been able to successfully provide quality, safe match racing using their safe boating protocol Oakcliff has had a full line up and a waitlist at every Grade 5 since July, and some of the only graded match racing in the world since the pandemic began.
“It’s amazing to be able to sail during COVID because we all get cabin fever, and getting out on the water always lifts the spirit,” said Doug Shannon, a regular at nearly every Oakcliff event this summer. “Match racing gets my mind off of everything else going on.”
The “bubble” system has seen teams form and work together all summer with great improvement. The ultimate bubble team was formed with the Oakcliff Student Saplings who are going to High School on site and sailing nearly every day.The student team, helmed by Esteban Pedroza, placed sixth overall. Like on the winning team, for many of the students it was their first ever match racing experience.
We would like to thank our race committee and umpiring volunteers Patrice Gallo, Larry Kennedy, TJ Shea, Priscilla Constance, Eric Johnson, Paul Gillman, Ron Stattel and George Ellis for all their hard work. Oakcliff couldn’t have a successful season without their time and dedication.