Team Flash members were, top row from left, Ken Blalock, Rob Mitchell, Bill Heston, Tom Sullivan and Midshipman Chris Paulson. In the front row, from left, were Doug Hansen, Joe Russell, Steve Travis and Josh May.

By Josh May, Flash Bowman

CYC member Steve Travis and his team from the One Design 48 Flash were selected this fall to take part in the US Sailing United States Offshore Championship. Each year US Sailing selects up to nine teams to compete in the three-day event based on an application process that takes into account proven performance, and time racing as a team. The regatta was held Sept. 23 – 25 in Annapolis, Maryland, and was hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy.

Six teams were selected this year. In addition to the Seattle group, they were from San Diego, Charleston, Cleveland, New York and Westbrook, Connecticut.  The returning champion from 2009 represented the New York Yacht Club.

The Naval Academy’s varsity team manned a seventh boat. As coach Jahn Tihansky noted, “The primary goal of holding the regatta at the academy is to expose midshipmen and women, of the academy sailing team, to the most competitive teams from across the country.”

The US Offshore Championship is hosted every odd year by the Academy in conjunction with the Academy’s Navy 44 Lloyd Phoenix Trophy. The Pedrick designed Navy 44 Mark II was built in the 80’s following the emergence of the International Measurement System as a cadet trainer capable of swift and safe offshore sailing.

Each team would be joined by a midshipman as crew for the regatta. Given the limited knowledge that most teams had of the Navy 44 MkII, the midshipman became indispensable. Before racing each day teams would change boats evening the playing field.

With two days of windward-leeward buoy races in light breeze and rain, the Flash team was at ease in familiar conditions.  Aboard the Navy 44 Daring on day one, the Flash team was proudly in first place followed closely by the New York team with only one point difference. The Charleston team was close behind in third place.

Going into day three on the boat named Honor team Flash was tied for first with the New York team. The Navy Race Committee held a single 15-mile distance race on the third day of the regatta.  Team Flash lost ground to the fleet on the downwind leg and was passed by the New York team.

Through diligence and determination team Flash out maneuvered and passed the New York team on the upwind leg.  In the final stretch, the Race Committee shorted the overall course length and it was a drag race to the finish. The entire regatta came down to the last few boat lengths to determine the winner of the Offshore Championship.

The awards ceremony was held amongst the trophies of the Intercollegiate Sailing Hall of Fame. An amazing room full of trophies and plaques adorned with the names of the greatest collegiate sailors in US History.

The top three teams were each awarded medals.  The team from New York was awarded the Lloyd Phoenix Trophy. Team Flash and the CYC had won second place followed closely in third by the Charleston team.