Four teen sailors competing for their Oyster Bay-based sailing program took seventh place overall at the Around Long Island Regatta. Comprised of a 14-year-old, two 15-year-olds and a 17-year-old, the team was the youngest team to compete in the race, and their boat, named “Little Texas,” ranked among the top of the regatta’s over 50 participants.
The Junior Big Boat, a team based at the WaterFront Center, not only took seventh place overall, but the team took second place in their division, which separates boats on a variety of factors, and first in the ‘good old boat’ category, which ranks boats over 25 years old.
The team was the only junior boat to compete in this year’s race, the center said. Junior sailing teams are typically categorized between the ages of nine and 18, though some regattas include 19-year-olds in their juniors category as well, according to the Racing Rules of Sailing.
“It was a great accomplishment for the WaterFront Center,” said the center’s director, George Ellis.
The crew was led by the center’s sailing director, Cormac Murphy, and the director of waterfront operations, Jon Zaskorski, and included twin sisters Olivia and Isabella Silvestrini, age 15; Dylan Longobardi, age 14; and Rowan Shenoy, age 17.
Ellis said the average age on the boat was 19 years old, which included the coaches, making them the youngest team in the regatta.
The 207-nautical-mile offshore race took off from Ellis Island on Thursday, July 24, and traveled along Long Island’s south shore to Montauk Point and into Long Island Sound, finishing at Hempstead Harbor on Friday, July 25.
The center’s team completed the race in 33 hours, earning second place in the ninth division and seventh place overall, Ellis said. He said that in the ‘good old boat’ division, which looks at boats that are over 25 years old, the team earned first place.
Murphy said the crew faced challenges along their journey, including high wind speeds. He said the boat saw waves of five to seven feet while traveling on the south shore of the island and, reached speeds of almost 90 miles per hour. Murphy, who had previously completed the race with other teams, said it was the fastest he reached Montauk Point.
After reaching Montauk and traveling along the island’s north shore, the team hit two “squalls,” which are sudden strong winds, Murphy said. He said the first one, which hit near Port Jefferson was a “huge storm that only lasted about five minutes.” He said the boat went “almost completely sideways,” and that it tore the front sail of the boat.
The second squall, which hit the crew near Huntington, lasted double the amount of time, Murphy said. He said the winds were causing the boat to travel backwards and caused the team to anchor their boat until the winds subsided.
Despite the harsh conditions, Murphy said the teenagers were prepared for the challenge.
“The kids were absolutely amazing… No one freaked out, no one panicked,” he said.
The team may have faced challenges on the north shore, but still earned seventh place overall by the time they made it to Hempstead Harbor, located between Port Washington and Roslyn.
“I think we did better than we were expecting,” Murphy said.
Ellis said the program has been in the works for about four years, and said that the boat’s success reflects the culmination of training, dedication and skills at the center.
“We look forward to seeing seeing where the program can go,” Ellis said.
