Some cadets in the Massachusetts Maritime Academy's offshore sailing program got firsthand experience in a rescue-at-sea a couple of weeks ago as they raced in the Quissett Round-the-Bay event.

As Tango, an Aerodyne 43-footer used in MMA's sail training program raced towards the finish line outside Quisset Harbor Saturday, Sept. 11, the cadets aboard told coach Chuck Fontaine of Mattapoisett there was someone in the water waving to the boat.

"There were two people in the water," Fontaine said, "wearing nothing but T-shirts and shorts, and there were no life jackets."

Turned out a pair of recent graduates of the residency program at UMass Medical Center in Worcester had taken off from Naushon in a Sunfish. Outside the confines of Hadley Harbor, they got caught in the Woods Hole current.

With 15-25 knot winds blowing hard out of the northeast, there was "a good sized chop" off the No. 13 green bell outside the hole. The chop and winds pushed the capsized craft and the couple towards the Weepeckit Islands.

The crew aboard Tango immediately abandoned the race, turned the boat upwind, and took down the jib and mainsail. They brought the boat up towards the couple on the starboard side, so the boat wouldn't run them over.

"The kids put a line out, and we brought the woman up over the transom," he said. They urged the man to stay in the water until they had the woman aboard; then they hoisted him up.

"We took them below, and the kids gave them whatever dry clothes they had that would fit," he said. Fontaine and crew told a powerboat on its way out to help the stranded — and very cold — pair to meet them at Barden's Boatyard inside Sippican Harbor, since it was too risky to attempt a transfer at sea in the rough conditions.

In another quirk of fate, the male who was rescued was due to be married the next day and, since the sailing trip became a near disaster, was late for his rehearsal dinner.

"Evidently, they got stuck in the (Woods Hole) current," he said. When the Sunfish capsized, the mast fell out. Fontaine said he had no idea what happened to the sails.

They told the pair — glad to be in the warmth of the cabin in dry clothes — that the crew could not rescue the boat.

"The waves were pretty steep," he said.

In addition to Coach Fontaine, aboard the Tango and participating in the rescue were: Jeffrey Gawries and cadets Kristin Donnell, Steven Moore, Christopher Morrow, Jarrett Crosby, Kyle Mahaffey, Michael Powers, Andrew Gregoire, Graham Philpott and MMA '09 graduate Mitchell Menard.

More Challenges for Cadets

Last weekend's Mattapoisett Round-the-Bay race saw the MMA cadets take first place in both the Racing and Cruising divisions. Fontaine coached a crew of eight to victory in the Racing division aboard Tango, while Coach George "Twice" Tougas Jr., a teacher at ORR, coached Blue Hawk to victory in the Cruising class.

Aboard Tango were some of the same cadets who participated in the Quissett event and rescue, including Morrow, Donnell, Gregoire and Moore. In addition, cadets Brad Sheppard, Kyle Scannell, Robert Pierce and Matthew Dexter helped crew Tango to victory in the Mattapoisett RTB.

Aboard Blue Hawk were crew members Andrew Pollock, Nate Olsen, Robert Gallagher and Christina Colarusso.

Meanwhile, another group of MMA cadets sailed aboard a Navy-44 in the competition for the Shields trophy at Annapolis, Md., finishing in 6th place against such powerhouses as California Maritime Academy (1st), the U.S. Naval Academy (2nd) and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (3rd). MMA beat the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, New York (SUNY) Maritime, the team from West Point and a Canadian maritime academy team.

Before and throughout the season, the cadets in the offshore sailing program practice on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, in addition to regular competitions around Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod and New England waters.

This weekend, MMA is fielding three boats in the Beverly Yacht Club Hurricane Cup: Tango, Blue Hawk and Saiorse, a Tripp 41. Columbus Day weekend, the cadets plan to sail in two boats in the Intercollegiate Offshore regatta in Larchmont, N.Y., competing against 31 schools. And, the cadets may secure a berth in the McMillan and Kennedy Cup series, a competition among service and maritime academy offshore sailing programs.

This year, the cadets began the season with the Figawi race in June, followed by the Spring Round-the-Bay race. Two boats, Denali, a Nelson Marek 70, and Temptation, a Taylor 44, competed in the Newport Bermuda race. And they have raced regularly in the BYC Wednesday night series.