MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME SAILING

Navy McMillan Cup

Saturday-Sunday, October 26-27, 2013

Annapolis, Md.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. --  The Massachusetts Maritime offshore sailing team posted one of the best performances in school history over the weekend at the prestigious Navy McMillan Cup Regatta, as the Buccaneers finished in the runner-up position behind only Coast Guard in competition while besting seven other squads in a field that included the host Midshipmen and the United States Military Academy.

Led by junior skipper Sean McLaughlin (Fairhaven, Mass.), Massachusetts Maritime finished the regatta in a tie with the Bears with 16 points each after seven races, but Coast Guard claimed the tie-breaker by virtues of recording more second place finishes on the weekend.  The Buccaneers needed to top the Bears by at least three places in the final two races, and after winning the first race, Massachusetts Maritime was nipped by Coast Guard in the second.

McLaughlin was joined in the competition by seniors Andrew Gregoire (Charlotte, N.C.), Travis Thonus (East Dennis, Mass.), Timothy Dexter (Manchester, Vt.) and Frederik Holm (Pittsburgh, Pa.); junior Andrew Morgan (Jupiter, Fla.), sophomore James Lamb (Taunton, Mass.) and freshmen Ryan Novak-Smith (Johnston, R.I.) and Kyle Brego (St. John, Virgin Islands).

The Buccaneers bested Navy, Army, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, SUNY-Maritime, Maine Maritime, Cornell and St. Mary’s in the competition and qualified to return to Annapolis in two weeks for the John F. Kennedy Cup, which is considered the national championship of offshore sailing.

Massachusetts Maritime will compete next weekend at the Tufts Nickerson Trophy.