CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The Eckerd Tritons sailing team competed in a pair of regattas over the weekend in Charleston, finishing in fourth of out six teams on Saturday at the SAISA Top Six Fleet Race before a second place standing out of six on Sunday in the SAISA Top Six Team Race.Â
Saturday's competition featured fleet racing in 420s with three divisions and 18 boats competing on the same course. Paul Rodrigues Jr. and Avery Guck sailed in A Division, Jordan Vieira and Tia Soultanakis competed in B Division, and Peter Miller and Peyton Elizabeth Seidle represented the Tritons in C Division.
Racing opened with outgoing tides and winds of 6-8 knots. The A Division recorded seven top-10 finishes, B Division added six, and C Division contributed one. After six races, competition paused for a lunch break, during which conditions shifted to lighter 3-5 knot winds with incoming tides.
Following the break, the fleet transitioned to FJs for the final three sets. Eckerd sat in third place overall at the midpoint, with A Division in fifth, B Division ninth, and C Division 13th. At the conclusion of racing, the Tritons finished fourth overall with 274 points. Individually, A Division placed eighth with 72 points, B Division finished 10th with 90 points, and C Division placed 13th with 112 points.
Sunday's action shifted to team racing in FJs with outgoing tides and winds between 5-7 knots. The Tritons' lineup consisted of Vieira and Soultanakis, Rodrigues and Guck, and Miller and Seidle.
Eckerd opened the round-robin portion with wins over Miami (1-3-4), North Carolina State (1-2-6), Jacksonville (1-3-4), and Florida State (1-2-4). The Tritons' lone loss in the round robin came against the College of Charleston, resulting in a 5-1 record and second-place standing entering the top-four round.
In the final round, Eckerd defeated Jacksonville (1-2-5) and Miami (1-2-5) before falling to the College of Charleston (1-5-6). The Tritons finished the event with a 6–2 overall record to secure second place.
Eckerd returns to the water at the Mendelblatt Open Team Race on Feb. 28-March 1.
