Through the eyes of a champion
VALLEJO, Calif. – When Cal Maritime recently visited Annapolis, it returned home with a highly-coveted item: the Kennedy Cup. For the fourth time in school history, Cal Maritime won a national championship, punching its ticket to next Fall's Student Yachting World Cup in France.
The Keelhaulers not only added to its trophy collection, but they also became national champions in dramatic come-from-behind fashion on a day these cadet-athletes will never forget.
Kyle Collins - Skipper
We had a fantastic weekend out in Annapolis. Sailing with a team of two Hawaiians and a Floridian, with the rest of the crew hailing from Southern California, the 50-degree weather was bitterly cold for many of us.
Some of our sailors that fill key positions onboard were unable to make it to this event because of coursework, so we made a few last-minute changes to the team. Our group included three rookies, two of which have never raced a sailboat before.
While I was nervous about our relatively green team, it turned out to be fantastic. What they lacked in experience was more than made up for with their positive attitude. The entire team truly embodied the Cal Maritime motto this weekend: To work, to fight, we are ready.
It was a good fight all weekend long.
The fleet was incredibly competitive this weekend, which made the racing much tighter than normal; we had a good fight all the way until the end of the last race. The points were so close that every team lost track of who was beating who, all we could do was give each race everything we had and wait for the results.
After crossing the finish line for our second win of the day, we knew we did everything we could do to take the win.
On the way back to the dock, a powerboat came up alongside us — it was Navy Offshore Head Coach Jahn Tihansky, who said "congratulations, you guys sailed a fantastic event. We will see you in France!"
The entire team erupted with excitement like never before.
Jacob Fisker-Andersen - Pit
We did not know what was needed, regarding our team's score, relative to the other boats going into the last race. After crossing the line first, I knew we did all could do and had to let the chips fall where they may.
There was a lot of nervous energy on the boat returning to the dock; we knew it was going to be close, but unsure as to how close. When we were informed about various preliminary scores, there was a wave of excitement that has only been rivaled by Transpac (yacht race from Long Beach to Honolulu).
Before protest hearings began, there was a three-way tie for first place. Everyone on each of those teams performed to the best of their ability, but this time, there was a little luck on our side.
Cooper Smith - Offside Trim
I am incredibly proud of this team.
It is a true test of character, and trust, to accomplish what took place at the Kennedy Cup, especially since this was our first days sailing with this team. Of the eight-man crew, three never sailed for Cal Maritime and one of the three never sailed on a team boat.
Powering through our short-term losses allowed us to get our heads back in the game and ultimately come out on top, it was a great regatta with no clear winner until the very end.
I have a lot of respect for the other teams we faced, they are all great sailors. I am proud be a part of a team that will represent the United States at the Student Yachting World Cup.
Emi Stephanoff - Primary Trimmer
The Kennedy Cup was my last collegiate event, it felt awesome to walk away on top. The level of racing was so much higher than I experienced in the past, it really was anyone's regatta to win.
Half of the team we brought were underclassmen with little-to-no keelboat experience; we arrived at this event expecting to be competitive, but not necessarily looking to win. I think this mindset took a lot of pressure off everyone and allowed the team to excel.
I could not believe it when we were told our boat likely just won the regatta. Our results were up and down all weekend, but races I felt satisfied with our performance that weekend, regardless of the result.
Justin Zmina - Main Trimmer
I was shocked when we received word about winning the event. I was downstairs putting bandages on my hand when everyone started screaming. I thought there was no way we won because it rarely happens when a (healthy) lead is blown completely on the last day. It was a special accomplishment to win with a team that had two cadet-athletes who never raced a sailboat in their lives.