Paul Rodrigues Jr., Jordan Vieira and their Eckerd Tritons sailing teammates successfully navigated the highly competitive Open Atlantic Coast Championship (ACC) Round 1A in Connecticut, securing a 13th place finish out of 18 teams, which was just enough to qualify for the main ACC Tournament.
The weekend regatta was dominated by highly temperamental weather conditions, severely limiting racing time for all competitors.
On Day One, the teams faced a slow start due to postponement before only six races were completed ahead of the lunch break. Conditions worsened in the afternoon as the wind dropped to a meagre 4-5 knots, allowing for just one more race in each division before racing was called off.
The Tritons split their personnel, with the A Division crewed by Rodrigues Jr. and Avery Guck, while the B Division featured Vieira and Tia Soultankakis, with Sophie Leduc serving as an alternate.
Day Two was a near washout. After setting out around 11 a.m., the fleet was sent back to shore as the breeze diminished below the minimum requirement. Racing was officially called off around 2 p.m., leaving the full 36-hole result dependent on Saturday’s seven races.
Eckerd finished the regatta with a total score of 169 points.
The team’s divisions finished mid-fleet, with the A Division placing 15th with 87 points, and the B Division placing 14th with 82 points. Despite finishing outside the top half, the overall standing of 13th was enough to secure their passage to the main Open Atlantic Coast Tournament, scheduled to take place in two weeks at St. Mary's.
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