May 29, 2006 – The Antilles School sailing team won the Baker Trophy for team racing Sunday. Twelve teams qualified nationally for the event, which was held Saturday and Sunday at the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club in Martha's Vineyard, Mass.
The two top-placed teams, Antilles and Severn School of Maryland, sailed a best of three for the championship. Antilles won 2-0.
The three boats for Antilles were sailed by pairs Thomas Barrows/Sarah Burks, Taylor Canfield/Nate Rosenberg, and Cy Thompson/Mimi Roller. Hugo Roller traveled with the team as alternate heavy-air crew, but light winds prevented him from sailing.
Team racing is sailed with a "three-on-three" boat format with each race pitting one school against another. Even with the event limited to 12 teams, a large number of races is required to have all teams sail against all other teams.
The qualifying round of the regatta was shortened to 30 races in two divisions due to light winds. Antilles and Severn were the top finishers in each division.
Antilles was sailing for the third time in the Baker Cup. The team placed fifth in 2004 and second in 2005. Antilles sailing coach Rob Upson said the sailors had concentrated on the technical and mental side of the team racing discipline.
According to Upson, several other team coaches complimented the Antilles team. "It means a lot when those other competitive people tell you your team deserved the win, especially when a regatta is shortened and not every team has sailed against every other team."
The Antilles team was undefeated in the tournament.
Thompson said in a phone interview Monday, "We really worked hard for this over the last two years. It was great to win the championship after we had practiced so much."
This is the second national high school championship the team has won in two weeks. At the Mallory Cup National Championships held at Grosse Pointe, Mich., the Antilles team won the fleet racing championship by a single point over Newport Harbor High and Severn School, which were tied for second.
The Antilles team had to qualify in the Southern Atlantic district before they could go to the national championships, according to Jessica Rosenberg, mother of team member Nate Rosenberg. It has taken a lot of fundraising, as well as school sponsorship and help from parents, to cover the travel expenses, Rosenberg said.
When asked about the effect the championships would have on college, Thompson said that he, Barrows and Rosenberg graduated this spring and are already accepted into Roger Williams University, Yale and Tufts respectively.
However, Thompson said, the championship should help the younger team members with college sailing programs.
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