Princeton Sailing wasted no time getting on the water in the new year, traveling to Hawai’i to compete in the Peter Wenner Memorial Fleet Race in a fleet of 18 teams from the West Coast. The team arrived early to check out the venue and get on the water for two days of practice in beautiful Honolulu against the varsity sailors from UH. After two days of training the tigers were ready to compete, Sailors Connor Mraz ‘23 and Anna Eaton ‘24 started the day with a 1-3-1 as sailors Asher Green ‘24 and Nelson Chow ‘23 settled into some mid-fleet finishes. A steady start for the Princeton Tigers placed the team in 5th place overall after day one.

Day two brought the tradewinds through the mountains of O’ahu making for shifty conditions at the UH sailing venue. Tricky conditions for the Tigers as they looked forward to their fellow East Coast Competitors at Salve Regina. Back-and-forth racing throughout the day made for a lot of fluctuation on the scoring sheet, but the Tigers would remain consistent and best Salve Regina in the final set of the regatta to claim 3rd place overall. This would mark Princeton Sailings’ best finish in an 18-boat fleet since 2010.

Friends and Family of Princeton Sailing hosted the team for a farewell lunch and beach day at the Outrigger Canoe Club in Honolulu. A big thank you to Kim and Steve Mathews, as well as Meg Galleti for making us feel right at home as we ventured into new waters.