Sailing Blogs - Interviews

The Boston University Dinghy Sailors are a club sailing team who compete, with great results, against some tough and well funded varsity programs. Currently ranked 18th nationally, the Terriers are poised for another successful season and could be pulling some major upsets against some of the sailing powerhouses. The team, which has been around since 1937,is arguably the most successful team at the University, compiling a total of 7 national championships over the last 20 years and producing more All Americans than any other Sport.

Roger Williams University has established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the college sailing world. The recent hiring of current coach, Amanda Callahan, demonstrates the school's and athletic department's commitment to maintaining and improving upon an already high caliber team. Callahan, among many other honors, was recently on the shortlist of nominations for the 2007 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. This Roger Williams team currently (as of Feb 12th) ranks 9th in the national polls, though they hope to climb even higher. The team certainly is capable, as they have recently been ranked as high as number 4.

The University of Vermont Sailing Team, under the guidance of coach Justin Assad, has recently risen to be considered among the best collegiate sailing teams in the country. During this past year Vermont has found themselves hovering in or around the top 20 in the Sailingworld ICSA rankings. We expect this ranking to head upwards as the team recovers from the cold Vermont winter and hits the water again. Limited to sailing "when the ice is gone", the Vermont sailing team migrates south for Spring Break and has a mandatory training session in Florida each year.

John Loe is a senior sailor on the perrenial powerhouse St. Mary’s College of Maryland team. St. Mary's began its' tradition of winning at the varsity level in 1970. The team has won 13 national titles to date, and they have a very good shot of increasing this number in the near future. St. Mary's competes (and excels!) in the MAISA, which is often considered to be the most difficult conference in the country.

On February 29, 2008, Jeff Linton will stand in the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan, and receive the 2007 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award from U. S. Sailing. In so doing, his name will join the list that includes the likes of Melges, Turner, Conner, North, and Cayard.

Kelley Millane is the captain of the University of Pennsylvania Sailing Team. She leads a club team that competes against some of the best varsity college sailing teams in the country. Penn ended last season ranked 15th nationally, and they are currently ranked 5th in MAISA, the Mid-Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association. SailingSmarter recently caught up with Kelley and asked a few questions about her and the Penn team.