NKHS Sailing Heads to Its First Nationals

The North Kingstown High School sailing team scored a big victory this past weekend as they qualified for the the national championship after tying for first at the O'Day Championship in Greenwich, CT.

The top three teams (NKHS, Cape Cod Academy and Hotchkiss School) from the regional competition will now go on to compete in the Interscholastic Sailing Association High School Doublehanded Championship in Chicago during the weekend of May 11. 

Leading the team to nationals is a quartet of Jamestown girls – A Fleet skipper Rachel Bryer and crew Fiona Christie and B Fleet skipper Amina Brown and crew Emma Vogel. It's the first time North Kingstown has ever qualified for the nationals, said Coach Andrew Sayre. 

Though the Skippers will be competing against 18 schools, the majority of which are private schools which do a fair amount of recruiting, said Sayre.

"We're totally homegrown at NK," said Sayre. "There's no recruiting process. We get what we get."

Unlike many teams they will be competing against, the Skippers sailing program is completely self-funded. Unfortunately, a trip to nationals in a different time zone is not the cheapest excursion

Sayre estimates it will cost the team an additional $4,000 to send the four sailors, four alternates and the two coaches out to Chicago for the competition. Luckily, timing is in the team's favor.

This Saturday, the team is holding its annual nautical yard sale. It's the team's biggest fundraiser and, this year, they're hoping it will help alleviate the cost of a trip to nationals.

"This fundraiser is huge for us, especially with us heading to nationals next week," said Sayre.

NKHS Sailing Team's Nautical Yard Sale

Saturday, May 4 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

North Kingstown Town Beach

Those who would like to get involved with the NKHS sailing program and help the team can contact Coach Andrew Sayre at andrewsayre77@yahoo.com.

Photo courtesy of Cate Brown Photography.