April 2025 Newsletter

Friends and Family of the Boston University Sailing Team, 

April has been jam-packed with regattas, fundraising, team bonding, and, of course, the integration of our new coach, Carter Brock. We hope you enjoy these highlights from the BUDS this past month!

BU Alumni Maddie Stull (ENG ‘22) with Lady BUDS Lucy Paskoff (ENG ‘24), Maya Burns (ENG ‘27) Camila Gutierrez Diaz (CAS “28), and Tiare Sierra Rivera (CAS ‘25) with BU Alumni Maddie Stull (ENG ‘22) at Spring Womans Fleet Race Championships

End of Season Updates: 

This past weekend was officially the last of our spring semester. Over the last four months, we have sailed in twenty different regattas, three of which we won. The BUDS have sailed half of these regattas in the last month. Last Tuesday, we received the news that our Women's team qualified for the college sailing nationals but will not be joined by our Co-ed Team. Though this news is bittersweet, the BUDS will make the most out of our 24-25 season nationals. Coach Carter, along with seven ladybugs, will be staying in Boston for the next three weeks before heading to St. Mary’s College, Maryland, for Women’s Team Race Nations!

Alumni Regatta: 

Our annual Alumni Regatta is this Saturday on the third. Be at the boat house by noon for a fun afternoon of racing and festivities on the Charles. The BUDS will also be providing barbecue for everyone in attendance! If you have any questions about the 25’ Alumni Regatta, feel free to reach out via email or one of our social media platforms. We can’t wait to see you all this Saturday, RAH BUDS!!

Giving Day Success: 

Thank you to everyone who contributed a donation during our last giving day! Throughout the fundraiser, we raised over $15,000! Our sums were around twice the amount of any other club sport and more than many of Boston University’s varsity sports. We will also receive an additional $3,000 in bonus funds for completion of challenges and donation matches, and prizes. We were overwhelmed with support from family and friends while also having a blast completing challenges and documenting our Giving Day on and off the water. 

Regatta Review:

In week one of April, the BUDS raced three regattas. The Emily Wick regatta, hosted by Connecticut College, was a women's regatta with six lady BUDS in attendance, placing 9/17. Secondly, the Mystic Lake team endured what Teck Score described as “bone-chilling cold.” Our sailors endured and ended the regatta in a three-way tie for seventh place. The Fowle Trophy was the culmination of our team race season. We came away with an eighth-place finish and many lessons learned. 

Skipper Dylan Balunas (QST ‘28) and Crew Ben Luu (ENG ‘25) at the Fowle Trophy Conference Championship

In the second week we had two regattas, one of which was sent to Maryland. The Truxtun Umsted was one of our most competitive fleet races. The regatta had light, shifty winds allowing for a total of fourteen races to be completed by each fleet over the two days, finishing us in thirteenth place. In Connecticut, the Wesleyan Invite regatta was thoroughly fun. Our team scored 13 points total from six races across both A fleet and B fleet, meaning that all except one race were won by the BUDS. 

Sage Andrews (CAS ‘28), Gavin Monahan (CAS ‘26), Tim Nguyen (CAS ‘28), and Ethan Stoehr at the Wesleyan Invite Regatta

Week three was packed with three regattas. At BU we hosted the George Morris trophy hosted teams from all over the country, including UCLA, who flew in all the way from the West Coast. Though the event was cut short due to high winds on the 20th, we still sailed a total of fourteen races between both fleets, placing first in B division and fourth overall. We also attended both the NEISA Spring Women's Fleet Race Championship and the NEISA Open Fleet Race Championship. At the women's regatta hosted by Yale, the Lady BUDS placed ninth in both A and B divisions and eleventh overall. Over at the Coast Guard Academy, our sailors raced in twelve races, placing fourteenth overall.

Micky Kalich (ENG ‘27) and Danielle Bogacheva (SAR ‘27) at the George Morris Regatta 

Week four of April wrapped up the end of our season with two events. The Southern 7 Fleet at Rhode Island University had their fair share of cold, wind, and rain during their one-day event. At the end of the day, there was a three-way tie for first in A fleet, with the BUDS finishing in third overall. Our second event was the Admirals Cup in Kings Point, New York. Our team ended up in second place in the B Fleet with two bullets and eighth overall. 

Coach Carter, Rufus Burnes Heath (CFA ‘27), Ben Luu (ENG ‘26), Meg Woolverton (CAS ‘28), Tiare Sierra Rivera (CAS ‘25), Jack Cariaso (QST ‘26), Elliott Mendenhall (CAS ‘25) at the Admirals Cup 

As always, thank you for supporting us and being a part of the BU Sailing Community. Be on the lookout for more updates as we prepare for nationals and next year, RAH BUDS!!

Coach Carter and Grace Murphy (CAS ‘25) in race committee boat at the George Morris Regatta 

Sage Andrews (CAS '28) 

Sports Information Director

sagea@bu.edu