March 2025 Newsletter

Introduction:

Spring Season is in full swing! In March, the BUDS sailed 9 different regattas covering every discipline, difficulty level, and weather condition. We also enjoyed our jam-packed spring break! There are huge changes coming to the BUDS, and we are also currently preparing for Giving Day, our biggest fundraising event of the year!

Spring Break:

The BUDS began the month of March with a trip to Oriental, North Carolina, for a packed week of training. Our team, including assistant coach Rob and fourteen sailors, logged an average of three and a half hours on the water daily, practicing starts, maneuvers, and team racing with the North Carolina State Sailing Team. Each day brought versatile conditions and even the appearance of some wildlife, including a pod of dolphins, a flock of birds spanning miles along the ocean horizon, an elusive otter, and Dug, the Yacht Club Bull Dog who immediately became a trip highlight. Each day was thoroughly discussed through daily chalk talks and nightly video debriefs led by Guest Coach Sophia Reineke, a 2022 All-American Women's Skipper and multi-national champion in both team racing and fleet racing. The team returned home with several new skills learned and, of course, countless memories.

The BUDS on Spring Break in Oriental, North Carolina

Regatta Standings: 

Before Spring Break, the BUDS competed at the McMerrick Cup at Connecticut College, checking off our first competition and second win of the season. Even after coming back from North Carolina, there was no break for our sailors. The same weekend we flew home, our team competed at both the Mass Maritime Team Race Invite, placing 4th, along with the Ivan Geiger Trophy, a team race where we placed 5th. The following weekend, the BUDS sailed at three separate regattas, the first being the Sunday O’Toole Fleet Race Regatta, where the BUDS placed 4th over on the Great Herring Pond. Back home on the Charles, there were two other regattas taking place, including the Boston University Team Race, where we hosted six teams and placed 4th. The regatta was generously run by BU sailors along with three BUDS alumni from the class of 2023: Cat Shakin, Madeline Stull, and Abby Murray. Finally, our A-level team racers were on the other side of the bridge competing at the Staake Trophy at MIT. The BUDS came out in second place, a major accomplishment for the team as it led us to qualify for the Marchiando and Fowle Trophies, team race nationals qualifiers. This past weekend, we also had three regattas: a fleet race at Roger Williams where the BUDS placed 3rd, the Boston University Trophy where we hosted fourteen other schools and placed 3rd, and finally, the Marchiando. This event, more than anything, was an opportunity to gain experience. Not one, but two out of the three BU team race boats were skippered by freshman! Impressively, one of the boats was sailed by an all-freshman pair: Peter Stewart and Camila Gutierriez Diaz, who both only began sailing with the BUDS this Spring! The goal of this regatta, as with many, was to give the next generation of BUDS the greatest opportunity to succeed and continue building our team for years to come. We have four more weekends of sailing, plus postseason and Nationals! The team is energized and hopeful for the upcoming closing events of the season.

Left: Dylan Balunas (QST ‘28) and Tiare Sierra Rivera (CAS ‘25) sailing the Marchiando Trophy

Right: Cat Shakin (COM ‘22), Maddie Stull (ENG ‘22), and Abby Murray (CAS ‘25) as race officers for the BU Team Race 

Alumni Regatta:

SAVE THE DATE! Come join us at the Boston University Sailing Pavilion for the Annual Alumni Regatta on Saturday, May 3rd! More details to come in a future newsletter. For now, RSVP in the following link: Alumni Regatta RSVP

Supporting the BUDS: 

With so many changes coming to the team this year, there is no better time to get involved than now! The Friends, Family, and Alumni network of the BUDS is known to be one of the largest and most generous in the university's History. This April 9th is Giving Day, the largest annual fundraiser for Boston University. By selecting “Friends of Sailing” under designation, 100% of your donation will go directly to the Boston University Sailing Team. But you don’t have to wait till Giving Day to donate; in fact, teams with the most donors before April 9th can win additional prizes of up to $2,500 for the team! Just about any payment you can think of is acceptable including Venmo and Apple Pay, and our highest ten donors will receive an additional thank-you gift from the BUDS. As Giving Day approaches, videos of challenges and other events can be found on the Boston University Team Social Media, and of course, live streams of practice and active challenges will take place on Giving Day itself. Another new opportunity to look into is becoming a team ambassador, with your own link to put on social media or to send to friends so that you can broaden our fundraising network! Any donation is greatly appreciated and we are confident that this year, the Boston University Sailing Team will come out on top. RAH BUDS!

Giving Day: give.bu.edu/giving-day 

Ambassador Link: bu.edu/advocates 

The BUDS team on Media Day 2024

Sage Andrews (CAS '28)

Sports Information Director

sagea@bu.edu