On May 7 at the Hood River Event Site, teams from the Hood River, Columbia (Wash.), Lincoln and Newport High Schools competed in the Oregon State High School Sailing Championships — also known as the Forrest Cook Regatta Oregon Cup. The Columbia Bruins, led by team captains Leif Hauge and Cole Newbrook, dominated the competition and won the Oregon State Championship for sailing. In a competition that rewards teams with the lowest scores, the Bruins scored a total of 20 points. The next closest school was Lincoln High School with 46. The Bruins placed first in all but four of the 12 regattas that were held.
The Hood River Valley Eagles sailing club finished third overall in the League Championship Regatta. Captained by Ella Newton and Kate Pauly, the Eagles started strong with a fourth and second place finish in the first races, but failed to finish the third go-around.
The team from Lincoln High School captured the second place honor and a slim margin of four points ahead of Hood River’s first choice team.
One week later on May 15-16, the Gorge schools traveled to Bellingham, Wash., for the NWISA Fleet Championships. The Columbia Bruins team competed in the NWISA Silver Fleet competition. The silver classification means teams are comprised of mixed athletes from different schools. Despite the different locations, course conditions and team members, the Bruins still managed to top the leader board once again. Hood River placed 14th overall in the Gold Fleet distinction.
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