Lakewood Sailors Representing Clears Falls High School Knights Earn 4th at Baker Cup Nationals

Photo of CFHS Knights sailors Katie McGagh and Wiley Rogers by Event Chairman Steve Harris

Clear Falls High School (CFHS) Knights sailors Katie McGagh, Dutch Byerly, Matthew Morrell, Cade Morrell, Noah Zittrer, Asher Zittrer, Phillip Adams, Zane Rogers and Wylie Rogers traveled to San Diego to compete against the 11 other high school teams that earned a spot at Nationals.

The San Diego Yacht Club was the selected venue by the Interscholastic Sailing Association to host the High School Team Race Nationals for the Baker Cup.

The 12 best high schools in the country in their respective districts qualified for this event, a two-day Regatta where, after completing a full Round Robin on Saturday, they split the teams into three different fleets on Sunday: Top 4 in gold, next 4 in silver and the last 4 in bronze.

“The racing area was set right off Shelter Point, an easy spot for families and friends to follow racing, and very close to the floating dock where coaches and sailors would work to get some wins in,” reported LYC Coach Bernat Gali. “Conditions were beautiful with clear skies and temperatures in the 60’s, and the wind speed was excellent, but the race area made racing challenging, with strong currents coming from all over and power boating wake affecting every race. With the race area being so close to shore, geographical wind shifts were part of the game plan, and unexpected puffs changed the strategy while racing on several occasions.”

CFHS had a great first day, despite some trouble getting off the start, and finished the first day in 3rd overall, qualifying for the Gold Fleet and earning the right to fight for a spot on the podium.

The last day rose with light winds, lighter than Saturday, and although they displayed great racing skills against some of the best teams in the country, the Knights lost the battle for third at the very last run to finish 4th overall.

LYC would like to wish congratulations to all the winners. Point Loma High School, locals out of San Diego, won their second High School Nationals in a row after Fleet Race Nationals with a clean score of 17-0. Antilles High School from USVI claimed second while Christchurch High School from Virginia beat CFHS for third overall.

The Clear Falls sailors represent the South East District of Interscholastic Sailing Association (SEISA) and are all part of the LYC Sailing program.

Learn more about Lakewood Yacht Club or its sailing programs by emailing waterfrontdirector@lakewoodyachtclub.com.

About Lakewood Yacht Club

Lakewood Yacht Club (LYC) is one of the best-kept secrets on Clear Lake as well as the Greater Houston and Galveston communities. LYC is a private, member-owned club with great amenities to enjoy with friends and family. Located on 38 beautifully landscaped acres in the NE corner of Clear Lake, it’s an exceptional environment for boating, socializing and enjoying other water activities.