Inaugural Azalea Bowl Welcomes High School & College Sailors

Jacksonville University and Hoggard/Viking Sailing Win in College and High School Divisions

In April, CYC 1853 hosted the inaugural Azalea Bowl Regatta and it was undeniably a success! The regatta enjoyed sunny, warm and windy conditions and welcomed more than 120 sailors from 12 high schools and 16 colleges for two days of fantastic sailing. Sailors traveled from California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and the US Virgin Islands to participate. 

Click here to see pictures from the two-day event!

This was the first time that a regatta on the East Coast brought together high school and college teams. Regatta Organizer Tavia Smith, who is graduating from Hoggard High School in June and president of the CYC High School Sailing program, modeled the regatta after the long-standing Rose Bowl Regatta in Long Beach, California. Tavia’s vision came together through countless volunteer support both on land and on the water, NC State’s SailPack Sailing Team serving as the college partner, and CYC as the venue host. This event gave high school sailors the unprecedented opportunity to interact with college teams and learn about their programs. 

Sailing Report - Saturday, April 15, 2023:

Saturday morning racing began after complementary and freshly prepared breakfast from Spoonfed Kitchen & Bake Shop and welcoming remarks from the event organizers. Spectators lined the waterfront and the teams did not disappoint with close and competitive racing all day. 

By 4:30pm, racing was called for the day. In the high school fleet, Hoggard/Viking Sailing had the top position, followed closely by Christchurch School from Virginia and Lucy Beckham High School out of Charleston. In the college fleet, the Old Dominion University Monarchs had the lead followed closely by the Jacksonville University Dolphins, leaving the UCLA Bruins and the NC State Wolfpack tied for the third position. 

After racing, teams enjoyed dinner from Island’s Fresh Mex Grill and participated in the interactive and informative College Night event. Each college program provided a brief overview of their school and sailing team, then interacted individually with high school sailors and parents at tables set up for the event. Jacksonville University took home the Rooster People’s Choice Award from the College Night event. Sailors also participated in a game of college sailing trivia and received prize packs sponsored by Zim and West Coast Sailing.

Sunday, April 16, 2023:

Day Two of the 2023 Azalea Bowl Regatta brought more sunshine, comfortable temperatures and a building breeze. Spoonfed Kitchen & Bake Shop again provided complimentary breakfast to sailors, coaches and race committee with racing starting shortly after 10AM. 

As the day progressed, the top of the leaderboard tightened up. In the high school fleet, first place came down to the last set with Hoggard/Viking Sailing securing the top spot by one point. Lucy Beckham finished second with Christchurch School finishing third. In the college fleet, Jacksonville University was able to leapfrog the ODU Monarchs to earn the top spot. ODU and UCLA tied for second with the Monarchs winning the tie-breaker. Racing was competitive and the Corinthian Spirit was widespread as teams competed with good sportsmanship and camaraderie. Full scores and pictures from the event can be found at CapeFearCommunitySailing.org

Special thanks to CYC’s Pierce Barden for serving at the regatta’s PRO and to Glenn Walker, Kiki Barden and Amy Jones for serving on the Signal Boat. This team organized nearly 40 races between the high school and college fleets over the two days. Another special thank you to the entire team of volunteers who served on and off the water to make this a welcoming, competitive and successful regatta.

The event wrapped up with an awards ceremony where the winning teams received wooden trophies, and winning skippers and crew from A and B divisions were also recognized with trophies. The Azalea Bowl Regatta perpetual trophy was presented to Hoggard/Viking Sailing and Jacksonville University for their first place finishes. 

Special thanks to Rooster, Zim Sailing, and West Coast Sailing for providing prizes and swag for teams and the regatta winners, as well as Mayfaire Family Dentistry (Dr. John Overton) for being the regatta’s presenting sponsor. Additional corporate sponsors included PGH Architecture (Philip Humphrey), Spoonfed Kitchen & Bake Shop, Island’s Fresh Mex Grill, Silver Coast Insurance, Jason Bell & Associates Keller Williams Realty, Wilmington Fish Camp, and Wilmington Marine Center. More than 20 individual patrons also helped make the inaugural Azalea Bowl Regatta a reality and a success! For more information about the event, visit CapeFearCommunitySailing.org.