Underdogs No More

The Comeback of MMA Sailing

NOBODY WILL CALL the Maine Maritime Academy Sailing Team an underdog for much longer.

Over the past two years, the Mariner’s sailing team has begun its resurgence in the world of college sailing. New England is home to the most competitive district of college sailing, where schools like Yale, Harvard, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy consistently win national championships in one or more of the six college sailing disciplines every year. Within this stacked district, MMA is carving its path toward national titles and a dominant presence within the district and the sport at large.

Maine Maritime Academy is uniquely positioned in that, alongside a full fleet of collegiate dinghies, it maintains a fleet of Colgate 26’s, as well as two offshore-equipped race boats. Many colleges hope to be great in one sailing discipline. MMA’s sailors and coaches are working toward excellence in all.

The commitment to growth was evident to everyone in attendance at the 2024 Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup, as the Mariner team built on two days of consistent improvement to clinch the win in the tenth and final race of the event. Under Head Coach Patrick DiLalla, the Mariners broke a 15-year hiatus.

They returned to the winner’s circle beating out the most elite keelboat teams in the country including rivals Cal Maritime, Navy, Kings Point, and the Coast Guard Academy.

The team’s triumphant return to the Harbor Cup this March is preceded by a fall of consistency and growth at college sailing’s most prestigious keelboat events, including the service academy championship, the Shields Trophy, and the fall keelboat championship, the Kennedy Cup.

The team has put the time in to win. While preparing for the 2024 Harbor Cup, the keelboat team also qualified for the NEISA Match Race Championship, becoming one of eight New England schools to compete for a shot at a national championship. In a tough field, the Mariners team made it to the quarterfinals, besting Bowdoin College and Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Maine Maritime’s dinghy program is also on the long path to excellence. Under coach Delaney Brown, the team posted its highest results in the past ten years at prestigious district championships and earned their way into the conference top 15 over the fall season. And for the first time in more than 15 years, MMA fielded an all-women’s team for one of college sailing’s most competitive regattas.

But the true strength of the Mariner Sailing Teams shows in the commitment of its sailors to sharing their skills with their fellow students. Each fall semester, a handful of team members sign up as teaching assistants for the Introduction to Sailing course. These members help provide individualized instruction to their fellow classmates, many of whom have never sailed before. The sailors meet students where they are, often helping them overcome fears and frustrations, and teaching them the necessary skills to become lifelong sailors. The students in these classes often go on to take additional sailing electives and pursue their auxiliary sailing endorsement or join the MMA Yacht Club to take advantage of the dozens of day-sailers and overnight-equipped sailboats for adventures around Castine and the greater Penobscot Bay.

The recent success of the MMA Sailing Team isn’t something that happened overnight. It’s the culmination of years of development and support throughout Maine Maritime Academy. The growth of this program wouldn’t be possible without the diligent care the Waterfront Department gives to the MMA fleet, the access to top-tier equipment thanks to the Yacht Donation Program, and the generous support of alumni that has allowed them to travel across the country to compete at an elite level. As the team continues striving to become a dominant opponent in college sailing, each win along the way belongs to the entire MMA community.

By Delaney Brown

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