On Saturday, Oct. 23, the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club (BHYC) hosted the Becton Cup. This annual regatta (also known as the Girls’ Doublehanded State Championship) is open to regional middle school and high school girls who sail for their team throughout the season.

The Becton Cup was founded in 2011 by Maine Maritime Academy and has traditionally been hosted at their facility in Castine, but in recent years it has been hosted by BHYC and The Apprenticeshop in Rockland.   

This year the regatta welcomed teams from Boothbay (middle and high school), Lincoln Academy (LA), Portland High School (PHS), Camden Hills Regional High School (CHRHS), and Islesboro Central School (ICS). The winning boat was sailed by Arden and Piper Carleton from LA. The two sisters have sailed on the LA team for several years and between them have now helped win the cup for their school three years in a row: in 2019 Ella Beauregard skippered to victory with Arden crewing, and in 2020 (postponed to spring of 2021) Kate Mason skippered the winning boat with Piper crewing. Both second and third place this year went to pair’s from CHRHS in a well sailed event. 

Although sailing in light winds, all teams stayed strong through the finish. The top placing boat for Boothbay was sailed by Hannah Hills and Suzie Edwards. Other Boothbay sailors included Della Hahn with Iris Conlin, Eleanor Marshall with Ivory Cody, and Camden Peck with Nyssa Wilkinson.

Overall, the fall 2021 sailing season included a record-breaking participation rate from both the Boothbay schools and LA who train together four days per week at BHYC. The extremely competitive LA team showcased years of development in their core sailors and won a berth at the Atlantic Coast Championship as one of only four teams representing  New England. Boothbay’s young and eager team made up of mostly middle schoolers and freshmen, have worked hard and come a long way.

Coach Chris Liberti said, “They can look forward to some great victories in the near future.”