Sailing has always been part of Tabor’s identity. This year, the school has decided to take a step further by forming a competitive fall sailing team in addition to the spring team.  

“Back in the 90s, Tabor was the top high school sailing team,” says Head Sailing Coach Mr. Andrew Cornah. “But in recent years, Tabor has been overtaken by schools such as ones in California, who practice all year long.” 

“A lot of our competitors, like St. George’s, who have been beating us in recent years have implemented a fall sailing season,” says Grayden Mott ‘25, one of our school’s most competitive sailors. “To be competitive with the schools who practice all year round, two seasons of sailing makes sense.”   

The fall sailing program operates like a practice season: preparing and strengthening the sailing team to be more competitive during the spring season. 

According to members of the sailing team, there are many logistical differences between the new fall sailing program and the spring sailing program. First, spring sailing is one of the school’s most competitive seasons, the team sailing against nearly sixty teams over the spring. 

However, Mr. Cornah says, “There are many fewer schools who offer sailing in the fall.” 

Subsequently, there are fewer—only seven or eight—competitions. Another difference between fall and spring sailing is the type of racing. 

“In the fall, we do fleet racing, and in the spring we do team racing,” says Winter Vetrone ‘24, a senior who has been on the team for four years. She explains, “These two are the same sport, but they’re two different types of races.” 

Fleet racing is more like every person for themselves, where each sailor races against everyone else. Team racing is 3 Vs 3, where each person gets points for crossing the line, and the faster times earn fewer points. Teams compete for the lowest points. 

Though winning is not the primary goal of the fall sailing program, the team has already achieved a lot of success. Grayden Mott ‘25 and Perrin Mueller ‘26 won the ILCA Healy Trophy and the team travelled to Bridgeport, CT to participate in the Catholic Cup, winning first and third place. 

Joining Coach Cornah in the fall are music teacher Ms. Nadine Cunningham and nautical science teacher Capt. Ali Mitchell. In the spring, Chair of the Math Department Mr. Matt Voci and science teacher Mr. Chris Conley will join the coaching staff.  

The future of Tabor sailing is even more exciting with the addition of the fall sailing program.