MATTAPOISETT – Despite how it appears, sailing isn’t always a breeze.

Old Rochester Regional High School’s sailing team lost 4-1 on Tuesday, May 17 to Dartmouth High, but Coach Charlie Van Voorhis says it’s still been a good time.

“They’re a great group of kids,” he said.

The sailing meets are made up of team races with three boats per team and two sailors per boat. The winner is decided by adding the position numbers for each team’s boats with the lower score taking the round.

The weather conditions were mixed in Mattapoisett Harbor during the two-hour race, creating a variety of challenges for the sailors to overcome as they adjusted for shifting winds and choppy waters.

This has been Van Voorhis’s second year coaching the team. While he spent years prior helping out, he took on the leadership role in 2021 after they had just lost the previous year’s activities to COVID.

Van Voorhis describes the team as “senior-heavy,” with eight graduating seniors. The roster total includes 23 sailors, but a typical varsity meet only uses six of them.

According to Van Voorhis, the standout sailor this year is Drew Matovsky, a senior who will attend Roger Williams University next fall.

“He’s very good,” said Van Voorhis, who added that the Roger Williams team just came in second in a team race championship over the weekend. “And it’s a very good team that he’s going to.”

Van Voorhis says that he’s hoping to grow the roster for next year, even though it “might be a challenge after losing so many seniors.”

“There’s enthusiasm and potential for next year and I’m excited,” he said.

The team will compete in the Cape and Island League Championship this Wednesday, May 25, to finish out the last week of the season.