Best friends Chloe Kelleher and Caroline Downey have been sailing together for three years, and it showed at the Beverly Yacht Club Junior Regatta on Aug. 13.

The pair bested around 100 other boats to take first place and win the Hippo Trophy for the top finishing Buzzards Bay boat.

For Kelleher, 18, and Downey, 17, the win was bittersweet. Kelleher, a recent Bishop Stang graduate and Marion resident, has aged out of the junior category and will be heading off to Providence College in a few weeks.

“It’s kind of sad, but it was a really great way to end our racing together. Neither of us really expected to do that well,” said Downey, a rising senior at Stang and Mattaposiett resident.

Kelleher agreed.

“I thought it was the perfect way to go in junior sailing with one of my greatest friends,” she said.

The two were paired up through the Beverly Yacht Club summer program and happened to end up at the same high school where they were also on the sailing team. Through the years they became close friends, and that has helped them on the water.

“We spend so much time together sailing in the summer. We have really good communication on the boat especially and neither of us gets mad at each other or frustrated,” said Downey. “We just let it go and accept our mistakes.”

The girls have been busy competing this summer in their 14-foot Club 420 boat, participating in eight regattas since June. The girls said their coaches helped them all along the way, including Jon Pope and Dr. William Berry at Bishop Stang and their summer coach, Abby Featherstone.

Their parents were also instrumental in the duo’s success.

“Our parents do a lot. We couldn’t do it without them,” said Kelleher.

A great support team and four hours of practice every day in the summer paid off for Downey and Kelleher and the conditions were just right at the Junior Regatta for their win.

“It was awesome. It was the perfect conditions that we’ve been practicing in for as long as we’ve been sailing together,” said Downey. “To win at your home regatta is so special. I wouldn’t have asked for anyone else to do it with.”

While Kelleher won’t be able to compete with Downey in junior sailing in the coming year, both plan to continue competing ­– Kelleher on Providence College’s club team and Downey through her senior year.

“I’ll definitely miss her,” said Kelleher. “But I hope we’ll sail with each other in the summers to come, just for fun.”