CdM sailing eighth in the nation

The Corona del Mar High sailing team can say it is the better squad against Newport Harbor when it comes to national status.

CdM finished eighth out of 20 sailing teams in the High School Dinghy National Championships that concluded Sunday in Chicago, at Belmont Harbor on Lake Michigan.

Newport Harbor finished 12th.

Antilles School of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands won the Mallory Trophy.

CdM was California’s second-best team. Point Loma finished fourth as the top school from California.

Seniors Chloe Dapp and Caitlyn Johnson, as well as juniors Clare Dahl, Alexandria Ivory, Connor Kelter, Jimmy Madigan, Christophe Killian and Jack Thompson were the sailors for CdM.

Kelter skippered the “A” boat with Dapp. They earned two third-place finishes, a fourth and a sixth to total 125 points. Madigan substituted for Dapp in one set Saturday.

Killian skippered the “B” boat with Dahl as crew on Saturday and the first set on Sunday.

Ivory crewed the second and third sets on Sunday whose best scores were first, third, fourth and seventh totaling 104 points.

CdM and Newport Harbor qualified to compete for the Mallory Trophy after finishing in the top five at the Pacific Coast Championships, which took place at Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club in San Pedro April 21.

CdM finished third and Newport Harbor was fourth. In 2012, the Sea Kings finished out of the top five at the PCCs and missed qualifying for nationals by one point.

CdM and Newport Harbor also qualified to compete for the Baker Trophy May 24-26 at Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Fla. The teams will compete in the Interscholastic Sailing Assn. Team Racing Championship.

The Sea Kings and Sailors finished second and third, respectively at the PCCs Team Race regatta at Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego April 28 to qualify for the regatta in Tampa.

— Steve Virgen