After seven races sailed in Club 420s on Lake Pontchartrain, Emily Maxwell (Stonington, Conn.) and Kelly Stannard (Salem, Conn.) dominated a fleet of 35 teams to capture the U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship for the Ida Lewis Trophy. Sponsored by Vanguard Sailboats and hosted July 5-11 by Pontchartrain Yacht Club, this US SAILING Championship was founded to encourage women’s sailing in the U.S. by providing an opportunity for young women to compete at the national level. During the three-day regatta, the winning team of Maxwell/Stannard and all the competitors they shared the racecourse with were schooled in conditions that try the patience of the very best sailors: the vagaries of light air.

 Light winds and lake chop were conditions that Maxwell herself described as "pretty tough." Despite the on-the-water challenge, after the first day of racing, Maxwell and Stannard were in third place. A 1-1 record on the final day of racing cinched their victory.

 "My biggest challenge was being really patient in the light air and chop … the downwind legs were brutal," said Maxwell after reaching shore. Maxwell finished sixth at this regatta last year, but this was the first time she and Stannard campaigned for this US SAILING championship together. According to Maxwell and all those who watched this team sail, these two young women with little time in the same boat together clicked extremely well.

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