After winning a third consecutive state championship last school year, CBA Sailing is back on the water for the fall season with some old and new faces in the starting lineup.

Senior Cole Buczkowski returns from each of the past three title winning teams, but is now joined by junior Patrick Kennedy as the starting skippers.

With Buczkowski and Kennedy leading the charge, the Colts turned in an all-time performance on October 17 and 18 in Annapolis, Maryland.

At the Mid-Atlantic Fall Team Race Championship, CBA left the regatta with a second place finish, a program-best at a Team Race Districts.

After Saturday’s racing saw them sitting in fourth, the Colts won all six of their races on Sunday, which included wins over the two teams they leapfrogged to capture second. They posted a 14-4 overall record in the regatta. Buczkowski and Kennedy’s teammates included Christian Diaz ‘28, Christos Lambrou ‘29, Edward Solodkiy ‘29, Alex Pistolakis ‘29, Bradley Welch ‘30 and Ethan Welch ‘30.

Kennedy played a big role in the weekend’s success and said the team’s connection is key going into regattas like this.

“We are very connected when we travel,” Kennedy said. “From 7:30 in the morning until 9:30 at night, we'll be together on and off the water so we are just really close.”

The second place finish in Annapolis ties the best-ever finish for a New Jersey school at the Mid-Atlantic Team Race Championship. The Mid-Atlantic District includes New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.

CBA will have a pair of challenging district regattas ahead, first at the Fleet Race District Championship in Buffalo and then at the Keelboat District Championship in Larchmont.

The Colts have had recent success at both championships, finishing second at each of them last fall.

“The goal is always just to be at the top of the fleet,” Kennedy said. “We have to make sure we are dialed in when we get to the national qualifiers.”

With national event qualifications on the line, the Colts are ready to give it their all in New York over the next few weeks.