Once again, the storied Point Loma High School sailing team has brought a national trophy home.

This marks the eighth time the Pointers have earned the prestigious Toby Baker Trophy that identifies the best team in the nation. Each of the other 11 teams, like the Pointers, earned their spot in the competition by winning regional sailing races. For Point Loma, it was the Pacific Coast Interscholastic Association (PCISA), which includes the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Utah, and Nevada.

Nine members of the Pointer team traveled to Puget Sound in Washington state last month where, on Bainbridge Island, the 2024 Baker Team Race National Championship was to be contested.

The Oak Harbor Yacht Club on the island was hosted this year with all teams under the auspices of the Interscholastic Student Sailing Association (ISSA).

CFJ-class boats were used in the competition and boats were rotated among teams to ensure equal opportunities on the water.

A group of 14 umpires and an equal amount of race management volunteers oversaw racing which took place over three days in a round-robin format.

For the Pointers, three students sailed as skippers. They were selected for each race by wind conditions and their weight to help balance the boats. Skippers were senior Harrison Strom and sophomores Anton Schmid and Wyatt Kelly.

Six crew members made the trip and also were utilized by wind and weight factors. They were senior Preston Miller, juniors Skye Terrell and Jonah Wozniak, sophomores Sabrina Anderson and Oscar Paarzen, and freshman Olive Kanemasu.

ISSA established the Baker Trophy in 1989 and the annual regatta host rotates between regional districts across the country. The Pointers first won the trophy in 2003 when the event was held on Mission Bay. Since then the Pointers have won in 2004, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2018.

Earlier this month, the Pointers finished sixth in the ISSA Mallory National Championships, held at the College of Charleston. Races were held in CFJ’s and Z420 boats with schools sailing two boats in A and B divisions. Points match the finishing position of each boat with the lowest score taking the title. The winning Severn School of Maryland, a prep school for the Naval Academy, scored 276 with the Pointers totaling 355 after 28 races over two days.