Paige Johnston has been
awarded Athlete of the Month for November
(2007) for his outstanding efforts in both
single handed sailing and off-shore sailing
for the California Maritime Academy.
Paige returned to the
offshore team for the College Offshore
Sailing Championship for the Kennedy Cup in
Annapolis November 2-4. His work on the bow
was flawless. Even in tight situations when
there was a late call to take down the
spinnaker, Paige led his bow team and got
the job done. Under Paige’s leadership, the
Spinnaker sets were unparalleled when
compared to the rest of the field. The
Keelhaulers took 2nd place behind
The Naval Academy, who on their own boats in
their own waters who proved to be
uncatchable this year. Both teams could
have sat out the last race.
Having not qualified for
Single-handed Nationals at the Pacific Coast
Single-handed Champ (4th place),
Paige was out to prove himself at the North
South Fall Championship held in Santa
Barbara November 10-11. Paige never
finished out of the top three in the highly
competitive 10 boat fleet. He was
consistent in his boat handling and
tactics. Winning the last race, Paige
clinched the regatta in a tie breaker with
University of Hawaii’s Peter Wenner.
Not to rest on his laurels,
Paige headed to his hometown, San Diego for
the Holder 20 National Championship. There
he faced the formidable Chris Winnard, a
North Sails professional, who has multiple
class championships under his belt including
the Holder 20 last year. Paige with crew,
Thor Proulx and Brian Malouf, were the only
boat other then Winnard to win a race. They
finished 2nd overall representing
the California Maritime Academy.
