A fire devastated the boathouse of the UNH sailing team early Wednesday morning at approximately 4:30 a.m.
The boathouse, which is located approximately 10 minutes from campus on Mendum’s Pond, contained 32 boats. eighteen of the boats were only a few seasons old, according to the UNH sailing team’s website. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The Barrington fire department had difficulty reaching the blaze, as the path to the boathouse is not maintained during the winter season. According to the reports from the Union Leader, the damages of the fire are estimated to cost upwards of $400,000, which includes the sailboats, launches, wet suits, and other equipment such as riggers. The sailing team is a club sport, which means that there is no direct funding provided from UNH to support and maintain the club.
The UNH sailing team is speaking out on the incident at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 5. They are scheduled to discuss their season, the summer sailing program and commitment to rebuilding the program after such a tragic incident.
The UNH sailing team has been around since the start of UNH and has over 50 regattas in the fall season and around 30 regattas in the spring season held all over the Northeast, where students compete at both the novice and expert level, according to the UNH sailing website. The fate of their season, which was scheduled to start over spring break, is unclear at this time.
Follow Kerry Feltner on Twitter at Twitter.com/kerr14felt
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