The 25 members of the Point Loma High School (PLHS) sailing team are very skilled. Their coach, Steve Hunt — a professional sailor himself — doesn’t even like to face them. “When I have to sail against these kids, I get nervous,” Hunt said. The Pointers’ sailing team is a stellar group of saltwater superstars whose expert ability to navigate a liquid racing course has earned accolades and qualified them to travel around the nation in pursuit of further honors. And right now, they are on a roll. For starters, the PLHS sailors won the Roy E. Disney award, given to the finest high school sailing team of the 58 who make up the Pacific Coast Interscholastic Sailing Association (PCISA). The trophy is awarded to the top finisher among seven separate events. Last month, some of the team soared to San Francisco, where they finished second in the Pacific Coast High School Doublehanded Championship, which qualified them for a national competition in the Mallory Cup. During the same weekend, another part of the team showed off its sailing prowess in Long Beach, winning the PCISA Silver Fleet Doublehanded event. The Mallory Cup sent the Pointers cross-country to Connecticut for the event held May 7-9. There, the maritime magicians placed second in the Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA) Doublehanded National Championships. Scoring for the Mallory Cup involved 10 races sailed by two boats from each of the 20 teams entered at the host Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich, Conn. Each boat’s finish — first to 20th — was the number of points awarded, with the lowest cumulative score from all 20 races declared the champion. Sailing in 420-class sailboats, first-day conditions were far from ideal, with thunderstorms and high winds causing some boats to capsize and forcing the race committee to cancel further competition. Hunt said the second day weather was better, but winds played havoc with the fleet, varying from 10 mph “holes” to 30 mph “puffs,” along with directional shifts. Additionally, the race website reported a wind-chill factor in the 40-degree range, making for salty shivers among bundled-up participants. These factors and several tactical issues plagued the Pointer “A” boat. Its first-place, two second-place and two third-place finishes were marred by four finishes in the teens. The boat, skippered by Kevin Laube, with Duncan Swain and Eric Cibit serving as crew, finished seventh overall in the “A” Division with 80 points. The “B” boat, however, won its division with 43 points, accumulating three firsts, two seconds and a third among its 10 races. Olin Paine skippered, assisted by Shone Bowman and Jake Reynolds. The winning Mallory Cup team scored 111 points, with the Pointers close behind at 123. Boat skippers at other regattas have included Matt Morris, Matt Hecht and Jake La Dow. Hunt rotates crews, depending on wind conditions at the race site, with members including Will Herrin, Claire Bagg, Reece Bernet, Grant Rickon, Daniel True, Max Daubner, Kyle Sutter and Trevor Hecht. Eighth-grade members of the team include Storm Brown, Madeline Brownsea, Andrew Cates, Richy Didham, Will La Dow, Scott Sinks and Luke Kellerhouse. This weekend sends the sailors to Seattle in a showdown for the ISSA National High School Racing Championship, which the Pointers earned a berth in by finishing 16-0 in races for the PCISA Championship last month in Mission Bay. The winner of this clash bags the Baker Trophy. Hunt’s hopes are high because the Seattle event will be sailed in FJ-class boats, “which we use all the time,” he said. The Pointer sailing team has carried its school’s name proudly across America, excelling as seagoing strategists.