The sailing team, under a new coach this year, opened its season participating in six different regattas.
Viktor Bolmgren '11, Coco Sprague '11, Pete Wadden '09, and Meredith Steck '09 competed in 420s at the Harry Anderson Trophy Intersectional at Yale University on Saturday and Sunday. Due to prevailing light conditions, a full rotation of races could not be finished. At the end of the five completed races, the A team of Bolmgren and Sprague came in 16th place out of 20, while the B team finished 18th out of 20.
"At Yale we had the top 20 teams in the country competing in very difficult conditions," said Head Coach Frank Pizzo. "Both pairs were sailing in a higher position on the team than they have in the past and learned a great deal sailing against the nation's best this past weekend."
Doria Cole '09, Laura Heyl '10, Charlotte Williams '10, and Erin Taylor '09 traveled to the Boston area for the weekend, where they sailed in the Women's Man Lab Trophy at MIT on Saturday and the Captain's Cup Trophy at Tufts on Sunday.
The A-division team of Cole and Heyl posted an impressive sixth place finish at Tufts on Sunday. Together, the four women "demonstrated to the rest of the conference that they are a force to be reckoned with," said Pizzo.
"After a three-year hiatus, Bowdoin once again has a women's team," added the coach. The team had been unable to send anyone to all-female regattas during that time.
First year skipper Alex Takata, accompanied by crew Bill Rohmann '11, also put up several top-five finishes for a strong showing at the Penobscot Bay Open, held at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine.
Rounding out the weekend's lineup of competition were Bowdoin sailors participating in the Central Series 1 regatta at Tufts and the MIT Invitational in Cambridge.
This weekend, the sailing team will compete in a number of regattas, including the Hatch Brown Trophy at MIT and the Lake Champlain Open at the University of Vermont.