Thanks to a string of successful performances, the women's sailing team is now 10th in the country in Sailing World's College Rankings, its first time on the list since 2003.
The women's team finished eighth in the 16-team Regis Bowl at Boston University with a total of 94 points. The boats mixed rookies and veterans, as Emily McNeil '14 sailed with Charlotte Williamson '15 and Lizzy Hamilton '15 sailed with Isabel Low '13.
At Tufts' Hood Trophy, the coed team of Peter Edmunds '14, Mae Speight '13, captain Jeff Goodrich '12, and Clare Henry '12 finished 10th out of 21 teams with a total of 80 points.
"It was a very competitive fleet, so that was a good result," wrote Head Coach Frank Pizzo '06 in an email to the Orient.
At Massachusetts Maritime's Commonwealth Invitational, the coed team of Tom Peabody '14, Alex Brown '13, Ben Mende '13 and Katharine O'Brien '12 took second place with a total of 48 points, beating out nine other squads, but trailing Tufts' 23 points.
Bowdoin also sailed at the Loder Regatta at the University of New Hampshire, but there were no official results due to a lack of wind.
Favorable weather conditions have been a boon to the team's results of late, as the last seven regattas have taken place with very light, shifty wind.
"The team has been working hard this fall on its light air FJ boat handling," wrote Pizzo. "For the most part, we have had pretty light winds for practice which has allowed us to work on this skill set."
"It was like everything we practiced all fall was there, so it was perfectly suited to our skills," said Ayaka Okawa '14.
Team practices include numerous drills that help the sailors master the basics. That way, when the sailors are competing in actual regattas they "concentrate on where the wind is," said Okawa, and not on remembering minor details.
The team's dynamic has also played a role in improving the performance of the sailing program.
"Everyone on the team is really dedicated to the sport," said Okawa. "Last year we had a few good key players, but this year's team is really good overall."
The team also benefits from the skilled coaching of Pizzo, who was voted Most Valuable Skipper three times during his time on Bowdoin's sailing team.
"We have really improved a lot from the help of our coach," said Okawa, who added that Pizzo has created a practice environment that is "fun, relaxed and goal-oriented."
Looking forward to the rest of the season, Pizzo wrote, "it is early yet, but we think we can compete on the national scale with both of our teams."