The sailing team, already halfway through their fall season, sailed strong the past two weekends.

On October 3, the open team headed to the University of Rhode Island to compete in the Moody Trophy over the course of the weekend. The competition was a showcase tournament, which had no effect on a team’s ability to advance to the next round of competition. It is, however, a good opportunity for teams across the nation to see where they stand relative to others. Captain Michelangelo Vecchio ’27 reflected on the tournament’s significance.

“We sailed against teams all over the country, Vecchio said. “I think that the Moody [Trophy] gave us a good kind of preparation, [and] confidence boost.”

The women’s team competed in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Championship (ACC) hosted at the Schiller Coastal Studies Center the same weekend, finishing sixth and advancing to ACC finals which will be held at St. Mary’s College in St Mary’s City, Md. To Captain Rebecca Schill ’27, the ACC’s are another chance for teams to see where they rank in the country compared to other schools, much like the Moody Trophy for the open team.  The team also competed in several other regattas over the course of the last two weekends, but the ACC’s brought in the most diverse competitors.

“It’s not just the Atlantic Coast.” Schill said, “It takes teams from all across the country, but it’s the exact same format as our national championships in the spring.… It’s kind of like the preview.”

Much of the team’s success can be attributed to their strong bond. As a team that’s on the road every weekend in the fall and spring seasons, teammates form deep connections both on and off the water.

“We spend a lot of time together, which kind of allows us to bond,” Schill said. “And at practice, a lot of people will usually sail with the same person, but our coaches are very intentional about switching people around.”

Aside from sailing, the Polar Bears manage to fit in time for schoolwork on lengthy voyages, according to Maggie Tripp ’29.

“We do a very good job of attempting to balance our academics as well as sailing,” Tripp said. “For example, we’re driving to Brown [University], but it’s a three-hour drive.… You know that the whole team is going to be in the vans, with laptops open working hard, and that’s definitely pretty ingrained in our team culture of work when you can, where you can, because our regattas take so much time out of our weekends.”

In an email to the Orient, Head Coach Frank Pizzo noted some shifts within the team that have pushed them to succeed this season.

“The team has been improving throughout the fall. We are getting healthier and some people [are] back from injuries which is helping our depth. Many people are in new roles compared to last year but the team has been embracing their new roles and taking advantage of the opportunity,” Pizzo wrote.

Vecchio emphasized the need to stay fit and the physical strength it takes to get through long competition days.

“Every moment of the race matters, and … because the days are really long, you can’t ever lose your focus,” Vecchio said.

As a senior on the team, Vecchio explained that each race left this season counts for him. He hopes to make the most of each regatta by helping the team advance as far as possible.

“I think it’s crazy. I’m a senior, and every weekend…, I’m like, ‘Wow, this is the last time I’m doing this,’ so it’s kind of crazy,” Vecchio said. “But I think that … one big goal we had for the fall was, of course, making ACC finals, which we managed to do this weekend.”

This weekend, the women’s team will compete at the ACC Finals in Annapolis, Md., and the open team will compete at regattas at Dartmouth College, Boston College and Yale University.