While the recent turn to inclement weather may have had most students running indoors for cover, the sailing team has taken to the seas for its spring season.
With three weekends of competition and one spring training trip already under its belt, the team looks to launch into the most intense part of the season yet in preparation for a series of New England championship regattas at the end of April.
The Polar Bears spent the second week of spring break training in 420s at Ransom Everglades School in Miami, Florida, where they focused on boatspeed and team racing. Immediately following the training trip, the team returned north to compete in three regattas for the weekend of March 26-27.
The majority of spring regattas focus on team racing, a branch of sailboat racing involving three-on-three boat competition in which teams use a variety of tactics and plays to maneuver around the race course. Both the coed and women's teams competed in team race intersectional regattas over the weekend, facing stiff competition from a number of talented teams from around the nation.
The coed team traveled to the Admiral Moore Team Race, held at SUNY Maritime College. Racing in 420s, Alex Takata '12, Laura Heyl '10, Alex Sutula '13, Mae Speight '13, Billy Rohman '11 and Ben Berg '12 sailed to a ninth place finish behind the University of Connecticut and ahead of the University of Michigan.
At the Admiral Moore, the Polar Bears sailed against some of the top team race teams in the nation, including Georgetown, St. Mary's, Roger Williams, Navy and Hobart.
"All of these teams are very seasoned team racers," said Head Coach Frank Pizzo. "We were involved in some very good races against some very good teams."
Bowdoin sent an additional contingent of coed sailors to compete in 420s at the Dorchester Bay Invitational. Boston College played host to this 18-boat event held in Boston Harbor.
The women's team struggled at the Duplin Women's Team Race, held in Larks at Tufts. Over the course of the two-day event, the team of Charlotte Williams '10, Caitlin Beach '10, Katie Doble '13, Isabel Low '13, Sarah Fiske '13, and Clare Henry '12 posted several disappointing losses to top-ranked schools such as Yale, BC, and Brown.
"The women sailed in a very tough fleet at Tufts," said Pizzo. "With two freshmen female drivers, we struggled in the deep fleet but gained some valuable experience."
The Duplin, however, is the only team race event for the women's circuit this spring. The women's team will focus on fleet racing for the remainder of the season, returning to the water next at the President's Trophy, held at Boston University the weekend of April 10-11.
The coed team will compete in two weeks on home waters at the New England Dinghy Tournament, to be held in Larks at Bowdoin's own Bethel Point Sailing Center.