The sailing team continued to rise in the rankings of the NEISA conference after noteworthy finishes at University of Vermont, Boston College and Middlebury this past weekend.
At the Middlebury Invite, despite an unreliable breeze, the Polar Bears sailed into second place. Two pairs— D.J. Hatch '11 as skipper with Clare Henry '13 crewing, and Jimmy Rohman '13 as skipper with first year Madison Rex crewing—posted several first place finishes over the course of the one-day regatta in FJs. Captain Hatch noted that the shifty breeze made for difficult conditions, but is pleased with the very close second that he and his teammates earned.
Several members of the team traveled to Boston for the Boston Harbor Invite, a mid-level regatta. The venue, which was home to top national team Boston College, boasts open water and a consistent breeze.
Sailing in 420s, a boat larger than Bowdoin's own FJ dinghies, the team finished in ninth place overall. Sarah Fiske '13, who skippered in B-fleet on Sunday noted that the young team sailed well against a competitive fleet. Perhaps most notable, she mentioned, was the pairing of Peter Edmunds '14 and Kim Dempsey '14, who earned all top-ten finishes in the 18-boat fleet on Sunday. Coco Sprague '11 and Emily McNeil '14 skippered on Saturday.
At UVM, the team finished in 12th place after sailing on Saturday in 1-2 ft waves with strong breezes. Sunday brought light breezes, allowing a total of 12 races in each fleet to be completed over the weekend. The B-fleet pairing of skipper Billy Rohman '11 with Mae Speight '13 as crew had several top finishes among the 17 boats, including a second and third place at the competitive event.
Jeff Goodrich '12 with Ben Berg '12 struggled at times during the weekend, but also posted several good scores.
Last Sunday, Bowdoin played host to the annual Polar Bear Open, in which many high schools from around New England competed. The regatta allows many top high school sailors to compete at a college venue, as well as meet members of the sailing team.
The team hopes to continue the trend of strong finishes in a series of competitive venues this coming weekend. The Polar Bears will be sailing at the Hood Trophy in Tufts, the Loder Trophy at UNH, the Mascoma Invite at Dartmouth, and the Central Series at MIT. The women's team will travel to Boston University to compete in the Regis Trophy.