The Polar Bear sailors did not relax on their fall break. Instead, they posted the team's strongest results yet—a win at Bates and a second-place finish on Long Island Sound.
In close competition on Sunday at the Protest Trophy, hosted by Bates College, the Polar Bears held off the Tufts Jumbos by two points to win the seven-school event. Captain D.J. Hatch '11 sailed A Division with crew Clare Henry '12, while Emily McNeil '14 and Leah Hughes '11 sailed B.
The four sailors totaled 25 points over 10 races, including four first place finishes.
Hughes explained that teamwork was key to success, saying "the team at Bates sailed smart and kept a constant conversation going throughout the boat rotation, discussing the tactics that payed off the most."
The Polar Bears also had an excellent finish at the Storm Trysail Club Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (IOR), held at Larchmont Yacht Club in New York. Unlike most regattas the team competes in, the IOR is held in large boats that are not owned by the colleges and require a bigger crew. The Bowdoin sailors raced on Morning Glory, a 34.5-foot boat owned by Dr. Carl Olsson, a Bowdoin sailing alumnus and strong supporter of the next generation of Bowdoin sailors.
Billy Rohman '11 skippered, assisted by younger brother Jimmy Rohman '13 who called tactics and trimmed the mainsail. Katharine O'Brien '12, Benjamin Mende '13, Kim Dempsey '14 and Tom Peabody '14 rounded out the crew, which sat in first on Saturday before falling to second in the J-105 class behind the US Merchant Marine Academy.
"The first day we were very fast, almost untouchable with our speed," said Billy Rohman. "The second we weren't quite in the same groove, and the rest of the fleet got faster. We were able to stay in the top three because of our great first day."
Back in Maine, the Polar Bears played host to the Nicholas J. Barnett Trophy, named in memory of Nicholas Barnett '11, a dedicated sailor who passed away in 2007.
"It was a privilege to be able to sail in honor of someone who seemed like such a great kid and to represent Bowdoin," said Pete Edmunds '14, who skippered in B division with crew Mae Speight '13.
Hatch and Henry also sailed six B division races on Saturday before their victory at Bates, while Jeff Goodrich '12 and Ben Berg '12 sailed A division for the entire regatta.
The team finished eighth out of 15 schools at the regatta, which was won by Boston University.
"The Barnett Trophy was a great event," said Coach Frank Pizzo, with "lots of breeze, and very close racing. We struggled on Sunday and slipped to eighth. Pete [Edmunds] and Mae [Speight] had a good Sunday. Pete continues to show great promise as a first year."
The women's team traveled to the Roger Williams Invitational in Rhode Island, where Coco Sprague '11 and Isabel Low '13 placed 13th and Sarah Fiske '13 and Alex Brown '13 placed 15th in a fleet of 18 boats.
This coming weekend, the sailors will compete in the Captain Hurst Bowl at Dartmouth College, which they qualified for at the Chris Loder Trophy two weeks ago. The team will also sail at the Great Herring Pond invitational at Massachusetts Maritime and the Lark Invitational and the Lane Trophy at Tufts University.