The Polar Bear sailors struggled against the winds of a Nor'easter last weekend, and are now looking ahead to their fall championship regattas, putting tough finishes and canceled events behind them.
On October 30 and 31, the sailing team will compete in the Schell Trophy and the Women's Victorian Coffee Urn, the culmination of the fall season in New England. The team hopes to perform well enough to qualify for the Atlantic Coast Tournament, which will be held at Bowdoin November 6 and 7.
After racing was canceled due to high wind Saturday, the four sailors headed to the Great Herring Pond Open at Massachusetts Maritime Academy early Sunday morning. Despite "tough conditions" as described by the hosts, Jimmy Rohman '13 and Madison Rex '14 placed sixth in B division and notched a win in race 3B.
"Since we were sailing on a pond which is notorious for shifty conditions, it was particularly important to keep a constant eye on the breeze," said Rex. "In many races, Jimmy and I were able to pick up quite a few boats just by staying acutely aware of the wind and sailing into the puffs, which made for some nice finishes."
Jeff Goodrich '12 and Ben Berg '12 had less success in A division, leaving the team 12th overall in the 16-boat event.
One of the few events that did hold races in Saturday's gusty winds was the Captain Hurst Bowl at Dartmouth College. The intersectional regatta drew 20 schools from across the country. Harvard won the bowl, and Stanford placed second.
Polar Bears D.J. Hatch '11, Clare Henry '12, Pete Edmunds '14 and Kim Dempsey '14 struggled in the heavy breeze and tough competition and ended up in 18th place.
Coach Frank Pizzo noted that the team might have been more successful if there were heavier crews at that event, as both Henry and Dempsey are petite.