The sailing team hosted its final event of the fall season, the Atlantic Dinghy Tournament, last weekend, capping a season of mixed results with an encouraging finish at the intersectional. Bowdoin sailors captured seventh, but were within six points of third place in the competitive regatta.
November 13 and 14 brought mild temperatures, sun, light winds, and sailing teams from as far away as the University of Virginia to compete at Bowdoin's Bethel Point sailing site.
Although there were supposed to be 16 schools in the event, a last-minute withdrawal allowed Bowdoin to enter a second team, the Bowdoin Pines, in order to keep the numbers even. The Boston University team won the regatta.
Juniors Jeff Goodrich and Ben Berg sailed in the A Division for the Pines, while women's team leaders Coco Sprague '11 and Isabel Low '13 sailed in the B division.
Although the Pines were expected to perform modestly and place below the Polar Bears, they were in fourth place until the final race of the regatta, when a ninth-place finish dropped them to seventh, ahead of Tufts, currently ranked 15th nationally.
Had the team scored fifth or better, they would have remained in third.
Both Goodrich and Sprague won a race in their respective divisions, and Sprague and Low placed fourth in B, tied with Dartmouth.
"I was so happy to represent the Bowdoin Pines," said Sprague. "It was great practice for us looking forward to next season. Isabel and I stuck it out in light breeze and it paid off [with] a bullet on Sunday."
"Coco and I finally put together all the pieces we had been working on all season and sailed some solid races," Low agreed. "It was a nice end to a tough season."
Goodrich explained his unanticipated success with Berg by noting the conditions during the regatta.
"The light air allowed us to capitalize on outboathandling," he said.
The teammates have a strong, precise sailing style that helps move the boat in light wind.
The Polar Bears also performed well, although they were beaten by their teammates on the Pines.
First year standouts Pete Edmunds and Kim Dempsey sailed A, with D.J. Hatch '11 and Clare Henry '12 in B. Hatch and Henry placed sixth in B, right behind their Pines teammates, and the squad placed 11th overall.
The sailing team finishes the season ranked No. 15 of the 34 teams in NEISA, improving upon its 2009 ranking and achieving its goal of placing in the top 16 teams, in order to automatically qualify for spring championships.
Energized by the strong showing in the face of tough competition at home last week, the sailing team is looking forward to its spring season, which will begin in March.