The coed sailing squad slugged it out on the high seas at New England Championships last weekend, while the women's team took one last weekend to prepare for its own championship regatta, which takes place on Saturday at Bowdoin. Fourteen top women's sailing teams from both Ivy League schools and fellow NESCAC colleges will compete at Bowdoin's Bethel Point Sailing Center for a place among the best of New England teams, as well as a berth at Women's Nationals.
The weekend forecast predicts blustery conditions that guarantees challenging races for the team. The Department of Athletics will provide transportation for students who wish to cheer on the team in a rare home regatta.
Last Saturday, at the mouth of Narragansett Bay, home of the University of Rhode Island (URI) Rams, the coed team battled big breeze and heavy surf as winds topped 30 knots at the New England Dinghy Championships. The event features the top 18 of the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association's 31 sailing teams. Although the challenging conditions resulted in many capsizes and a dramatic snapped mast, Bowdoin took 15th overall, improving upon their fall championship placement of 17th at the Schell Trophy.
Viktor Bolmgren '11 placed 12th in A division, sailing with Kim Dempsey '14 and then Pete Edmunds '14 as the wind gusted higher. Bolmgren, Dempsey and Edmunds held 10th for most of the regatta, and were a mere three points behind 11th place Dartmouth College.
Captain D.J. Hatch '11 and Ben Berg '12 toughed out the entire regatta in B division and placed fourth in race 10B, but inconsistent scores landed the duo in 14th overall.
The women competed in similar weather conditions at the Oberg Trophy on the Charles River, hosted by Northeastern University at Boston University Sailing Pavilion.
Although Bowdoin's lightweight women's boats were a disadvantage against the coed teams in the event—weight is a big advantage if wind speeds exceed 20 knots—the women placed 12th.
Captain Coco Sprague '11 sailed with crews Emily McNeil '14 and Sarah Fiske '13, and was able to finish sixth in races 7A and 9A with a tenth place average, to land 11th in the division.
Katie Doble '13 also sailed with Fiske and the duo won race 4B. Isabel Low '13 crewed for Doble once Fiske moved to A division. The women could not repeat their early win, and averaged a ninth place finish to place 11th in B division.
The women will compete against female teams this weekend and enjoy home-water advantage. Bowdoin fans interested in watching the action can catch a shuttle to the site between 12:30 and 5 p.m. Saturday. The shuttle will leave every thirty minutes during that time interval from the Polar Bear statue.
Barbeque food will be served and live scores from the event will be available at scores.collegesailing.info. The coed squad will compete in the Staake Trophy Team Race and the Priddy Trophy, a freshman championship.