Coed Sailing Earns Bid to Nationals

For the third year in a row, the Harvard sailing team will compete at the Team Racing Nationals, to be held this June in Hawaii. And if the Crimson improves at the same rate it has the two past years, Harvard will come home from Hawaii with a championship.

Two years ago Harvard finished in third place in the Team Racing National Championships, and last year the Crimson fnished second.

“We’re building on our knowledge from previous years,” senior Sean Doyle said. “Hopefully we can go all the way and win it this year.

Team racing is a different format than fleet racing—the format of the Coed Dinghy event in which Harvard is also aiming for a national championship.

In team racing, three boats from one school compete in a race against three boats from another school with the winner getting a point. The different format requires a greater degree of coordination and strategy than other events, as each team’s boats help each other in order to ensure the best overall score.

Under this system, a team would automatically clinch the championship by taking first and second place, regardless of the third boat’s showing.

Harvard finished the weekend with a team score of 10-1, losing the first match and then winning 10 straight to gain the top New England spot and clinch a berth in nationals.

“The team is very excited to have another New England Championship under our belts,” junior co-captain Michelle Yu said. “It was exhilirating.”

Sailing the first of three boats for Harvard were junior co-captain Clay Bischoff and classmate Lema Kikuchi. Sophomore Cardwell Potts and senior Susan Bonney manned the second boat, while the final boat was sailed by Yu and Doyle.

Harvard’s B-team, which includes juniors Dan Litchfield and Gabe Dorfman, and senior Laura Knoll, turned out for the event. The B-team practices against the A-team and helps to simulate racing conditions.

Looming next weekend is the Coed Dinghy National Qualifiers at Connecticut College, which is the most prestigious national championship.

Although the Crimson is expected to clinch a berth next weeekend, as one of the top ranked teams in the country Harvard could reasonably expect to be given the at-large bid. It seems almost certain, then, that Harvard will head to national championships in both Team Racing and Coed-Dinghy.

“We’re psyched to be going to Hawaii,” Yu said. “We think we have a good shot to win.”