W. Sailing Struggles in Season Opener

The Harvard women’s sailing team opened its season at the Navy Springs Women’s Intersectional this weekend. But it was more than just the Crimson’s first competition of the season—it was its first time on the water this year.

That may seem repetitive, but it’s not. The frozen state of the Charles River has had a major effect on the sailing team.

“This is a great disadvantage when racing against teams from all over the country,” junior co-captain Jennie Philbrick said. “The teams from the mid-Atlantic, South, and West coasts have all been sailing for weeks if not months already.”

Needless to say, the Crimson’s first time on the water was not smooth sailing. Harvard came in ninth place overall out of a field of 16 teams from around the country, and the team’s rust was plainly evident during Saturday’s races.

Saturday’s races were conducted with a wind of 10 knots— which is little more than a light breeze—adding to the disadvantage the Harvard sailors were facing.

“With Saturday’s light air and steady wind emphasizing boat handling, we were definitely reminded that the other teams have had a lot of practice in the past few weeks, while we’ve been cooped up not sailing on the frozen Charles River,” freshman Genny Tulloch said.

Tulloch sailed in the A boat with junior Lizz Lord, finishing sixth in their division, pulled up by two strong first-place finishes near the end. Philbrick captained the B boat, with juniors Diana Rodin and Clemmie Everett dividing the crew duties.

While the B boat did not have as many high finishes during Sunday’s races as its counterpart, both boats showed a marked improvement on the competition’s second day.

On Sunday, breezes gusted at 20 knots and were regularly blowing over 15, reducing the impact that Harvard’s rust could have on the race’s outcome.

“We had definitely learned from Saturday’s mishaps,” Tulloch said. “[On Sunday] we could use our tactics in shifty breezes to outsmart some of the other competitors.”

“As the weekend went on we got better,” Philbrick said. “We were able to post some strong finishes.”

Everyone agreed that the team showed improvement, but they were all still disappointed with the finish.

“The weekend did not turn out as well as we had hoped,” Philbrick said. “We came away with some definite goals for improvement and hope that we’ll soon be able to get some practice time on the river.”

But given recent temperatures, the Charles seems unlikely to thaw anytime soon. As a result, the Harvard women will have to put the lessons learned from their time on the water to good use next weekend at the St. Mary’s Womens Regatta.

The co-ed team will begin its season next weekend—likely without the benefit of time on the water—competing in the Truxt Umsted Regatta at Navy.

—Staff writer Timothy M. McDonald can reached at tmcdonal@fas.harvard.edu.