Two ACC Qualifications for Sailing

After three weekends of rather limited action, the Harvard sailing team took part in two of the most competitive regattas of the fall, as both the co-ed and women’s squads set out to qualify for their respective Atlantic Coast Championship regattas taking place later this season. That is precisely what each team was able to accomplish over the two days of competition, with each squad finishing with matching third-place finishes.

“We were able to qualify for [the Atlantic Coast Championships] in two weeks down in Florida, and that was our main goal this weekend,” junior crew Alexandra Jumper said, “so we were very happy with our performance.”

The women’s team placed third at the Victorian Coffee Urn regatta—hosted by Connecticut College—to earn their ticket to the Sunshine State for ACCs the weekend of Nov. 13–14. The co-ed squad, meanwhile, will be heading to Annapolis, Md. in two weeks to compete in ACCs thanks to a third-place team finish at this weekend’s Erwin Schell Trophy regatta.

A rookie Crimson co-ed contingent also competed this weekend at the Nickerson Trophy regatta, taking 12th out of 15 teams.

ERWIN SCHELL TROPHY

The Harvard co-ed squad finished with a third-place effort in a field of 18 teams this weekend at the Erwin Schell Trophy regatta. It was the 70th anniversary of the event hosted by the Coast Guard Academy and served as the qualifier for the Atlantic Coast Championships later this season.

“We had been in second for most of the regatta but ended up in third for the weekend,” senior John Stokes said. “But that was alright because we still qualified for ACCs.”

A trio of Crimson seniors, skipper Alan Palmer and crews Quincy Bock and Meghan Wareham, combined to finish third in the A division of racing, with three victories out of the 18 races held this weekend.

“There was a good breeze and somewhat shifty conditions out there this weekend,” Stokes said. “The wind got up to 18 to 20 knots, so the conditions were kind of weird.”

Harvard had six sailors contribute to a fourth-place finish in the B division of racing, as Stokes served as both skipper and crew for the Crimson boat in the division at different times during the weekend. Captain Tedd Himler also fulfilled the skippering duties in the B division as the winds started to pick up on the second day of racing.

“We were able to utilize the strength of our team in the B division,” Stokes said. “We pretty much sailed all of the combinations we could in the B division because that is what the situation called for and it is a sign of our team’s great depth. However, we still need to continue to work on our starting techniques and race management tactics as we prepare for ACCs in two weeks.”

WOMEN’S VICTORIAN COFFEE URN

The Harvard women took third place out of 18 teams this weekend at the Victorian Coffee Urn regatta held in New London, Conn. The tournament was also an ACC-qualifying regatta.

The junior duo of captain skipper Emily Lambert and Jumper finished second in the A division of racing, finishing in the top two in half of the 12 races in the division.

“We were able to take all of the practice and time we have put in so far throughout the season and capitalize on it,” Jumper said.

Four Crimson freshmen, skippers Caitlin Watson and Morgan Russom and crews Louisa French and Isabel Ruane, combined to finish ninth in the B division, with one first-place finish in the ninth race of the weekend.

“We had quite a number of freshmen compete this weekend as we were trying out different combinations, and the freshmen definitely stepped up to the plate,” Jumper said. “It was great for our team to be able to do well in interesting conditions with very shifty winds as we get ready for ACCs.”

NEW ENGLAND FRESHMEN CHAMPIONSHIPS, NICKERSON TROPHY

Skipper Ames Lyman and crew Alice Kenney teamed up to finish 13th in the A division of racing at the Nickerson Trophy, the New England Freshmen Championship regatta where Harvard placed 12th out of 15 teams this weekend.

—Staff writer Thomas D. Hutchison can be reached at tdhutch@fas.harvard.edu.