Crimson Finishes Its Fall Season

The Harvard sailing team wrapped up its fall season this past weekend by taking on the best of the east coast.

In the sole weekend of postseason competition, the co-ed squad competed against 17 other schools in the Atlantic Coast Championships.

The Crimson co-hosted the event with nearby MIT on the Charles River Basin during a weekend with weather conditions near-perfect for sailing. The breeze was exceptional on Saturday, with winds blowing from eight to 17 knots. Even though the second day of competition saw a little less wind, the sailors still enjoyed decent gusts while on the water.

Co-captain Brendan Kopp skippered with sophomore Sarah Pierson and freshman Brian Drumm, who split the crew duties for Harvard’s A-division squad. The trio took second place in a highly-contested A-division with a score of 123 points, only three points behind Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

The Hobart and William Smith unit of seniors Samuel Blouin and Chris Klevan and junior Catherine Pelo captured a victory in the very last race of the regatta, enough to propel the Statesmen just past the Crimson into first place.

“At times, it was frustrating,” Kopp said. “We had the lead for the vast majority of the regatta, and only lost on the last race.”

The B-division squad—which featured senior Emily Lambert and freshmen Michael Drumm and Gram Slattery at skipper—did not fare as well as its A-division counterpart, finishing 13th out of the field of 18 with a score of 208 points.

“It was a little frustrating for Emily and me,” Jumper said. “We are probably one of—if not the—smallest combinations of people in terms of size. There were some good moments. The conditions were a little bit difficult, but we did the best we could.”

The A-division team recorded three victories and nine finishes in the top five, while the B-division team recorded five top-10 finishes.

“It was pretty tough because it was the most competitive regatta all season,” Kopp said. “There’s a slimmer margin for error because if you make a mistake, you will be punished for it much more.”

Harvard placed 11th in the overall standings with its total of 331 points, trailing the 10th place Georgetown Hoyas by 10.

Roger Williams University took home the victory overall in the fall Atlantic Coast Championships with a score of 221 points. Ivy League rivals Dartmouth and Brown finished just behind in the combined standings with 264 and 276 points, respectively.

“It was nice being the host, other than the fact we had to wake up early and set up the boats for everyone,” Kopp said. “We’re used to sailing at Harvard and we get to sail our own boats, so there is definitely some form of home court advantage there.”

“We are pretty happy with [the result],” Jumper added. “[That was] definitely one of, if not the, most competitive regattas we will end up sailing all year. So it was a great opportunity to sail with [some of the] best teams in the country.”

With the finish, the Crimson has completed its fall season. The results from November are a microcosm of Harvard’s year. The season was highlighted by one regatta crown—won at the Hood Trophy hosted by Tufts on the weekend of September 24-25—and a pair of second-place finishes during the season’s opening week at Yale and at the Erwin Schell Trophy Regatta.

The team has experienced a combination of highs and lows heading into the all-important spring season. The fall season consists mainly of fleet racing, much different from the predominant teamracing format of the spring. The success of the Crimson’s fall does not guarantee the same for the spring, but the members of the Harvard sailing team find themselves already looking forward to returning to competition once the waters thaw out.

“In terms of Emily and I, we have been together since our freshman spring, [so the biggest challenge will be] perfecting our boat handling,” Jumper said. “The spring season has a lot of team racing, so we are excited to go into the last couple of months. We are going to work as hard as we can, have fun with it, and hopefully bring back some good results.”