Sailing Competes In Four Regattas

This weekend, the Harvard sailing team took to rivers and oceans alike, competing in four regattas. The women’s team took 12th at the NEISA Conference Championship, while co-ed contingents took fourth, sixth, and eighth in the Admiral’s Cup, the Boston Dinghy Cup and the George Morris Trophy, respectively.

NEISA CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP/REED TROPHY

An all-female contingent of the Crimson traveled to Boston College, where sailors competed against other NEISA teams for a shot at nationals. Harvard’s 12th place finish fell short as the top eight teams received a bid.

The trophy ended up in the hands of host Boston College, who was followed by the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Yale.

While the weather was clear and sunny, shifty winds provided a challenge for sailors. On a few occasions, the tricky winds resulted in disqualifications.

In the A division, freshman skipper Taylor Ladd raced the first 10 races alongside junior crew Kristina Jakobson. For races 11-16, senior crew Rebecca Frankel stepped in. The Crimson earned 12th place in the division, one point ahead of 13th place Roger Williams.

Racing in the B division, the duo of junior skipper Sophie Bermudez and senior crew Ashleigh Inglis sailed to a 12th place finish with 145 points.

BOSTON DINGHY CUP

Another Harvard squad took sixth at the 80th Boston Dinghy Cup—the oldest race in college sailing. The Crimson’s combined score of 183 put it ahead of No. 2 BC and No. 1 Yale. The sailors traveled just down the river to MIT, where they competed in three divisions.

“It's cool to think that 80 years later, we're still sailing the same courses in the same part of the Charles River basin,” freshman skipper Nick Sertl said.

Repeat champion Stanford took first place with a score of 163, coming back from some low-placing performances at the beginning of the regatta.

Eighteen teams trekked to the interconference competition, including Ancient Eight foes Dartmouth and Brown, which took second and fourth, respectively. Local rival Tufts took third, and host MIT took seventh. Harvard also faced new competition from all over the United States, including Washington and Buffalo.

Winds at this regatta proved shifty as well, and racing was called early on both Saturday and Sunday due to lack of wind.

“The conditions on the Charles were difficult to succeed in,” freshman Kevin Coakley said. “There was no consistency. We did our best to adjust on the fly and make smart decisions on the course.”

Senior skipper Michael Drumm and Coakley represented the Crimson in the A division. Their score of 83 edged out Vermont by a point.

The duo of senior skipper Gram Slattery and sophomore crew Julia Lord increased the team’s standing with a fourth place finish. Harvard again edged out Vermont and Dartmouth—who were tied for fifth—by a point.

This race also marked the last race on the Charles for seniors Drumm and Slattery.

“They've been major contributors to this team for the past 4 years,” Coakley said. “We will all miss them when they graduate.”

The C division provided another strong showing, as Sertl and sophomore crew Nomin-Erdene Jagdagdorj took third place.

Coakley attributes the team’s range of success to its versatility.

“We have a deep team with strong upperclassman leadership,” Coakley said. “Everyone is committed to helping the team improve and succeed.”

ADMIRAL’S CUP

While some of its members stayed local, Harvard brought a small group of sailors to New York, where they competed off King’s Point. The Crimson took home fourth place, sailing in three divisions and varying types of boats.

The regatta also used a trapezoid course with different start and finish lines, a set-up different from most of the races Harvard has competed in this year.

“A venue like King’s Point is different than the Charles for a number of reasons,” junior co-captain Sydney Karnovsky said. “On the river we have no current, but on the ocean it's something we have to constantly be aware of.  King’s Point also has much more chop than the river.”

In the A division, the team tied for fifth with Penn. Senior skipper Brian Drumm and junior crew Jacob Brandt started the weekend with low-placing finishes but made their way up to a second-place finish in one race by the end of the regatta.

The duo of skipper Andrew Mollerus and Karnovsky improved the team’s standing, taking third in the B division.

In the C division, junior Marek Zaleski sailed solo, and his performance of 58 points took sixth for the Crimson.

GEORGE MORRIS TROPHY

The Crimson yet again took to the Charles in the George Morris Trophy. The regatta, hosted by BU, was raced in two divisions in FJs, and Harvard ended the day with an eighth-place finish, beating out Roger Williams by one point.

Like in the other regattas held in Boston, the lack of wind caused some issues for sailors. Races had to be called early, with the A division completing eight races and the B division completing six.

Sophomore skipper Bennett Capozzi and freshman crew Kirstin Anderson took eighth in the A division. In the B division, freshman skipper Dylan Farrell was accompanied by Frankel, in her second regatta of the weekend.

—Staff writer Isabel DeLaura can be reached at idelaura@college.harvard.edu.