Radcliffe Named Atlantic Coast Champ

Sailing on the familiar Charles River, the Radcliffe sailing team captured the Atlantic Coast Championships this weekend. With this victory, the Black and White can be considered the best team in the East.

Radcliffe finished the competition with an overall score of 81 points. Brown was a distant second with 101 points. The large margin of victory proved that the Black and White dominated the weekend--consisting of 13 races in two divisons.

The Harvard varsity sailing team did not fare as well at the ACC held this weekend at SUNY Maritime in the Bronx, placing 11th out of 14 teams. Charleston won the event, with Navy placing second and King's Point third.

Back in Cambridge, the rain did not stop the women during Saturday's races. The conditions helped Radcliffe create a lead it would never relinquish, but hurt the Southern teams--including favorite Old Dominion.

"The conditions for us were less frustrating because we knew what to expect," team member Julia Trottman said. Trottman skippered the Radcliffe boat with Mary Lohnes as crew in the A division. This tandem won the division by more than 15 points with an overall score of 36 points.

"It wasn't easy," Radcliffe's Dana Barron said. "This was our toughest competition, but it was easier because it was at Harvard." Barron was the crew for skipper and Radcliffe Captain Jane Fogg in the B division. The duo's score of 45 points tied it for first place.

The wind played a major factor during the second day of races. Even though the Black and White led by a comfortable margin, the windy conditions added drama to the races.

"The races were more exciting, with much more action," Trottman noted. "The positions of the boats changed a lot throughout the races. It was tense."

After capturing the New England Championship two weeks ago and now the ACC--and considering the fact that the New England Division is probably the toughest in the nation--it is logical to predict Radcliffe as one of the elite teams in the nation. The Radcliffe sailors, however, do not want to jump to conclusions.

"It's hard to tell our ranking because most of the schools we beat this weekend, we lost to last spring in the Nationals. You have to take into account that our home advantage was a major factor in our victory," Barron said.

"We still haven't raced against the West Coast teams," Trottman added.

Captain Fogg said, "We are informally ranked number one or two."

As for now, Radcliffe is the team to beat in the spring.

For Harvard, meanwhile, inconsistent weather conditions plagued its quest for an Atlantic Coast title. Although the Crimson entered as the top team in New England, its eleventh-place finish was the worst among the New England teams.

"On the first day, there was a light wind with ripping currents. The winds picked up on the second day, but it was still inconsistent," Harvard's Jeff Kurland said.

Even when Harvard had an opportunity to finish respectably, the erratic sailing conditions still gave the team problems.

"We never got it together mentally," Kurland noted. "This weekend is definitely something to work off next season.

Both the Radcliffe and varsity squads will resume their racing schedules in the spring.