W. Sailing 'Urns' ACC Bid, Co-eds Win

Eight of Harvard's finest sailors flaunted their talents this weekend. At the Urn Regatta, held at the Harvard Sailing Center, the women's team finished sixth and qualified for the Atlantic Coast Championships, which will take place in two weeks at the Coast Guard Academy. Meanwhile, the co-ed team cruised to victory at the Shell Trophy Regatta, held down the river at the MIT course.

At the Urn Regatta, Harvard was represented by four women. Freshman Margaret Gill and junior Lauren Toretta competed in Division A for the double-handed events, while Captain Cori Ermler and senior Becky Rosen sailed in Division B.

To qualify for the Atlantic Coast Championships, the Crimson needed to place in the top six of the 16 teams competing. Over the two-day, 14 race event, the women did not have their most consistent performance of the year, but nonetheless, they scrambled for sixth in total points and made the cut.

"It definitely wasn't our best Regatta, but we still qualified and we're looking forward to ACCs," Gill said.

Last week, Gill won the Collegiate Single-Handed Championships. Her yachting prowess has been instrumental to the team's success this year.

Ahead of Harvard at the Urn were Dartmouth, BU, BC, Tufts and MIT. With Harvard included, these six team will compete with the top six from the southern and mid-atlantic divisions at the ACCs.

At the Shell Trophy Regatta, the co-ed team was equally successful. Captain Pete Strothman and upstart freshman Susan Bonney raced in the Division A double-handed events, while Junior Christian Taubman and Senior Brian Fox sailed in Division B.

After 10 races on Saturday, Harvard was only eight points out of first place, behind Tufts and BU and in the remaining eight races on Sunday, Harvard had a stellar day on the water.

"Our last sets were very consistent. We didn't take big risks, but we were solidly conservative and we stayed close to the top in every race," Strothman said.

Indeed, staying near the lead was the key to Harvard's first place finish overall. In the Division A sub-standings, Harvard was second to Tufts, with BU behind in fourth. In Division B, Harvard was second to BU, and Tufts ended up third. As a result, the Crimson concluded with the low point total of 175. BU followed with 179 and Tufts was third with 191.

Indeed, the philosophy of consistency has been central to Harvard's success this year. Coach Bern Noac has emphasized that by simply finishing fourth on average in any set of races, the team is capable of winning a regatta in the overall standings.

"If you look at the sub-scores, Tufts won in Division A, but their total points at the end of the weekend showed that they were averaging only sixth place finishes in every race; we were just more consistent than they were," Fox said.

Maintaining these high finishes was certainly no easy task. The Charles River is notoriously difficult course to sail on due to the prevailing winds from the North.

"The shifting winds meant that nothing was secure; no races were locked up, and leads could frequently change," Fox said.

In the face of such adversity, the Crimson showed exceptional poise.

Harvard's victory was also due to its versatility in maneuvering different yacht models. On Saturday, all Division A teams raced in the TECHF models, which were actually custom designed by MIT. On Sunday, they were required to switch to more traditional FJs. Conversely, Division B was in FJs on Saturday and TECHFs on Sunday. While Harvard's team showed no inconsistency in either model of boats, Tufts' A squad struggled in the FJs on Sunday, and as a result they were overtaken by the Crimson in the final standings.

For Freshman Bonney, winning the regatta was especially exciting. Bonney has only been sailing for two months, but she has shown exceptional promise as the second man, known as the crew position, in double-handed racing. For the past few weeks, she has practiced with fellow freshman Shawn Doyle, and she was given the nod to sail as Strothman's crew for the Horn Regatta.

"I have learned so much in a such a short time; our team has really talented upperclassmen, and they provide such great motivation to perform at their level," Bonney said. "I was honored to be a part of this regatta."

Bonney's emergence on the team is following in the footsteps of another accomplished female sailor, Sally Berens. Berens, who graduated last year, came in her freshman year with no experience and quickly became skilled at the crew position. By her senior year, Berens was an All-American.

"The sailing team provides a rare opportunity for novice athletes to make great accomplishments in the sport," Fox said. "Our team is such this year that our freshman are enjoying a great learning atmosphere out there on the water."

After this fantastic weekend of Regattas, the co-ed team is looking forward to their ACCs, which will be held at Old Dominion in Virginia. All of the fall regattas are a prelude to the climactic Co-ed Nationals, which will take place in the spring portion of the sailing season.