Sailing Excels at New England Dinghy Tournament

The venue is known as the Harbor of Refuge.

After the way Harvard stormed through the field this past weekend, opposing teams might wish they had found refuge somewhere safer.

Only one week after qualifying for the National Team Racing Championships, the Harvard Coed Sailing team cruised to the New England Dinghy Championships this past weekend in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Rhode Island

The latest victory propels Harvard into yet another national regatta, guaranteeing the Crimson skippers and crew a spot in the Dinghy Nationals to be raced June 6-8 in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Rhode Island. Dartmouth, Boston College, and Yale will all join Harvard as representatives of the Northeast Region at next month’s Dinghy Nationals.

Harvard shined once again this past weekend, proving that it could be successful in any race format tossed its way. Unlike the previous weekend’s team racing format, the NE Dinghy Championships featured two person boats sailed in “A” and “B” divisions.

Captain Sean Doyle led the charge in the “A” division, teaming with Michelle Yu for most of the two days before Laura Knoll joined Doyle for the final two races. After 16 races, Doyle and Yu/Knoll finished in second place in the top flight; their score of 73 points left them just one away from Dartmouth’s senior trio of Patrick Hogan, Carly Prior, and Leslie Sandberg.

While Dartmouth held the slight edge in the “A” division, Harvard blew away the field in the “B” division. Crimson All-American Margaret Gill teamed with Susan Bonney for 12 races and Dan Litchfield for four en route to a low score of 52 points. A remarkable 28 points separated Harvard from second-place Tufts in the “B” division.

In a sport where weather conditions can spell disaster, Harvard has managed to keep its composure in good and bad conditions alike. After a second-place finish ten days ago at the New England Team Racing Championships on the wind-blown Charles, the Crimson faced potentially treacherous conditions this past weekend at the Harbor of Refuge.

Fortunately, the rain stayed away and the only noticeable elements Saturday were morning winds out of the Northeast and a chilly afternoon sea breeze. Sunday witnessed more shifty winds reaching 12 to 18 knots and frequent large gusts, but ultimately Harvard proved adept at handling the open-water conditions.

Indeed, Harvard’s success at the Harbor of Refuge bodes well for next month’s Dinghy Nationals.

“This was an important victory as it is the last regatta of the regular season and was hosted at the site of nationals,” Doyle said.

If Harvard needs any more confirmation that it is one of the best teams in the land after its success during the past two regional regattas, the team can take great pride in the fact that many of its skippers and crew were recently voted among New England’s best.

Among coed skippers, Doyle was voted first, Gill fourth, and Clay Bischoff sixth. Bonney garnered sixth place and Yu seventh among the crew.

“This voting is a tradition in New England and it’s great to see that our sailors are held in high regard by other teams as well,” Doyle said.

Individual accomplishments aside, the Crimson will remain focused on bringing home two national championships in June. Racing will begin June 3-5 with the National Team Racing Championships on the Charles River.