Tough Currents Push Sailing Back to Seventh

ling team’s ability to fill the large shoes left by the graduation of six All-American seniors were hammered home this weekend by the dual challenges of unfriendly conditions and inexperience at the helm.

The sixth-ranked Crimson charted a course south for New London, Conn., placing seventh of 18 teams in the intersectional Danmark Trophy Regatta at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Saturday and Sunday—a finish which was neither embarrassing nor that of which national championships are forged.

Saturday’s 10 races began in light winds and a strong outgoing current, with the A-division sailors taking the course in Flying Juniors and the B-division in 420s.

The strong current on Saturday posed an obstacle for the Crimson, which typically practices in still, sheltered waters.

“The current affected the race a lot,” said Harvard captain Laura Schubert. “Definitely, it adds a whole additional level of difficulty.”

The final eight races of the regatta saw 10 to 15 knot winds fading as the day expired, with the A-division in 420s and the Bs racing the Flying Juniors.

Sophomore Clay Johnson skippered the Crimson’s A-division boat, with sophomore Samantha Fink crewing Saturday. Schubert and junior Ruth Schlitz split duties at crew on Sunday.

Harvard finished sixth in the A-division with 140 points. After racing inconsistently early on Sunday, finishes improved later in the day as winds died—an advantage for a Crimson team accustomed to practicing in light and shifty wind.

Freshman Kyle Kovacs took the helm of the team’s B-division boat, with Schlitz crewing on Saturday and sophomores Matthew Knowles and Emily Simon crewing Sunday.

Harvard finished twelfth in the B-division, but not without controversy. During the eighth race on Saturday, a Connecticut College boat collided with one from Roger Williams while rounding the final mark. When Connecticut College protested, Roger Williams responded that the Crimson boat had not allowed adequate passage to the inside.

“Had I thought I had actually committed a foul, I would have taken the 720-degree penalty turn, but I thought I had provided ample room and was in the clear,” said Kovacs, who would have finished second in the race had the boat not been disqualified afterwards.

With the B-division squad accumulating 157 points over the 18 races, Harvard posted a combined total of 309 points for the regatta. St. Mary’s College, the Danmark Trophy winners and 2004 Intercollegiate Sailing Association Team Race North American champions, posted a combined score of 189.

The team’s youth and commensurate inexperience, however, have proved just as challenging as the vicissitudes of wind and water. The graduation of ICSA Sailor of the Year and All-American Cardwell Potts ’04 and scheduling difficulties this fall have compounded the team’s lack of inexperience at the helm.

The team also lacks senior Vince Porter, the ICSA/Vanguard singlehanded champion and All-American co-ed skipper, who is spending the semester in Rome.

WOMEN

The women of the Crimson spent Saturday on friendly waters, sailing in the Regis Bowl Regatta at Boston University on the same stretch of the Charles River that the team uses for its practices.

The regatta featured combined divisions, and since 10 teams launched two Flying Juniors each, two boats per race were given a bye to allow the full complement of 18 boats to take the water simultaneously.

The weather conditions were quintessentially Charles River, with fickle and weak southeasterly winds shifting to the east, picking up and then dying.

“The three morning races were almost questionable as to whether they were fair tests of skill,” said junior Sloan Devlin. “It’s very hard to be consistent in those weather conditions.”

Harvard placed second overall behind Boston College. Devlin, sailing with sophomore crew Christina Dahlman, placed first in the A-division. Junior skipper Jessica Baker, sailing with senior Jenny Wong, placed fourth in the B-division.

“The conditions really weren’t that great for racing,” said Baker. “We sailed well on a very, very frustrating day in shifting conditions.”