Weekend Regattas Cut Short By Weather

The Harvard sailing team encountered both highs and lows in two regattas on a weekend that saw frequent rain and erratic wind.

The dismal conditions caused the cancellation of the Boston University Invitational Regatta, as well as a disappointing ninth-place finish in the Hood Trophy at Tufts.

The weekend was not without its successes, however, as women’s captain Megan Watson earner a fifth-place finish in the New England Women’s Singlehanded Championship in New London, Conn., qualifying for the National Championship.

NEW ENGLAND WOMEN’S SINGLEHANDED CHAMPIONSHIP

With a knee injury to junior Liz Powers, Watson was the Crimson’s sole competitor at the Singlehanded Championship, hosted by Connecticut College.

Watson did not disappoint, however, placing fifth and qualifying for the Women’s Singlehanded National Championship.

Like in the weekend’s other regattas, weather was a factor in Connecticut—but this time a positive one.

Since Watson is smaller than most other competitors, the light winds gave her an advantage in speed.

Having ended Saturday in sixth place, Watson started strong on Sunday, placing fourth, second, and third in the first three races of the day.

Events took a turn for the dramatic, however, when Watson struggled in her next three races—finishing sixth, ninth, and 16th, respectively. Qualification for Nationals was on the line in the regatta’s final race, but Watson proved resilient and finished ninth, earning her fifth place in the regatta—the final qualifying spot for Nationals.

Watson’s achievement is particularly impressive because she has been sailing Laser Radios, the boats used in singlehanded regattas, for only two years. Most of the other competitors in the regatta have sailed these boats for much longer. The Harvard senior credits coach Michael O’Connor with helping her adjust to Laser Radios.

“[O’Connor is] a big help,” Watson said. “He’s incredibly knowledgeable.”

Due to her relative inexperience with Laser Radios, Watson focused on minimizing mistakes during the regatta.

“The goal was for me to be consistent and not have too many bad races,” she said. “[Another] goal was to make smart decisions.”

This year’s Women’s Singlehanded National Championship, which will be held at Cornell from Oct. 24-25, will be Watson’s second. Last year, she finished third in New England and went on to place ninth in Nationals.

Annie Haeger of Boston College won the regatta, placing first in nine of the 14 races to defeat second place Krystal Rohde of the Coast Guard Academy by 31 points.

HOOD TROPHY

Some members of the co-ed team were able to race in the Hood Trophy at Tufts, but, as was the case at Boston University, the weather was not a friend to the Crimson.

Harvard finished ninth overall in the regatta, placing tenth in the A-division and eighth in the B-division.

The competition was characterized by a lack of wind, which only allowed for three races—the minimum amount required for a regatta to count—to be completed.

“[We were] not very happy with the result,” junior Drew Robb said.

Skipper Robb and freshman crew Annie DeAngelo placed eighth, twelfth, and eighth in three B-division races.

The Crimson saw similar results in the A-division, as skipper Teddy Himler and his crew, Quincy Bock, both sophomores, finished 11th, eighth, and tenth in their three races.

The mediocre outcome had more to do with the racing conditions than the skill of the sailors.

“Three races [were not] enough to say anything about the teams that were there,” Robb said.

Yale fared best over the weekend, finishing 18 points ahead of second-place Salve Regina to win the regatta.

BU INVITATIONAL

Part of the co-ed team was scheduled to sail at nearby BU last weekend. The poor weather prevented enough races from being completed for the regatta to count.