Irregular Weather Leads to Sailing's Uneven Performance

Results were varied this weekend as the Harvard Sailing team split its crew to compete in four regattas. A triumphant performance on home waters was overshadowed by challenging conditions that put the Crimson low in the finishing order in an intersectional regatta hosted by the Coast Guard.

CHARLES RIVER INVITATIONAL

In its strongest performance of the weekend, Harvard hosted 11 colleges in an in-conference regatta of FJ racing. The Crimson came out on top in first and third with the combined efforts of eight sailors, five of whom were freshmen.

“Overall this was a pretty fun regatta,” junior Ansel Duff said. “It was a good opportunity to get underclassmen competing and it went really well.”

Although the weather was some of the best that Harvard faced all weekend, Duff noted the complexity that often comes from the Charles course.

“We were very cognizant of what was happening with the wind,” he said. “Especially on the Charles, conditions can be tricky and the wind can be shifty and inconsistent with velocity and direction.”

The Crimson finished just 17 points ahead of second-place Boston University. Room for improvement, Duff commented, can definitely be found in boat handling. Sophomore Daniel Leichus, who competed in the B division, agreed.

“We’re still a young team, so we’re putting a lot of work into improving our tactics,” he said.

ROSS TROPHY

Fourteen teams from eight colleges came together at the Charlestown Naval Yard and competed in the ninth annual Richard B. Ross Memorial College Bowl in the Boston Harbor. Harvard landed in 13th place, its lowest finish of the weekend.

This promotional regatta involved only one division and the competition was with Rhodes boats. Senior Caitlin Watson accompanied classmate Ames Lyman for a majority of the regatta, while sophomore Adam Brodheim paired with Lyman for one rotation. The Crimson did not place higher than 11th in any of its races.

Tufts University came out on top with a sophomore duo that finished in the top 10 in all five rotations.

SMITH TROPHY

MIT hosted the George Warren Smith Trophy on the Charles in which it finished second behind Tufts and just ahead of Boston College.

Harvard took seventh place with freshman Bennett Capozzi and sophomore Kristina Jakobson in the A division and rookies William Bloxham and Olivia Kjorlien in the B division.

The wind was relatively weak throughout the day until about one PM, when a steady wind from the east came in and six races in each division were conducted.

DANMARK TROPHY

Poor sailing conditions seemed to be what hurt the Crimson the most this weekend as it came in 12th place in the Danmark Trophy hosted by the Coast Guard.

Finishing in 16th place in the A division were junior Gram Slattery, sophomores Andrew Mollerus and Sydney Karnovsky, and freshman Julia Lord. Junior Brian Drumm and sophomore Jacob Bradt took 10th in the B division. There were 20 schools represented.

Saturday saw several races postponed due to the light wind but conditions changed and racing commenced later in the afternoon, only to face strong currents that challenged boat control. Dying wind and stronger ebbs of the water defined Sunday’s racing, limiting the total amount of competitions that took place.

“The conditions were very tough,” Bradt said.  “We were put in conditions we were not really used to and the light air with a lot of current really alters your game plan in nearly every part.”

Bradt expressed that the team was more comfortable in transitions on Sunday than Saturday, despite the fact that the strong current had the greatest impact on the starts for Harvard on Sunday.

Bradt felt that the team’s expectations were not met.

“This weekend showed us that we need to practice more in those conditions,” Bradt said. “This also means that we’re not at the place where we can go out consistently.”

Reflecting on the improvements that need to be made in the weeks to come, Duff stated that technical skills and smart boat-handling tactics are high priorities.

“The relationship we have between our skippers and crews is something that we will continue to foster throughout he year,” he said.

Duff believes that the team will find more improvement when it develops its teamwork on and off the water.

“It’s hard to be in a boat with somebody all day and not get along with them,” he said. “Finding who we work well with, developing that relationship, and pushing it forward is going to play a key part in our success.”

—Staff writer Tanner Skenderian can be reached at tannerskenderian@gmail.com.