Sailing Competes Along North Atlantic Coast

The Harvard coed sailing team split up once again this weekend to compete in four regattas along the northern Atlantic Coast in one of the last competitions of the 2013-2014 season.

10TH ANNUAL GEORGE MORRIS TROPHY

The Crimson's best finish this weekend was third place at the George Morris Trophy, hosted by Boston University. This intersectional regatta featured FJ sailing, and nine teams came out to compete.

“The conditions were difficult Saturday opposed to Sunday,” senior Luke O’Connor said. “The wind and water was extremely volatile and shifty.”

O’Connor was joined by junior Rebecca Frankel in A division and finished in second place. In the B division were senior Ben Lamont and freshman Priscilla Russo, who finished in 10th.

The O’Connor and Frankel combination had a strong start and finish, coming in first and second place in the first two and last two rotations. This pair has been racing together for quite some time, but they won’t be sharing a boat for much longer.

“Rebecca and I got nervous at the start when we realized this was the last time we were going to be racing together,” O’Connor said. “This was our last regatta on a course we’ve sailed before. It was important for us to just focus on how we were comfortable on this water.”

79TH BOSTON DINGHY CUP

Harvard’s second top finish this weekend was at the Boston Dinghy Cup, held on the Charles and hosted by its neighbor, MIT. Similar to the Morris Trophy, the conditions were choppy on Saturday but evened out on Sunday.

Of the 17 schools that came out to compete in this intersectional regatta, the Crimson didn’t finish worse than seventh place. Junior Brian Drumm and sophomore Jacob Bradt took third in the A division, Brian’s twin, Michael and senior Isabel Ruane finished seventh in the B division and junior Gram Slattery paired up with freshman Olivia Kjorlien for sixth place in the C division.

There were two types of boats being used, FJs and NC Fireflies.

ADMIRAL’S CUP

Despite finishing in 12th place in the Admiral’s Cup down at King’s point this weekend, the Crimson’s Juan Permero, a rookie, finished in first in a standout performance in the C division.

“The greatest strengths for me this regatta was a combination of my speed down wind and my boat handling,” Permero said. “Overall, I think my boat handling was pretty good.”

Of the 14 match-ups, Permero finished in first place for eight.

The boats being used were 420s and this was an intersectional regatta. The league is less than a week away from qualifiers to nationals.

“I feel like the team’s improvement is progressing,” Permero said. “With the nicer weather, we’re getting a lot more time on the water and are able to practice real-time performances.”

REED TROPHY / NEISA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP

The women of Harvard sailing headed down to the Coast Gaurd this weekend for their conference championship regatta. 17 teams competed in 420s and the Crimson finished in 13th place.

Sailing three seniors and one junior over two divisions, the Yale sailing team came out in first place with 155 points. Boston College followed with 173 and Dartmouth came in third with 202.

Sailing for Harvard in the A division were senior Caitlin Watson and sophomore Kristina Jakobson. Junior Ashleigh Inglis and freshman Julia Lord rode in the B division.

Saturday’s conditions were perfect for racing, but there was a lack of wind on Sunday which made things complicated.

With this weekend behind them, the men and women of the Crimson sailing team are getting ready for the final qualifiers of the spring season taking place next weekend.

“Everybody is very focused and ready for next weekend,” Permero said.

—Staff writer Tanner Skenderian can be reached at tskenderian@college.harvard.edu.