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Volume CXXXII, Number 21 |
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Sailors' cry: sloop, there it is!
MELANIE KEENE
STAFF WRITER
Once again, Bowdoin sailors were found gliding up and down the New England coastline last weekend. The women's team headed the furthest south, racing at Brown University in the highly competitive Brad Dellenbaugh Intersectional Regatta.
It was an important practice weekend before the upcoming qualifiers, which will determine who advances to the national championship. As a result, there were 18 schools in attendance with many all-Americans in both sailing divisions.
Allie Binkowski '03 and Jackie Haskell '05 struggled Saturday in A-division with the heavy winds and rain but had a better performance on Sunday. It was also a big weekend for first-year skipper Emily Bruns, who sailed her first varsity intersectional event. Bruns sailed with Caitlin Moore '06 in B-division, and the girls held their own against the extremely tough competition throughout the weekend.
The sloop team also sailed in Rhode Island at its third Coast Guard Academy event. The regatta featured both Justin "Cheese" Berger '05 and Ryan Boutin '05 driving while Davin Michaels '06 held the foredeck.
The day started with intense rain and wind that gusted over 20 knots, making it challenging for the sailors. However, they ended the day with several respectable finishes. Berger noted that the team worked hard and "found that our boat speed and heading were not only competitive but sometimes better than other boats."
The coed team sailed on the Charles River in Boston at Boston University and had a spectacular weekend, finishing seventh out of 18 teams. Tyler Dunphy '03 sailed with Melanie Keene '03 in A-division, and Ryan Cauley '03 sailed with Gia Upchurch '05 in B-division. The regatta was extremely competitive, and the winds were often frustrating-a common characteristic of the Charles since the winds swirl around the skyscrapers. Despite the irregular winds, the boats held their own, and then some.
The regatta started off choppy on Saturday for the Dunphy/Keene team; however, they picked up the pace on Sunday and averaged third place overall for the day in their fleet. Both boats earned bullets and displayed extremely good boat-handling skills that will come in handy for their qualifiers in two weeks.
The first-year team was also in the metro area at Tufts competing in a freshman series regatta. "Fast" Frank Pizzo '06 sailed with Sophie Wiss '06 in A-division and Ellen Grenley '06 sailed with Roberto Hernandez '06 in B-division. It was Grenley's first regatta skippering, and she did a stellar job. The team will no doubt be looking to her in the upcoming seasons to be a strong woman skipper.
The regatta was extremely tough, because, in addition to Tuft's generally shifty conditions, the breeze was extremely light and even nonexistent in the middle of some races. Nevertheless, Pizzo remarked that the sailors still managed to enjoy the event. He said, "The most important lesson of the day was to stay focused and not get frustrated by the lack of breeze." Their patience allowed them to beat four boats on that day.
Finally, Pieter "The Belgian" Scheerlinck '05 sailed with Sabrina Hall-Little '06 in A-division, and Eddie "The Eagle" Briganti '05 sailed with Whitney Rauschenbach '06 in B-division at the first Eastern Series held at the University of Southern Maine. The Eagle and Rauschenbach won their division!
As usual, the sailing team will travel near and far for regattas this weekend. The sailing team would enjoy your support at their first home regatta of the season. Come see Eastern Series action down at Bethel Point on Saturday, and watch Elliott Wright '04 sail it up with other talented members of the Bowdoin Sailing Team. Special features include the stellar sailing of Bowdoin's finest skippers, "Pops" Dunphy and Mr. Frank Pizzo.
Additionally there will be a sloop regatta in Boston featuring "Fast Eddie B" and "Hackin' it up" Cauley. Finally, the women's team will be racing at the New England Championship at Brown with hopes of qualifying for nationals.
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