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Volume CXXXII, Number 23 |
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Skippers sail away with Enya
MELANIE KEENE
STAFF WRITER
Participating in the annual New England Dinghy Tournament, the coed team traveled to Massachusetts Maritime Academy for a weekend of stellar sailing. Despite having a tough day on Saturday, the sailors qualified for the New England Championship to be held this weekend on the Charles River.
Tyler Dunphy '03 sailed in A-division with Melanie Keene '03 and Caitlin Moore '06. The Dunphy/Keene/Moore boat finished second in their division.
Ryan Cauley '03 sailed with Becca Bartlett '05 in the B-division, and while they were challenged by the shifty winds on Saturday, Cauley "turned his motor on" on Sunday and left the "Barney Express" in the wind. Their efforts helped the Polar Bears finish fifth overall.
Throughout the first day of the Dinghy Tournament, the winds proved to be the shiftiest of the entire season. From the start line to the windward mark, there was an approximate 20 mile-per-hour difference.
The puffs were huge, and the rain drove hard. However, the sailors persevered through these conditions.
Just when they thought that it was impossible for stronger winds, they returned to the venue on Sunday to find the winds gusting with even greater force. Moore sailed on Sunday as a wonderful heavy air crew, helping Dunphy catch several boats and finish second in his division. First place went to the infamous Tim Corbett and Steve Crombie of Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
In other regatta action, Bowdoin sailors raced in the Metro Series regatta at Boston University. Eddie Briganti '05 sailed with Roberto Hernandez '06 in A-division while Frank Pizzo '06 sailed with Gia Upchurch '05 in B-division.
According to Pizzo, the wind "was blowing about 10-15 knots with a one foot chop, and it was raining like a mofo." In other words, it was some of the trickiest conditions in college sailing.
Despite the challenges of the weather, the Pizzo/Upchurch team sailed extremely well, achieving their goal of a top half finish. In fact, they finished in fourth place overall and even had a second place finish in one of the races. Pizzo remarked that both boats raced a good regatta and finished seventh place overall as a team.
For the spring freshmen championship, Emily Burns '06 and Ellen Grenley '06 sailed in the Priddy Championship at Boston College. They endured the same inclement conditions, while facing extremely challenging competition that featured the best first years in New England.
While they struggled through the two-day regatta, they learned a lot about the competition that they will be facing for the next three years and gained good experience on the racecourse.
This weekend will feature the coed team at the New England Championship on the Charles River, hosted by both M.I.T. and Harvard.
It also marks the seniors' final regatta. You best bet that they will be giving it their all. Word on the street is that they are especially determined to beat the Massachusetts Maritime sailors.
Additionally, Bowdoin will host the final Eastern Series. Come down and
support your fellow shipmates. You may just inspire the skippers and crews
to do its fastes sailing on the 2003 season.
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