While the temperatures in Hanover dropped back below zero over the weekend, a few members of the sailing team were able to escape to sun and sailing in their first regatta of the spring season. The Big Green sent a team of Andrew Loe '06, Adele Wilhelm '08, Ben Sampson '08, Betsy Bryant '08 and new assistant coach (and recent Olympian) Kate McDowell down to the College of Charleston for the Charleston Spring Intersection. For those who do not follow collegiate sailing, Charleston marks the season's first big intersectional regatta.
Every year the Charleston Intersectional serves as a proverbial "shaking off of the cobwebs" for many teams that have been lying relatively dormant through the winter months. Most years, teams from New England are dominated by the California and southern programs, which benefit from a far more permissive climate and uninterrupted on-the-water training. However, this year, Dartmouth gave as good as it got, demonstrating why it is respected as one of the top teams in the east.
Loe and Wilhelm earned a sixth place finish in A-division, while Sampson and Bryant placed fifth in B-division. The two performances proved good enough to land the Big Green a fourth place finish in the 18-team in the regatta. Given the strength of the competition, Dartmouth's effort is a true testament to the amount of work the team has put in this winter in the weight room.
To no one's surprise, the regatta's first and second place finishers were the University of California, Irvine and the College of Charleston, two warm weather teams.
As for the sailing itself, there were 12 races overall, all of which were sailed on Saturday afternoon after the sea breeze filled in. Races were sailed in a light eight to nine knots of breeze, leaving the Dartmouth boats a little heavy. However, with excellent starts and good first upwind beats, Big Green sailing was able to establish a solid position early in most of the races, affording them a few inevitable mistakes that come with boat handling on the downwind leg after two months out of the water.
Both teams said they felt fast and were looking to head into spring break with a few regatta wins and a little more time in the boat.
Coach McDowell commented, "I'm really pleased with how our team sailed. Both boats had excellent starts and some shining moments. There were a few mistakes but nothing that some more time in the boat won't fix. Overall, a great way to start the spring season."
There was no wind on Sunday, but the Big Green sailing team was able to enjoy many hours in the Charleston airport with its collectively acquired tan, watching re-runs of "The O.C."
