Springtime in Hanover brings clear skies, muddy shoes and an overwhelming desire to jibe and tack from bow to stern. So, as temperatures crawled slowly back into positive digits, the Dartmouth sailing team was out there living the dream, battling tricky conditions and frigid water over the weekend in four regattas throughout New England.
The Metro Series Two Regatta, hosted by Boston University, pitted Dartmouth against New England's finest in tight competition throughout. Despite a broken toe that left him virtually unable to walk, skipper Greg Hammond '04 and Andrea Lauerman '06 completed all five races in the A-division, earning a solid fifth-place finish.
Jon Kling '04 and Debbie Sperling '06 stepped up on the B-side, winning the division, which allowed Dartmouth to edge out Tufts to place second in the overall standings.
"The wind at BU this weekend was sketchy and shifty as all hell," Kling said. "This meant that skipper and crew had to work really hard to constantly be moving and keeping the boat in sync with the wind."
Just down the way at Harvard and MIT, the Big Green competed in the Boston Dinghy Club Cup. The team of Scott Hogan '04 with Amory Loring '04 and Garrett Holmes '05 sharing crew duties faced near-epic rain and sub-arctic temperatures to finish sixth of 18 teams in A-division.
Peter Fleming '05 and his crew of Liz Hyon '05, Andrew Loe '06 and Scott Linthium '04 finished at the 10 spot in B-division. Loe had more success in the C-division with help from Christina Duncan '06 and Holmes, placing third.
Rounding out the action, D-division veteran sailors Linthum and Lindsay Reardon '03 sailed to capture eighth.
When all was sailed and done, Dartmouth earned an overall standing of seventh, a testament to the perseverance of the team to endure through such conditions. The weather was so unpredictable, in fact, that at after catching her boom in the water with her skipper, "we were launched from our Lark into the Charles river like two rats from the hydro turbines of the Hoover Dam," Reardon described.
Calmer conditions greeted the sailors at the Veitor Trophy, hosted by Connecticut College. Emily East '06 and Rachel Holmes '04 captured 10th in A-division, while counterparts Todd Whitehead '06 and Anna Weinberg '05 finished fifth in the B-division. These fine performances made for a final place of sixth, just seven points out of fifth.
The Duplin Trophy at Tufts University proved to be a double success. Sailing juggernauts Lauren Padilla '05 and Allison Swindell '04 sent the other teams a message, taking second in B-division which allowed Dartmouth to claim second overall.
More importantly, the Big Green upset the number one-ranked Monarchs of Old Dominion, who had to settle for fourth place. The ladies now look forward to the Women's New England Championships in two weeks at Brown.
Quality performances and individual standouts marked the first weekend of competition for the DCYC. This coming weekend, the sailors are in action again, overcoming waves, wind and weather for the pride of dear old Dartmouth.
