A veritable barrage of different weather patterns and competitors faced the Big Green sailors over the weekend in co-ed and women's events. At the Veitor Trophy regatta hosted by Connecticut College, the sailors had to put up with puny breezes through two days of racing.
In the A-division, Garrett Holmes '05 and Debbie Sperling '06 managed sixth out of 15 teams. The great effort of Jimmy Attridge '07 and Meaghan Ferrick '07 with their first place finish in B-division was enough to propel Dartmouth to third overall for the regatta.
From weak winds to packed participation and awesome alliteration, the Southern Series 2 at the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club saw a record turnout for the event with 10 schools in all. After mysteriously disappearing for most of the night, skipper Pete Cunningham '04 returned to competition with Laura Sheinkopf '07 to finish third in A-division. An identical third place finish in B-division by Giarcarlo Nucci '07 and Lucy Whidden '07 led to an overall standing of third.
The largest regatta of the weekend at the 69th Boston Dinghy Cup sent four divisions from each squad into rain and 30 degree temperatures.
As the official post-race report said about Sunday, "No wind, drizzle, should have slept in. No racing." Dartmouth went eleventh, fifth, eighth and second in A, B, C, and D divisions, respectively for an aggregate finish at sixth.
When asked about his performance in B division, Peter Fleming '05 stated, "You know Starsky, in this regatta we were just trying to do it. Doo iiit." I attempted to remind Mr. Fleming that I go by Jimmy, not Starsky, but to no avail.
At the Metro Series 2, put on by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the divisions were mixed and so were the emotions after the race, as Dartmouth missed winning the event over Boston College by a single point. Seasoned veteran sailors Jon Kling '04, Amanda Morganroth '04, Brah Hammond '04 and Rachel Homes '04 destroyed the rest of the field of nine and fought it out with B.C. until the end.
Kling commented, "While the final standing doesn't leave me feeling as great as a Kellogg's Nutri-Grain bar for breakfast, it was great sailing and a solid finish."
The big women's regatta of the weekend, the Duplin Trophy at Tufts University resulted in glory for the Big Green. After getting into a rhythm early there was no turning back as Lauren Padilla '05 and Liz Hyon '05 finished first in A-division and were complemented nicely by another win in B-division by the tandem of Emily East '06 and Amo Loring '04.
After the regatta, Padilla said, "The Duplin was a great finish for the women, and it sets the tone for the rest of the season."
More action, and hopefully better weather, awaits the sailors all throughout the Northeast this coming weekend.
