After last weekend's singlehanded and four-person sloop qualifying events, the Big Green returned to competition in two-person boats this weekend. Normal regattas involve two divisions: 'A' and 'B' divisions. A low point scoring system is used to combine the results from each team's 'A' and 'B' divisions to determine a regatta's overall winner.
At Coast Guard's Danmark Trophy this weekend, All-Americans Erik Storck '07 and Killarney Loufek '07 reunited to compete in the 'A' division, while Andrew Loe '07 and Betsy Bryant '08 paired in the 'B' Division.
Both Big Green boats made a statement to open the day on Saturday. Neither duo finished outside the top six out of 18 teams in the first three races.
However, the wind began to die as the day went on, and the weather change created unpredictable conditions. Dartmouth slipped as the shifting wind led to inconsistent results.
Storck and Loufek finished sixth in the 'A' division while Loe and Byrant were fifth in the 'B' division. Their combined scores earned the team a fifth-place overall finish.
"It was tough racing and a little frustrating for us, but fifth is still a great finish," Loufek said. "We're looking forward to returning to Coast Guard next weekend for the Hap Moore team race to show off our talent and our team's depth."
The winds proved similarly fickle elsewhere across New England. On the narrow waters of the Charles River, the Big Green women finished 11th out of 14 teams at the Women's Regis Bowl, which was hosted by Boston University.
While the Charles River stumped the new pairing of Adele Wilhelm '08 and Vanessa Sievers '10, Kendall Reiley '09 and Cindy Kahlenberg '10 continued to improve, finishing fifth in the 'B' division.
Another Big Green contingent was sailing further down the infamous Charles River for MIT's Smith Trophy. New partners Andrew Geffken '08 and Kathy Oprea '10 fell victim to the oddities of MIT's technical dinghy, and the Charles' unpredictable winds. The duo finished 15th out of 21 teams in the 'A' division.
In the 'B' division, Becca Dellenbaugh '10 and Steph Gagnon '10 were inconsistent on their first trip to the Charles River. They finished ninth in the 'B' Division. The two divisions' combined finishes were enough for 10th place overall.
Further north, Nolan Reis '08, Lizzie Teague '09, Ben Bier '10 and Matty Cohen '10 competed in the Maine Maritime for the Penobscot Bay Open. Both pairs had a difficult time at first and struggled to adjust to new boats, transitioning from the smaller and narrower Flying Juniors sailed at Dartmouth to the larger and wider 420s of Maine Maritime.
However, with time and familiarity came better results, and the group combined for an 11th place finish overall.
Dartmouth's depth and determination will be tested next weekend when Big Green sailors showcase their skills at more regattas. The women's team will compete in a three-division event at the United States Naval Academy, and the coed team will square off against national rivals at the Hap Moore Team Race. Both teams will attempt to bring home an Ivy League title while competing at Princeton.
