The Big Green sailing team sailed to strong finishes at the Great Herring Pond Open in Buzzards Bay, Mass., and the Franklin J. Lane Trophy in Medford, Mass., while faltering at regattas throughout New England.
Hosting the Captain Hurst Bowl at Lake Mascoma, the Big Green finished in 16th place out of 20 teams, while the women's team took 11th at the Yale Women's intersectional, and the team-racing squad took fifth of six at the Norm Reid Trophy Team Race, hosted by Boston College on Saturday,
At the Great Herring Pond Open in Bournedale, Mass., Ben Bier '10 and Steph Gagnon '10 wrapped up the Division A race with a 10th place finish, while Charlie Knape '10 and Heide Heller '10 improved Dartmouth's standings with a second place finish in Division B.
The combined efforts of the sailors brought the Big Green squad to fifth place overall in the 18-team event, hosted by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
The University of Rhode Island squad ran away with the contest, winning both Division A and B, with its boats only finishing outside the top five in two of their 12 races.
At the Captain Hurst Bowl at Lake Mascoma, Ed Jude Glackin '11 and Sarah Freihofer '10 placed mid-pack in Division A, while Matt Cohen '10 and Christina Clark '10 struggled in Division B, finishing in 17th place.
Lake Mascoma, which is Dartmouth's home sailing site, is located between two hills, which generated frustrating conditions for the sailors as the winds shifted erratically throughout the middle of the races. The lightweight Flying Juniors, used in the event, proved to be unstable in the heavy gusts.
The Big Green ended the regatta in 16th place in the competitive field of 20 boats, while Boston College clinched the win with a 25-point advantage.
"The home-field advantage didn't play out quite as we would have liked," Kendall Reiley '09 said.
While most of the squad participated in traditional two-day regattas, the Big Green sent six sailors to one-day team races. At the Norm Reid Trophy Team Race on Saturday, the team struggled, finishing second to last, but the Big Green sailed well on Sunday to secure a second-place finish out of eight teams at the Franklin J. Lane Trophy race, hosted by Tufts University.
In Boston, Colin Treseler '09 and Ali Hiller '11, Peter Hughes '11 and Tess Korndorf '11, and Sam Andrew '11 and Lia Grigg '11 sailed the three Big Green boats that competed in the one-day events this weekend.
The races are structured in a round-robin format, with each team of three boats squaring off against another team.
The three boats coordinate their movements in order to help each other advance, while simultaneously pushing back the other teams.
On day one at the Norm Reid, the Big Green sailed 420s in a moderate northeast breeze of 15-20 knots and finished tied for fourth place with the University of Vermont. The team was awarded fifth, however, based on Intercollegiate Sailing Association procedures.
On Sunday the team faced similar wind conditions but sailed in Larks, a boat model that tends to be faster than the 420, allowing the Big Green improve to second place.
The team was beat out by Boston College, who took home first place both at the Norm Reid and the Franklin Lane.
The women's sailing squad improved on a disappointing result at the Navy Women's Fall Intersectional with a mid-pack placement at the Yale Women's Intersectional hosted by Yale.
At the McNay Family Sailing Center in Bradford, Conn., home of the Yale College Yacht Club, Becca Dellenbaugh '10 and Sarah Johnston '09 sailed to a 12th-place finish in Division A, while Kendall Reiley '09 and Kathy Oprea '10 finished the Division B race in 11th place.
"We had a rough day Saturday but made a great comeback Sunday," Reiley said.
The Dartmouth squad cruised to an 11th-place finish in the 19-team regatta, while the sailors from St. Mary's College secured the win with a 15-point margin.
Although the sailing venue at Bradford is recognized for its open waters, strong winds and solid waves, the breeze shifted frequently throughout the weekend, rendering it difficult to predict timing and finish consistently.
"Our fitness definitely proved superior to other teams when the big breeze came on Sunday," Reiley said.
The women's team will look to capitalize on the positive momentum as it competes in the Stu Nelson Trophy at Connecticut College next weekend.
The rest of the Big Green sailors will either travel to Boston where they will compete in the Oberg Trophy race, hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Central Series Six, hosted by Boston College, or to Providence where they will compete in the Sherman Hoyt Trophy, hosted by Brown.
