Lack of wind deflates Tufts' sails

On a weekend when mother nature afforded little help, Tufts sailing started its fall campaign at the Harry Anderson trophy race hosted by Yale University. In a close result, Kings Point narrowly edged out Harvard College to claim victory in the regatta, while Tufts finished in fourth place overall.

The regatta was an Intersectional affair, with teams such as Stanford from the PCIYRA (Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Yacht Racing Association) and St. Mary's from the MAISA (Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association) districts joining teams from within the NEISA (New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association) district in which Tufts competes.

There were two divisions within the race, A and B, and within each division there were six races amongst the field of 24 competitors. The place that the team finished in each race equaled the number of points it received in that round. Once all the races had been run, the amount of points dictated by the team's finish in each round was tallied and the team with the lowest point total claimed victory. Kings Point and Harvard ended up with the same team point totals of 64, but a tie-breaker instructing that the team with the most first-place finishes be declared the winner but Kings Point on top.

There were only two teams which represented Tufts in the Harry Anderson regatta, one team in the A division and one in the B division. Senior coed co-captains Pete Levesque and Caroline Hall competed in the A division, while seniors J.R. Maxwell and Deane Madsen represented the Jumbos in the B division. These two teams amassed a team total of 80 points, 37 in the A division and 43 in the B division, which put Tufts in fourth place.

"We were pretty happy with the result, but we had hoped to do a little better, especially this early on in the season," Hall said. "There were so many boats that it was easy to be inconsistent."

Many of the events surrounding the regatta contributed to an atmosphere that was not conducive to smooth sailing. Twenty-four teams competed, as compared to a field of 18 in other races, which meant more boats on the course during each fleet race.

Also, the weather did not cooperate. With a lack of wind causing many postponements and not allowing the full course of racing to play out. There were postponements on Saturday due to a lackluster breeze, but four races in the A division and two races in the B division were possible in the afternoon when a light southerly wind ensued.

Sunday saw a little more cooperation from the weather as a moderate south-southwest wind ensured that four races in both the A and B fleets occurred. After that point the course was devoid of wind and there were only six races in each division that could be used to judge the winner of the regatta. Usually there are as many races as there are teams, so the fact that there were fewer races did not play to the Jumbos favor.

"The light air didn't allow us to have as many races as we would have wanted to," Hall said. "It was a frustrating regatta because we sat around more than we sailed. More races meant that we would have done better."

Looking ahead to the meat of the season, the team is anchored by a strong senior class and invigorated by a swell of new freshmen. The mix of experienced collegiate sailors and the more novice freshmen has created a healthy, competitive atmosphere at practice.

This weekend will provide two competitive venues in which the team can showcase its' talents, both the Captain Hurst Bowl hosted by Dartmouth College and the Women's Man-Lab trophy taking place at MIT. Last year the Jumbos placed tenth at the Captain Hurst Bowl, and hope to improve upon that mark this time around.