The Bulldogs took home key victories in fleet regattas last weekend, winning the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association Championships and qualifying for the Atlantic Coast Championships.

The No. 3 coed team won the Erwin Schell Trophy hosted by Brown University on the Providence River, leading Brown by 31 points with a score of 111. The Schell Trophy serves as the NEISA Championships and qualifies the team for the Atlantic Coast Dinghy Championship at King’s Point the weekend of Nov. 10. Eighteen schools competed at the Schell fleet regatta, and the Elis placed second in the A division and won the B division. A division skipper Graham Landy ’15 said the team focused on consistent starts to its races. He added that both A and B divisions were able to communicate information about sailing conditions between races, which allowed the team to adapt to the sailing conditions faster than other teams.

“The wind shifts were large and sometimes unpredictable, making it difficult to stay consistent, [but] it provided fun and physical racing,” Landy said.

A division crew Heather May ’13 also cited team depth as an important factor in adapting to the shifting conditions, as heavier crews substituted in to help counter increasing wind strength. While Saturday had periods of no wind and breezes at around six knots, Sunday saw wet and windy weather as Hurricane Sandy approached, with an easterly wind building from around 10 knots to up to 25 knots.

May said the team showed great endurance and consistency in this regatta, adding that B division skipper Chris Segerblom ’14 and crew Charlotte Belling ’16 finished in first place in four races in a row.

“To have that amount of consistency at a such a competitive and top level regatta is very impressive,” May said. “In previous regattas, we haven’t been able to hold onto our win throughout the entire weekend, whereas this past weekend we locked in solid results both Saturday and Sunday that helped us get the win.”

Another two coed teams from Yale placed fifth and sixth of eight teams Saturday at the Dave Perry Trophy on home waters, which was cancelled on Sunday due to stormy weather.

The No. 1 women’s team earned second at the Victorian Coffee Urn intersectional hosted by Connecticut College last weekend and qualified for the Women’s Atlantic Coast Championship on Nov. 10 to 11. The Elis fell 45 points short of No. 3 Dartmouth College with a score of 105.

The women’s team also faced challenging wind conditions on the Thames River in London with eight-knot breezes building to gusts of over 15 knots. The A division tied for first, though the B division tied for seventh after being disqualified from the seventh race. After losing a post-race protest hearing, 16 points were added to the B team’s score, changing their standing from second place to eighth.

Next weekend, members of the sailing teams will compete at the ICSA Men’s and Women’s Singlehanded Nationals and Women’s Singlehanded Nationals, both hosted by the University of Southern California. Last year’s men’s nationals was won by captain Cameron Cullman ’13, who will return this year to defend his title.