Yale, named the best all-around team in college sailing last year, is about to begin a busy fall schedule comprised of 31 regattas. Leading the coed team is senior captain Graham Landy ’15, the reigning college sailor of the year.
Landy has consistently been one of the team’s top sailors since arriving on campus three years ago. He earned New England Rookie of the Year honors as a freshman, first-team all-New England Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association recognition as a sophomore and the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association’s College Sailor of the Year award as a junior.
Now he can add being captain to his long list of accomplishments.
“I was very excited when my teammates selected me to be one of the leaders,” Landy said. “While I performed well as a sailor, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee captainship, so it’s exciting that they have that much faith in me.”
Landy added that winning college sailor of the year has helped him lead the team. With the amount of success he has experienced, Landy provides good advice to his teammates.
A number of Landy’s teammates praised his talent and leadership.
“He is so dedicated to the sport, and therefore is not only very knowledgeable about how to make his own boat go fast, but also consistently helping his teammates progress in sailing at his incredible pace,” Marly Isler ’16 said. “We are lucky as a team to have Graham as captain because he is an exceptional competitor and invaluable teammate.”
Another sailor, Charlotte Belling ’16, said that she believes Landy is capable of leading the team to a very competitive level.
Although the team lost six seniors to graduation, the Elis return many of the same sailors from last year’s title-winning group.
“This year our team can defend our national championships,” Landy said. “I know it’s a lofty goal, but I think we returned a lot of the same players so it’s definitely a possibility. … It’s difficult after a successful season to do it again, but I think that’s one of the fun challenges in sports, so we’ll get to have a chance to do that.”
A strong group of five freshmen will play a key role in the team’s efforts to remain on top. Landy said that the fall is a good opportunity for the freshmen to become integrated with the team and adapt to collegiate sailing.
The fall season is also a time for the team to adjust to new pairings, new venues and new types of racing while building a strong team dynamic, according to Belling.
“We will be working very hard to build a steady momentum and hopefully keep that up throughout the year,” Belling said. “If we want to be the best, we must use this fall to find our strengths and weaknesses as a team so we can enter the spring ready for our big events.”
With Landy leading the way, the sailing team looks to have another successful year. This weekend marks the beginning of the team’s title defense, with the Bulldogs competing at three regattas including the 42nd Harry Anderson Trophy at Yale.