Courtesy of Dave Curtis
The Yale coed and women’s sailing teams overcame inconsistent winds this weekend as they set sail at five different regattas across the east coast.
The races took place on the Charles, the Thames and the Long Island Sound, with the Elis claiming two overall podium spots. Four of the five teams finished in the top thirds of their groups.
“Several teams performed at their potential this weekend and that is what we are looking for,” head coach Zachary Leonard ’89 said. “We are still learning what we need to work on and seeing improvement on the things we have been working on.”
The Coed Showcase Championship Finals proved to be the highest level of competition for the Bulldogs, with the best teams from across the country competing in the regatta hosted by Connecticut College. Despite the lack of wind on Saturday morning, conditions on the Thames River gradually improved, and races in the early afternoon ran with steady four- to six-knot winds.
Skipper Shawn Harvey ’21 and crew Graceann Nicolosi ’20 sailed into a strong start in the A division and came in third in their first two races. Tenth- and 12th-place finishes in their seventh and eighth races, however, saw them finish third overall with 58 points, coming behind Georgetown University by a narrow 3-point margin. A young B division team with first-year skipper Luke Arnone ’23 and Meredith Ryan ’22 finished in 12th place out of 18 teams. The Bulldogs placed sixth overall.
Back at home, the women’s sailing team put on a display of experience and technique with a resounding win at the Yale Women’s Regatta.
“I was really happy with how Chrissie and I continued to communicate and work hard in tough situations,” crew Catherine Webb ’22 said. “Sometimes we would have to pull off a tight maneuver, but we were always on the same page and were then able to execute in crucial situations.”
Despite inconsistent conditions, skipper Chrissie Klingler ’20 and Webb expertly sailed their boat to a first-place finish in the A division by a 43-point margin.
The regatta also marked the collegiate debut of 2017 Youth Female 29er World Champion Catherine Lindsay ’23, whose boat contributed greatly to the team’s success this weekend. Lindsay, along with crew Catherine Mollerus ’21 and Kathryn Clulo ’21 placed ninth out of 17 teams in the B division at the McNay Family Sailing Center.
Across the Long Island Sound at Fairfield University, the coed team finished in third place at the two-division Fairfield Cup.
Sailors Christophe Chaumont ’22, Allison Rice ’22 and Alexandra Contomichalos ’22 cut through the 12-team competition, coming first in division A with a resounding nine wins out of 10 over the course of the weekend.
Up north in Massachusetts, the coed team sailed in three divisions at the Oberg Trophy on the Charles River. Races only took place on Saturday, and the Sunday events were cancelled due to a lack of wind.
Changing conditions forced the team to shift their focus to maintaining consistent results on the Charles, according to skipper Dylan DiMarchi ’20, who competed in the B division alongside crew Anisha Arcot ’22. His boat placed fourth, coming behind Dartmouth by a single point. In the A division, Teddy Nicolosi ’23 and crew Sonia Lingos-Utley ’21 rode the momentum of three individual race wins to a second-place finish.
Yale placed fourth overall, besting Coast Guard by six points.
“As the fall season continues to pass, our attention as a team turns from fleet racing to team racing, which is the primary focus of the spring season,” DiMarchi said.
The Norman Reid Trophy, which Boston College hosted on Saturday, was a team race where six teams competed head-to-head in two round robins, as opposed to fleet racing, where multiple teams’ boats participate in a single race. The Bulldogs placed fourth out of six teams with four wins from 10 races.
“[The Trophy] was our first team race, with Nick Marwell [’21] joining two younger skippers Sam Tobin [’22] and Megan Grimes [’23] in Boston,” DiMarchi said. “This is a great primer for the team as we begin this transition.”
Yale is the reigning holder of the Fowle Trophy for the Best Overall College Sailing Team.
Ryan Chiao | ryan.chiao@yale.edu