Despite a busy weekend with challenging weather conditions, the sailing team secured an impressive fifth place finish at the Women's Atlantic Coast Championship Finals, hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Oct. 11 and Oct. 12, extending its streak of top five placings and beating its Ivy rivals Yale for the second consecutive weekend.
Starting racing off on Saturday, Oct. 11, wind conditions were lacking until 1 p.m. but fantastic weather later in the day allowed for six races to be run in each division. On Sunday, Oct. 12, eight races were run in each division due to strong winds.
With standout performances from sailors across both divisions, such as several top-five placements by senior skipper Sophia Devling alongside freshman Paulina Freyre and sophomore Ava Stevens in Division A. Similarly, a fifth overall finish performed by sophomore Gilda Dondona, senior Sophia Mulvania and Kathi Keller in Division B solidified the Red’s best finish at this event.
With star performances across the team and against a competitive 18-team fleet, the Red totaled 224 points, scoring over Yale by one point, a parallel to the Open ACC Round 1A in which the Red scored above Yale by one point as well.
Additionally, The Red sent boats to compete at the David Lee Arnoff Trophy, hosted by Hobart & William Smith Colleges on Seneca Lake. Kicking off racing on Saturday Oct. 11, Seneca Lake held perfect conditions with optimal winds of 18-24 knots out of the south, allowing for 10 races to be held until the wind slowed. On the second day of racing, conditions were less than optimal, starting off the morning with light winds which slowly died down as the day continued, only allowing for one race to be held. Overall, The Red placed fifth with a total of 184 points, placing above Princeton and University of Vermont and continuing the legacy of top-five finishes.
With two boats sent out, the Red experienced the regatta from a new light. Due to varying conditions between Oct. 11 and Oct. 12, this was an especially technical race. On Oct. 11, the weather was perfect, yet on Sunday the wind was extremely light, so each boat had to carefully decide how to utilize the minimal winds. The conditions required a careful balancing of the boat's speed with its ability to sail as close as possible to the wind's direction, and technical decisions had to differ widely between each day of racing.
On Oct. 12 in particular, the wind was particularly fast on the right side of the course. The Division A boat skippered by freshman Marcus Greco, who was teamed up with freshman Matthew Schmitt and senior Maeve Katics, was able to catch a left wind on the last downwind leg of the race before opposing boats, allowing them to be set apart, leading to an impressive race win. This specific race relied heavily on adaptability, especially in contrasting weather conditions between days, allowing the sailors to gain crucial learning experience in an electric competition.
Coming up next is the MAISA Women’s Fall Dinghy, hosted by Fordham University in New York City as well as the War Memorial regatta which is hosted by Hobart & William in Geneva, NY. Both regattas are being held on Saturday, Oct. 25 and Sunday, Oct. 26.
Nora Kenzi is a Sun Contributor and can be reached at nmk55@cornell.edu.
