Sailing leaves opponents in wake

This fall, the Yale sailing team resumed its climb up the ranks of the nation's sailing elite. The oldest collegiate sailing organization in the world, the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club (YCYC) competes in the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA). Through the ICSA and its composite districts—Yale is also a member of the New England division (NEISA)—the collegiate sailing world organizes a series of sailing competitions that culminates with national championships in the team race, dinghy, and women's dinghy categories.

Last May, Yale placed 10th in the North American Dinghy Championship. The Bulldogs' strong spring finish earned them a 10th-place ranking in the national preseason polls. So far, the Elis have exceeded these preseason predictions.

When national rankings were released on Tues., Sept. 11, the team had risen from 10th to fifth. Since then, the Elis have continued to churn out strong performances.

From Sat., Sept. 22 to Sun., Sept. 23, the team captured sixth place at the Hood Trophy at Tufts, fifth and seventh places at the Division I Invitational, and third and 19th places at the Men's Singlehanded Eliminations, both held at Yale.

The coed team had high expectations based on its spring performances and a large number of returning sailors. "On the other hand," Commodore George Malcolmson, TC '03, said, "it was more of a surprise" to some people that the women's team began the season so strongly. Prior to the start of the season, Yale women were not even ranked nationally.

Currently, they are ranked eighth, due to strong showings at the Man-Labs Trophy, the Captain's Cup, and the New England Women's Single handed Championships. At the Captain's Cup, top recruit Julie Papanek, DC '05, and fellow freshman Jen Hoyle, PC '05, finished sixth among the B boats. Papanek says that while she "never thought about ranking," the women's potential "became noticeable in practice" through their energy and enthusiasm before the season began.

Unlike most schools' programs, Yale sailing is a club sport and does not receive full funding from the athletic department, leaving students in charge of every aspect of their club. According to Malcolmson, the YCYC funds itself through "a large summer program [that] teaches adults and children to sail."

COURTESY YALE SAILING After defying preseason rankings, the sailing team blew through the competition at nationals.

In addition to hosting summer pro-grams, the YCYC hosts several regattas each season. At every Yale event, regatta chairs work behind the scenes to organize the judging, tally and publish scores, and sail the boat marking the start and finish of each race.

Malcolmson explained that "the chair must know everything that goes into a regatta" and that all YCYC members involved serve as "representatives for the YCYC" to each school.

In addition to the administrative work, the sailing team conducts its own recruitment. Papanek chose Yale for several reasons, but chief among them were the "wonderful people" on the sailing team and Coach Zachary Leonard, a former Olympic coach. "[He] is hands on, pays attention to details, invests in people," Papanek said.

The experience developed among YCYC members is put to good use every weekend. Unlike sports such as football, where all the team members compete against the same opponent at the same place and time, intercollegiate sailing requires different members of the team to compete in many different races in different places at the same time.

This weekend, Yale will send representatives to the Danmark Trophy at the Coast Guard Academy, the Chris Loder Trophy at the University of New Hampshire, the President's Trophy at Boston University, and the Protest Trophy at Roger Williams University, while hosting the Southern Series 4 and Freshmen Invite 4 races. For each race, YCYC team members must manage their own transportation, food, and lodging. Malcolmson said that everyone "has to be pretty independent" and that "captains have to do more" than they might at other schools. Although moving many people in different directions can be "difficult logistically," Papanek said, YCYC members work together and help one another out.

The YCYC's rise in national ranking, Malcolmson said, "is a new step in the right direction," but the team's ultimate goal is to win a national championship. With the independence, experience and camaraderie developed by running their own team, the YCYC should indeed have the winning combination.

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