Participating in two significant regattas this past weekend — the co-ed Erwin Schell Trophy at MIT and the women's Victorian Urn at Harvard — the nationally ranked No. 13 Tufts sailing team was fortunate that the races took place in the familiar waters of the Charles River.
But even more critical than the convenient location was the fact that the Jumbos sailed in the boats they've grown accustomed to: the FJs.
"It was definitely good to get back on the FJ's," senior co-captain Andrew Criezis said.
The regattas were of heightened importance because the top seven teams from the 20-team Schell field would qualify for the Atlantic Coast Championships, as would the top eight from the 16-team Victorian field. The Jumbos rose to the challenge in both instances, finishing seventh at the Erwin Schell Trophy and sixth at the Victorian Urn.
On the first day of the Schell Trophy, the A division boat, skippered by senior Tomas Hornos, got off to a blazing start. With help from senior Rachael Brill, who was crew for 12 of the 20 races, as well as senior Nathan Rosenberg and freshman Terrell Bulger, Hornos rebounded from a 12th-place mark in the first race to place 10th or better in every subsequent event, including a stretch of six top-five finishes. The group's 63 points in 12 races were good for fourth place entering Sunday.
"We were able to start really well," Hornos said. "We were up in front from the beginning of the race on. We connected all the shifts and were really consistent. [But] it took me the whole semester to do well. I blame that on myself for not being consistent. It will click one day, and who knows if that will be [at] the [Atlantic Coast Championships]."
The B division team, which consisted of Criezis and senior co-captain Jennifer Watkins, was not able to manufacture the same success. The team struggled on Saturday, ending up with five finishes of tenth or worse and only placing in the top five twice.
"We got a little unlucky," Criezis said. "The shifts weren't really going in my favor. But that happens on the river. You get lucky, and you get unlucky. It was almost completely random out there."
Due to the subpar performance by the B division team, the Jumbos found themselves in eighth place overall following the first day of sailing, one spot below the cut for Championships qualification.
"Our coach was a bit worried that we may not qualify," Criezis said. "We were all a bit worried, but we knew we could do it because we've had some good days in the past on the Charles."
Hornos and Brill picked up where they left off Saturday, stringing together another run of impressive races, including the Jumbos' only first-place finish on the weekend. They easily cruised to fourth place in the A division, totaling 126 points in 20 races.
Though the B division team never fully righted the ship, eventually finishing in 10th, Tufts still did well enough to qualify. The strong performance by Tufts' A division, combined with a complete collapse by Conn. College — which dropped from a tie for third at the start of Sunday down to ninth by the end of the day — earned the Jumbos a seventh-place overall finish with 327 points, 67 points ahead of eighth-place Charleston. Now, having earned a trip to the Atlantic Coast Championships, the team holds high hopes for the weekend of Nov. 14-15 at Harvard.
"I think we are going to do really well," Hornos said. "We are capable of doing very well on the Charles. Andrew and I have sailed together for a long time, and we know the competition. We are going to come in prepared and with the right mind-set — just knowing we can dominate."
Meanwhile, at the women's Victorian Urn, the Jumbos' A division team, made up of juniors Catherine Swanson and Margaret Rew and sophomore Reeves Bright, placed sixth out of 16 teams, including five top-five finishes in eight races.
"It was really about speed," Rew said. "Catherine and I work pretty well together. We had the consistency to go faster than other people on the upwind. That let us pay more attention to the breeze, which kept us consistent."
Though the B division got off to a slow start that included 11th-, 13th- and 14th-place finishes, it was able to rebound, resulting in a three-way tie for seventh after placing in the top 10 in each of their last four races.
All told, the Jumbos missed the top five by only four points. They qualified for the Championships easily, and much like the co-ed team, have high aspirations for the weeks ahead.
"I think we'll probably be doing about the same [as we have been]," Rew said. "It is a lot of the same competition ... We'll have all of our top girls there.
"I think everyone is pretty happy with the weekend," she continued. "We qualified for both of our regattas, and I think we're looking good."
