Cambridge, Mass.-- On Friday, April 11, Coach
Brittney Manning informed the Salve Regina University sailing team that MIT canceled Saturday's racing due to forecasted high winds. The Oberg team took the extra time to recover and prepare for the big day of racing to come on Sunday.
The hurdles this weekend did not stop with the weather conditions. On the way to the Oberg regatta, the team's van had a complication. After the vehicle switch, the team still made it to the regatta on time and did not allow the events of the morning to set them back.
Oberg Roster:
Conditions:
- Light to medium breeze with challenging shifts
Central 4 Roster:
Conditions:
- Medium breeze with challenging shifts and variation in breeze velocity
The Charles River is known for its dramatic shifts in breeze direction and velocity. Due to the narrowness of the river, racing can be challenging because of the surrounding geography of the skyline as well as the difficulty of reading pressure due to limited space.
When asked about the most challenging aspect about racing at the Oberg, skipper
Emilia Perriera '28 explained that "The Oberg Invite was a very physically and mentally challenging regatta. The wind was very inconsistent; one second it was blowing and the next there was no wind at all. It was challenging for my pair and I to find a comfortable balance between heavy and light wind sailing. Through this experience my pair and I learned to communicate and effectively analyze phases on the race course"
Similar to the sailing on the Charles River, the key at the Central Series was to have a clean start off the line and to ensure that you were in the next pressure first.
One of our other skippers,
Olivia Blackmer '28, was asked about the challenges that they faced at the Central 4 regatta at Tufts; she expressed that the biggest hurdle was the competitive start lines: "We quickly learned that being defensive was key however the execution of these necessary maneuvers were a bit tricky. Being in pressure was also very important in this race but balancing that with staying in a favorable position over other boats (i.e. not coming in on port layline) is still something [
Julia Overmyer '27] and I are working on"
Overmyer added her perspective on the regatta with input surrounding the skills that they honed over the weekend and the obstacles surrounding the venue; the key to their improvement was determined to be the change in mindsets during and before new races.
"It can be pretty easy to be discouraged after a bad race, but that ability to acknowledge it, move past it, and regain focus on the next race ahead is crucial. The venue's conditions are definitely tricky, as they are unique to Tufts, but recognizing the differences and working to adjust to them can make a world of a difference"
The other skipper at the Tufts regatta shared his perspective about the application of the classroom sessions and practice goals in the race setting. Skipper
Sean Morrison '27 expressed that "just trying to think about the basics that [Coach
Brittney Manning] highlighted on the board: going towards the mark, sailing on the favored tack, and connecting puffs."
In many of the classroom discussions, Coach Manning has reinforced the concept of reestablishing the basics and working your way back up when boat maneuvers feel off. Morrison '27 expanded on this notion: "I think we did a good job of focusing on ourselves and what we can do before looking at the bigger picture. Make sure that you have the basics and then go from there"
At the Oberg regatta, our team placed 12th out of 17 teams with only one point off of Clemson University. At the Central Series at Tufts, the Seahawks placed 6th out of 9 teams.
Next weekend the team will be competing at the Open New England Fleet Race Regatta at Brown University.
The anticipated roster for next weekend is:
