April 4, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The No. 2 Bulldogs hope to get their streak of exemplary performances started again on Saturday and Sunday at the Friis and Marchiando Team Race Intersectionals hosted by Tufts and MIT. The Bulldogs, who won the Marchiando and Friis events in 2007 with a 6-1 record, hope to build on their team racing ability that they demonstrated in winning the first team race of the year hosted by Georgetown.

On Saturday, the Elis will sail in qualifying action at MIT with their group of seven other teams in FJ's. Sunday will feature the championship round which will be hosted by Tufts while a consolation round will be hosted by MIT. The top three teams in the country will all be in attendance at the event.

The regatta will provide a number of challenges for the team. Both venues are known for their very shifty winds, which makes holding stable combinations across the course tougher than at venues with less shifty winds. The team will also have to brave a rare boat that is only sailed by a few schools in the country, the Lark, at the Tufts venue.

"Sailing in the Lark on Sunday will make the regatta a bit tougher for us, as we don't normally sail in them," sophomore captain Thomas Barrows said. "The teams that will sail at Tufts on Sunday will have an advantage as they will have a day of qualifying to get used to the Lark."

The Lark, which at around 14 feet is a similar size to the FJ and 420 boats that the team normally competes in, handles quite differently than those boats, meaning that the team will be a step behind the competition that will compete on Saturday in the boat and get used to the boat's unique sailing characteristics. Last year, however, the Bulldogs went 12-2 on the first day of competition at the event, which was hosted in Larks.

The team does have experience in the regatta and at the venues, though, which will help the Bulldogs overcome the tricky conditions and boats. Skippers senior Zachary Brown, sophomore John Kempton and Barrows all competed in the event last year. Crews senior Abigail Coplin and juniors Grace Becton and Adriane Levin all competed last year at the event and will be returning this year.

The team will also compete at the Admiral Alymers Trophy hosted by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Herring Pond. The team will compete in 420's in the event, which is held at a venue known for its shifty and puffy winds, which makes consistent finishes very tough. The team struggled at the event last year in placing 14th.

The Bulldogs will also send a team to Central Series Four on Saturday and Sunday. The event, hosted by Boston College, will be sailed in 420's. It will take the place of Southern Series Four, which was cancelled.

Report filed by Caleb Dorfman '09, Yale Sports Publicity