9.13 Invitational at Bowdoin

The Amherst Sailing Team was rewarded with blue skies and nice wind for their 200+ mile trek to Bowdoin. Held in FJs, the regatta was the first of the season for the team, and in light of the competition, was a great way to begin the fall season. Peter Beardsley and Emily Fleury competed in the ultra-close A division, while Corey Simonson and Warren Seubel battled the current and shifty north breeze in the B division.
 

A	4	6	6	3	4	6	Beardsley/Fleury
B	4	6	3	6	6	5	Simonson/Seubel

School	A	B	Overall
Bowdoin	8	14	22 (1)
Tufts	16	12	28 (2)
USM	16	24	40 (3)
MMA	29	14	43 (4)
Amherst	29	30	59 (5)
McGill	28	32	60 (6)
Bowdoin Two	42	42	84 (7)
Bates			DNS

 
9.20 Invitational at Roger Williams

After some trouble getting to Bristol, RI, Amherst made a solid showing. The regatta, conducted in FJs, began with a light southeaster that gradually built to an 18 kt. southerly before dying a bit before the start of the eighth and final race. Newcomers Jay Harris '02 and Zeeya Jamal '02 finished third overall in the B division, showing good speed in all conditions. The A team of Peter Beardsley '01 and Willie Rogers '01 sailed a strong regatta, especially once the breeze built, showing good starting technique and killer upwind speed. However, some controversial photo finishes prevented the A team from showing its talent in the race results. The day was topped off by a trip to Vanguard Sailboats to receive a new 420 mast, followed by a picture taking session with America3.

9.27 Invitational at Trinity

A shifty southwester on the Connecticut River made for some interesting racing in 420s. The wind ranged from 6 to 16 kts, and 10 races in total were completed. However, some teams had byes (some teams had six races in A, four in B, and vice versa), making it impossible to determine results for each division. Jay Harris '02 used his local knowledge while skippering in A for the first time with Seth Levin '01, while Peter Beardsley '01 and Will Rogers '01 used killer tactics to sail fast in B.

A	6	5	2	4	-	-	Harris/Levin
B	3	3	3	2	2	4	Beardsley/Rogers

School	Overall
Conn. Coll.	15 (1)
Trinity	32 (2)
Mass. Maritime	36 (3)
Brown	38 (4)
Amherst	39 (5)
Wesleyan	44 (6)
URI	48 (7)
Coast Guard	DNS
Roger Williams	DNS
Providence	DNS

9.27 Varsity/Frosh at Dartmouth

Despite injuries to the B team after the first two races, Amherst came out with a solid effort in FJs, finishing close to the fleet in each race against stiff competition. Andrew Blum '99 and Anne Cameron '01 sailed in A, and it was the first collegiate regatta for Alex Argyros '02, and Andrew Schneider '02.

10.4 Protest Trophy at Roger Williams

The day started out with a light northerly in Naragansett Bay. The A team of Beardsley and Rogers brilliantly port tacked the fleet en route to winning their first race of the fall semester, while Seth Levin '01 and Sarah Short '02 sailed well in the B division to keep the team close. After the first rotation, Beardsley and Rogers led the A fleet, but the breeze died, went to the south, and built to 10-15 kts, taking away the team's light air advantage in FJs. A no-show by Wesleyan prevented Amherst from capturing the unofficial "Little III" title.

10.17 New England Series 4 at Tufts

Originally supposed to be at BU, the New England series featured long courses and little wind on Upper Mystic Lake at Tufts. The shortest course sailed by the Larks was a triangle finish to windward, and there were two modified olympics and two windward-leewards twice around. The two divisions sailed as a combined division, same start. After the first two rotations, the B team of Corey Simonson and Emily Fleury were in third, while the A team of Peter Beardsley and Willie Rogers consistently found themselves on the wrong side of many shifts. However, by the third and final rotation, Beardsley and Rogers found the secret to The Mystical Lake, and finished strong with two fourth place finishes.

10.25 Invite at Wesleyan and Trinity

Amherst battled a strong current and light winds on the Connecticut River all day, and by the last rotation, found themselves counting points and working out combinations while the B division sailed with Connecticut College and the Coast Guard Academy. Both the A and B divisions won a race and the B team of Jay Harris '02 and crews Alex Argyros '02 and Sarah Short '02 finished second in their fleet, while the A team of Peter Beardsley and Liz Grenley '01 finished third. Six races were sailed in each fleet in 420s.

11.1 Invitational at UNH

A strong northerly wind and air temperatures in the 40s greeted Amherst in its last fall regatta. Winds were sustained at 15-20 kts, with some gusts up to at least 30 kts. 6 of 11 B fleet FJs capsized during the last rotation. The A team of Beardsley and Rogers finished tied for second with BC, while Jay Harris and Monica Kaitz (first regatta ever), finished fourth in B. Eight races were run -- 6 triangles and 2 modified olympics.