With the combined scores of two boats, the Red Sailing took first place at home in the Susan Rogers ’75 Memorial Regatta last weekend. This competition marked the fourth regatta title for the Red after five events this season.
“We have talent on the team, so it’s more ‘what are we gonna do with it,’” Coach Brian Clancy said. “It’s always nice to do well and open strong, but we’re gonna have more challenges ahead, so we’re just trying to stay focused.”
The Red’s two boats featured senior skipper Brooke Shachoy and freshman crew Amy Neumann on the A division boat, and junior crew Gabbi Delbello and freshman skipper Bridget Green on the B division boat. 18 teams from nine schools sailed in nine consecutive races this past weekend over the course of nearly eight hours.
“It’s definitely hard trying to keep your mind focused,” Green said. “It’s a long day on the water to not get down on yourself. ”
Unusual weather patterns also challenged sailors. On Saturday, winds alternated between the west and the south, which was unexpected for the Red despite sailing on home waters.
“In some races, you had to predict where the wind was gonna shift, like if it’s going to shift to the south next or if it’s gonna go back to the west, which is not something our team has had any practice on because it’s never come out of the west like it did this weekend,” Delbello said.
After the races on Saturday, the Red’s two boats were placed first and third. Cornell maintained these spots until midway through the races on Sunday, when they were overtaken by Georgetown’s A division boat and the University of Pennsylvania’s A division boat to finish in second and fourth.
“On Sunday, [the team] kept fighting with the northerly breeze, which meant 30 to 80 degrees in shifts, which can be devastating. If you make one bad decision, that could mean you’re last by a mile,” Delbello said.
In the end, the Red finished the regatta with a combined score of 156, narrowly staving off the Georgetown Hoyas’ race for first by six points. The Georgetown Hoyas’ A division boat secured the lowest score of the weekend, five points ahead of Cornell’s B division boat but the Red took the overall win because of their two top four finishes. In the second-place boat, Green credits her competitive sailing to the team’s help transitioning into college sailing.
“I have been impressing myself,” Green said. “My goal was to be really good right away, but it’s really cool how much hard work pays off. I’ve learned so much already. I already feel like a better sailor just being here.”
Following their string of early successes this season, the Red is looking ahead to bigger competitions.
“I’m really interested to see if we can carry this performance in a week or two when we sail against all the other districts,” Delbello said. “All the Boston schools are really good, and there’s some schools out in California. I’m just really excited to put our skills to the test.”
The regatta, named after Susan Rogers ’75, honors the Red former captain who sailed during the first decade that women’s sailing was recognized by the Intercollegiate Sailing Association.
“The Rogers family has been impactful to Cornell University and all of athletics,” Clancy said. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to honor not only Susan but the rest of the family as well.”
Also at home this weekend, the Red Sailing coed team competed in the Top Nine MAISA Coed Regatta. With a combined score of 367, the team took ninth place.
After a run of regattas at home, the Red will be away this weekend competing in the Women’s Atlantic Coastal Conference Qualifiers in St. Mary’s, Maryland, as well as the Tom Curtis Regatta in Washington, D.C.