Sailing team faces D-I competition in league

Most club sports have the luxury of knowing that their competition, like themselves, aren't quite Division I caliber. For the most part, club athletes at rival schools are former varsity athletes or students unable to make the varsity cut. The club sailing team, however, cannot assume this, as the Tigers sail with their Division I counterparts — and have to practice to match them.

Competing in the Mid-Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association, Princeton faces some of the toughest teams in the country. Georgetown, Monmouth, Drexel and perennial powerhouse Navy all sail in the prestigious league. Princeton holds its own, but thriving in a conference where one's opposition has the advantages of recruitment, coaching and money is difficult. Princeton routinely finishes top among the club teams but near the bottom of the overall standings.

Not only does the Princeton team face the disadvantages that come with club status, it also faces a much more obvious disadvantage: geography. Unlike rivals Harvard, Yale, Brown and Navy, Princeton is landlocked. Lake Carnegie may work well for crew, but it doesn't quite do for sailing. As a result, the team has to practice at Perth Amboy on the Jersey shore, about an hour away from campus. There, at the Raritan Yacht Club, the Tigers have a sense of home. The team has its own boats, a fleet of 12 Flying Juniors purchased through alumni donations, as well as its own locker rooms. Princeton can at least rival the accommodations of its varsity competitors.

Practicing at the shore has one major drawback: time. Sailing practice is already long, and having to drive an hour each way doesn't help. Practices run over five hours long on Monday, Wednesday and Friday though, even the most serious sailors rarely show up than twice a week.

In addition to their intense practice regimen, the Tigers keep up a grueling regatta schedule. From mid-September to mid-November, the team participates in a number of important regattas. Picking up again in the spring, the team continues racing from March until the end of the academic year.

This past weekend Princeton hosted the Ivy Championship at the Mosbacher-Knapp Regatta. Faced with varsity teams from the other schools, including four in the top-20, the Tigers finished last.

"We were not expecting to win but hoping not to get last," junior Ted Conbeer, the team's treasurer, said. "It was a tough competition. It happens."

The format of the competition rewarded teams with a few standout athletes at the expense of deeper teams formed mostly of walk-ons. For the race, each team ran two two-man boats, putting each in eight separate races. The standings were based on the overall point finish from each race. Unfortunately for the Tigers, most regattas follow a similar format. Only once a year or so, the club participates in a "keel race," putting more sailors on the water at a time.

To face the brunt of the varsity onslaught, the Tigers field their two most competent sailors. The team's commodore, junior Nick Burroughs, grew up sailing around Martha's Vineyard.

"He's not just our commodore, he's our best sailor," Conbeer said.

He is usually joined in the A-boat by sophomore Whitney Davis. The two are supported by another 15 to 20 dedicated members and a number of more casual participants.

Even if the Tigers can't expect to win regattas, they can at least enjoy the experience.

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"Most of these regattas predate the existence of leagues," Conbeer said. "They're based on longstanding history and help maintain rivalries."

One such regatta which Princeton will certainly participate in is the War Memorial Cup, affectionately known as "the War" to those in the sport. Other intersectionals are spread throughout the year, giving the Orange and Black the chance to get to know the other Northeastern clubs not in their league.

In the meantime, though, the Tigers will continue to practice and enjoy themselves. The club usually travels to Tampa for winter break and spends plenty of time on the road. In club sailing, you may not get the trophies, but you will get the camaraderie.