Last weekend the Georgetown sailing team competed in two regattas in New York, with the coed team finishing strong but unable to clinch a playoff spot, while the women’s team faltered in comparison to their expectations.

First was the Maisa Spring Women’s Championship in New York City and then the Admiral Cup in King’s Point, N.Y. The coed team placed fourth while the women’s team came in seventh.

The women’s team qualified for the National Championship thanks to its performance. Head Coach Michael Callahan reflected on the past few months and expressed his relief.

“There was a sense of relief that we made nationals, I think more than anything because we weren’t that good at the beginning of the year, so it took a lot of work to get to where we are,” Callahan said.

Both teams faced exceptionally tough conditions in New York, with winds gusting at more than 40 knots. High winds necessitates putting two sailors together in a boat who have minimal experience working with one another. This is due to the necessity for additional weight and strength in order to resist the wind.

“You have to be about 135 to 145 pounds of pure muscle, so we have two guys on the team, [sophomore] Grant Ballesteros and also [sophomore] Jack Hogan, who are the perfect body type for that,” said Callahan, explaining his strategy.

The coed team came in fourth place out of eight teams, trailing by just one point to third-place finisher St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The coed team is not down to their final opportunity to qualify for the National Championships next weekend as they compete at the Arrigan Memorial Trophy in Washington, D.C. Because of the mounting pressure on the team in its upcoming race, Callahan has been extremely careful in maintaining the normal practice routine, he said in an interview with GUHoyas.

“You run the risk of burning people out, because we’ve been going since September, so we try throughout the year to give everyone the opportunity to sail and to rest the top sailors,” Callahan said.

This weekend, the Hoyas have two regattas, the all-important Arrigan Memorial Trophy for the coed team and the Hobart College regatta for the women’s team.