Sugar Bowl Sailing Champs

FOR the first time in its history, the Dartmouth Sailing Team traveled to New Orleans during Christmas vacation to participate in the annual Sugar Bowl Classic Regatta. And since it came home with the first-place trophy, this first foray into southern sailing waters can be labeled a complete success.

The two-day regatta brought together nine teams, each representing a section of the country and each picked for its excellent racing record in the fall season. In addition to Dartmouth, the competitors were Yale, Cornell, R.P.I., Tulane, Michigan State, Kent State, Vanderbilt, and The Citadel. The races were sailed on Lake Pontchartrain, a huge bay just north of New Orleans, in Gannets, 14foot planing sloops with plenty of sail.

In the first day's racing, Dartmouth managed to build up a sizable lead over Yale, the second-place team. Bud Heerde '66 and Rich Miller '65 skippered in "A" division for the Green, while Park Smith '66 sailed all the "B" division races. Their crews were Mark Tuttle '65, Steve Blecher '64, Andy Curtis '66, and Halsey Bullen '66. On that first day, an extremely light wind, with no sea, made it a perfect day for anything but sailing. But on the second day, Lake Pontchartrain became very rough, with high winds. The heavy Yale team dominated the "A" division, but the Dartmouth team of Park Smith, skipper, and Halsey Bullen, crew, were consistent winners in "B" division. Going into the last two races, Dartmouth was behind Yale by three points, and only a point ahead of Cornell. Rich Miller sailed a good race, and with the disqualification of the Yale boat for hitting a buoy, the Big Green stood a few points ahead of both Yale and Cornell.

The last race of the regatta was a tense one. Park Smith was forced over the line early, and had to start dead last. But at race's end he had passed all but two of his competitors, including Yale and Cornell, and the Big Green was assured of the win.

The final standings showed Dartmouth first, with Yale, Cornell, Tulane, R.P.I., Vanderbilt, The Citadel, Michigan State, and Kent State strung out behind, in that order. Dartmouth also had the regatta high-point skipper in Park Smith, who garnered 77 points, fifteen more than his nearest rival. He and Rich Miller, the varsity team captain, received replicas of the Sugar Bowl Classic Trophy. All the team members received awards for their fine effort, and most of them will return to the Southern Yacht Club of New Orleans next Christmas to defend their championship.

With their Sugar Bowl sailing trophies are (l to r) Andy Curtis '66, Mark Tuttle 65,Rich Miller '65, Park Smith '66, and Steve Blecher '64.