Sail-abrating a season of learning and success

It was the “perfect” day for sailing, said Christopher Murray, head coach of Dartmouth High School’s sailing team.

“The weather was perfect,” Murray said. “The wind was perfect.”

Dartmouth’s varsity team saw success at its meet against Old Rochester Regional High School at the New Bedford Yacht Club Tuesday, April 23, winning all three races, according to Murray. 

He said compared to “most prior years,” the Dartmouth team is doing well. 

“This is one of our better seasons,” he said, adding that the team’s goal is to qualify for the New England championship and to be the top team for the Cape & Islands League.

Last year, the team placed second in the league, Murray said. 

Between varsity and junior varsity, the team has a wide-range of sailing abilities, Murray said.

While some kids have been sailing for years, others are doing it for the very first time, he added.

During practice, Murray said he tries to manage the range of skills to ensure everyone gets a chance to work on the areas that need improvement.

“The team overall is really, really good,” Murray said. “It's just a really good group of kids and everybody gets along. Everybody's having fun.”

He added, “I think that's a big part of why we're out here — not just the competition — but to make sure that people are enjoying the sail.”

Crew member Elena Sobran said she believes the team has improved since last year. 

“We're a super young team,” Sobran said. “Last year, [there were] two freshmen who were varsity skippers, so I think that we've all learned a lot since last year.”

Skipper Nevaeh Depina agreed, adding how even the new teammates this year have been quick to learn. 

Sobran said personally, she’d like to be more mobile in the boat and aware of her surroundings.

“It's just really important that you develop a good sense of your atmosphere,” she said.

Depina said she is also working on developing that atmosphere as a skipper because she can sometimes get distracted as the driver.

Crew member Evan Sargent said last year was his first year and he’s seen a lot of improvement in his personal performance, which has allowed the sport to be “a lot more fun” and he hopes to continue his growth and participate in more meets.

Crew member Lucan Camara said it’s his first season sailing, but he has observed how engaged and willing to learn the team has been, adding how it’s a “great opportunity to learn” for those who may not have ever sailed before.

Camara said he wants to catch up to those who have been sailing for years, but he specifically wants to gain a greater understanding of the dynamics of team racing.

Crew member Sophie Litos said she would like to get better at skippering this season.

In regard to the season as a whole, Litos said, “So far, the meets have been really good and they've been going well. There's still a lot of meets to go and everyone is having fun. The team is really good — everybody's very inclusive.”