Courtesy of Dave Browning
With Lake Pontratrain less than 30 minutes away from campus, it was only a matter of time before Tulane added a sailing team to its athletics program. In its debut season, there is no doubt that this team has experienced choppy waters, but it aims to gain its sea legs in its remaining competitions.

The Green Wave came out of the gates swinging in its first meet in Galveston, Texas. Facing off against Texas A&M Galveston, freshman skipper/crew Ciara Rodriguez-Horan clinched first place victories for the Wave finish in all of her races to secure the SEISA Women’s Singlehanded Championship title. This performance also ensured Rodriguez-Horan’s appearance ICSA Women’s Singlehanded Championship in November. Freshman skipper Luke Schumman cruised to a fourth place finish in this opening meet, which firmly placed the Green Wave with a fourth place overall finish in the meet.

Shortly after this dip into the world of sailing competitions, the Green Wave came back to its native waters to host the Allstate Sugar Bowl Regatta. The five other competing teams truly gave the Tulane sailing division a run for its money, but the crews were determined to last through all 18 races and prevail on the finish line. Senior skipper Harris Cram and freshman crew Bamboo Trinh took this responsibility upon themselves as they pushed for a first place finish in the 10th race of the regatta. This victory was surprising to all because the pair were put in last minute as substitutes for other team members. This momentum drove the Green Wave to another fourth place finish on its home turf.

The sailing team has faced more challenging opponents as of late, forcing the crews to step up their game. After stumbling to a 17th place finish at the Women’s Showcase Final in Boston, Massachusetts, the team took its troubles in stride and prepared for another difficult meet in Connecticut. During this meet, rough winds proved to be the true competition as many teams were unable to sail during the normal time frame. Head coach Charles Higgins never loses faith in his crew, and he explains how they also refuse to give up on any challenge.

“Both our A and B Division boats had a difficult time, but I’m proud of how these girls continued to work hard and never gave up.,” Higgins said. “They’re eager to improve and get back out on the water.”

The sailing crew will return home this weekend for the Baldwin Good Regatta and the Tulane Women’s Regatta. While this might be a busy weekend for the team, it has already proven that no challenge is too big for it to handle.