A message from Coach Frank Pizzo '06
Thirteen new members joined the team this fall including twelve first years. We were fortunate to have an early preseason which allowed us time to integrate this great group of new athletes into our team. We were able to take advantage of fantastic breeze on Harpswell Sound this fall and have a strong skill base to build upon this spring season. Some highlights from the season include; winning all three home events (Barnett Trophy, Hewitt Trophy, Mid Week Invitational), qualifying for both the Open and Women’s Atlantic Coast Championship finals, and some strong individual results including A-division wins at the Regis Trophy and Mrs. Hurst Bowl by Lauren Russler '26 and Ava Tobias '28. Currently the docks are out of the water in the winter storage and all of the sailboats are in the barn at the Schiller Coastal Studies Center. It is cold and there is snow around campus. Students are in the midst of the big finals push. Soon enough, we will be back in the classroom talking about team racing and then quickly rigging our boats for a few short practices before we head south for our training trip to Florida. We are in the process of replacing our FJ Fleet which takes place every eight years. The new fleet will ensure that our student-athletes have access to the best possible equipment to perform at their highest level and so the college can host major regattas here at Bowdoin. If you're interested in learning more and supporting this effort, please reach out to Molly Carr at mcarr@bowdoin.edu.
Middle Sea Race
One of our captains, Kyra Phelan '26, took a week off from college sailing this fall to participate in the Middle Sea Race in Europe on a Cookson 50 called Varuna. Kyra and the Bowdoin Sailing Team get a nice segment in the Rolex Middle Sea Race video recap (around minute 17) which can be found below:
Spring 2026 Schedule
The 2026 spring schedule is now available. Cheer on the team at a race this spring.
Spring Training Trip
The team will return to Eckerd College this spring for a training trip during the second week of March. This is an invaluable experience where the team gets to eat, breathe, and sleep team racing in preparation for our spring season. The time on and off the water focusing on team racing is incredible but also the down time that the team gets with one another during this trip allows for long lasting friendships and bonding. Many of you have been on these trips with the team and I encourage you to donate to the team to help cover the cost of this trip. The past few years we have been able to cover the full cost of the trip through donations from alumni, parents, and friends of the program. One of our captains, Kique Ruiz '26, summaries what he is looking forward to most about this training trip:
"What I am most looking forward to this spring is our spring break trip to Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. On spring break, we are completely free of distractions and can focus on improving on the water and building relationships with our teammates. In particular, in the past two years, staying in houses with all our teammates, we’ve been able to work extremely hard on the water and then come back to the house, watch film, and bond with our teammates. My favorite part of spring break is seeing not only the team get exponentially better on the water but also get much closer as friends. There is really no other part of the season where we get to see so much growth in such a short amount of time. Having the trip fully funded by donations last year made the trip even better, as everyone was able to fully buy in, and costs were not a distraction at all. Last year’s trip definitely contributed heavily to us qualifying for open team race nationals, and a great spring break this year will hopefully lead us to another successful spring! I can’t wait!" —Kique Ruiz ’26
Save the dates for our 4th Go U Bears Athletic Fund Challenge: May 6-7! If you're interested in supporting the team before then, please make a gift by typing "Sailing" in the Designation field or by selecting it from the dropdown menu under the Polar Bear Athletic Fund. Thank you for your consideration!
Alumni Regatta
Our Alumni and Family Regatta this spring will be Saturday May 2nd at the Leighton Sailing Center. Report time will be 1030 with racing in the team’s fleet of FJs and 420s. Racing will be followed by a BBQ. If you plan to attend, please email Head Coach Frank Pizzo at fpizzo2@bowdoin.edu.
All the best,
Frank Pizzo '06