On the women’s side, Gill will attempt to defend her national title. Much of her success, though, will depend on the conditions.

“I’m fairly small in comparison to the field of competitors,” she says.

Consequently, harsh conditions generally affect her more than some of the other sailors. Indeed, after winning the event as a freshman, Gill could “only” muster a fifth-place finish as a sophomore in the face of difficult weather.

Bischoff, though, remains impressed by her success.

“She’s pretty phenomenal because she hadn’t sailed many single-handed regattas before she came to college,” he says.

With some luck, then, the Crimson sailing team could well hold three national titles before Thanksgiving. Amazingly, looking toward the rest of the season, that could be only the half of it.