“I was 30 points out of first and ninth place overall,” Johnson said. “I expected to be doing a lot better and I told myself I was going to be more aggressive at the starting line and in every other aspect of my decision making. Once you get that rhythm you just keep going.”

Johnson, the 2003 high school singlehanded national champion, rattled off a streak of seven top-three performances to conclude the competition, slicing 20 points off his deficit and finishing in a tie for second with Kings Point sailor David Wright, who won the tiebreaker with his two race wins compared to Johnson’s one.

Women’s Singlehandeds

Though unable to match Porter’s title, sophomores Genny Tulloch, Sloan Devlin and captain Jennie Philbrick swept second through fourth in the women’s draw.

“It was mostly about keeping your head out of the boat and racing well and not necessarily focusing on the technical aspects,” Philbrick said.

Old Dominion’s Anna Tunnicliffe took first in the opening race and never looked back, winning six of the remaining 14 races to coast to an easy 27-point victory.

Though her expertise in laser sailing certainly provided an edge, many of the sailors were familiar enough with the boat type to at least compete.

But Tunnicliffe had another advantage, according to Philbrick.

“She’s jacked,” Philbrick said. “She’s so strong. It helps a lot in singlehanded results.”

Under ordinary circumstances, sailors would be partnered with a crew member in doublehanded competition, providing extra hands and muscle with which to control the vessel. But in singlehanded competition, individual strengths become magnified.

The Crimson women bested Tunnicliffe in four of the 15 races.

Tulloch broke away from the pack in race nine. She finished in second overall, 20 points behind Tunnicliffe and 10 points ahead of Devlin in third.

“All the racers were more or less up and down,” Philbrick said. “Third through seventh was really close and it was a tight battle the whole way.”

But with timely judgment of wind shifts, Devlin and Philbrick propelled themselves out of the main pack and into third and fourth.

“The entire regatta was all about looking up wind and seeing where there was more velocity,” Philbrick said. “During those races I was able to get to the puffs, to get where I needed to be first. I guess the reason I did well was when I did it the best.”

—Staff writer Timothy J. McGinn can be reached at mcginn@fas.harvard.edu.