CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard Sailing is set to make its 2026-27 debut this weekend when it competes at three regattas. The Crimson is slated to appear at the Harry Anderson Trophy (Yale host) and Toni Deutsch Trophy (MIT host), while playing host to the Harvard Invitational.

Forecast

Harry Anderson Trophy | New Haven, Conn.
Saturday is expected to be in the low- to mid-70s, with mostly sunny skies and winds in the 5-8 knot range (SE, SSE). Thunderstorms and rain threaten to take out Sunday's schedule. If the conditions allow sailing, temps will be in the mid-70s, with the wind shifting between the south-southeast, south and south-southwest (6-7 knots).
 
Toni Deutsch Trophy, Harvard Invitational | Cambridge, Mass.
Sunny skies and temperatures in the low-70s will greet sailors on Saturday. The wind will blow between 4-7 knots and be out of the east-southeast and southeast. Showers are in Sunday's forecast along with low-70s temps. The wind, meanwhile, will come out of the south at eight knots.

What to Know

• Harvard is making its first appearance since capturing for the first time since 2005, the Leonard M. Fowle Trophy, which is presented annually to the best all-around sailing program in the country. The Crimson was dominant last season from start to finish, winning the ICSA Match Race National Championship, the ICSA Open Singlehanded National Championship and the ICSA Open Team Race National Championship. Harvard also placed two sailors in the top-9 at the ICSA Women's Singlehanded National Championship, and finished third at the ICSA Women's Fleet Race, fourth at the ICSA Women's Team Race, and seventh at the ICSA Open Fleet Race.
• The Crimson is led by Michael O'Connor, who is entering his 30^th season at the helm of the program. Earlier this week, O'Connor was tabbed The James Herscot '58 Coach of Excellence, which is a Harvard Athletics honor that takes into account coaching tenure at Harvard, overall contribution to the athletics department, team performance, student-athlete experience and development, leadership within their sport or at Harvard, and other criteria related to excellence in coaching at Harvard.
• The Crimson heads to the Harry Anderson Trophy coming off a runner-up performance a year ago. Harvard posted a score of 102 at the Yale-hosted event, finishing behind only Rhode Island and its 50.
• Harvard will make the short trip to MIT for the Toni Deutsch Trophy, a regatta it finished in third place in 2025. The Crimson finished with a two-day score of 144, and trailed Roger Williams (125) and Dartmouth (134).
• The Crimson will once again play host to the Harvard Invitational. Last season, Harvard finished in ninth, 10^th and 13^th in the 18-team field. The one-day event saw the Crimson post scores of 34, 38 and 47, with Tufts taking the top two spots with scores of 8 and 9.
• Personnel wise, Harvard welcomes back this fall All-Americans Kate Danielson, Zoey Ziskind, Christina Chen, Rosella Irfan, Jacob Posner and JJ Drummond. The group was part of a school-record 10 All-Americans in 2026.
• Ziskind and senior classmate Xavier Ayala-Vermont will lead the squad as team captains. 

Up Next

Harvard is scheduled to compete at the three one-day regattas (Sept. 19: Hatch Brown Trophy – MIT, Regis Trophy – Harvard, Mystic Lake Invitational – Tufts) and the two-day NEISA Singlehanded Championships (Sept. 18-19), which will be hosted by Boston College.