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Carol Cronin had her first sailing adventure at a very young age, 10 days old: “Mom and Dad took me out on the family cruising boat that arrived the day I was born.  Both of us, my mother likes to add, were grossly overdue.”  When she was three years old the family moved from Bethesda, Md., to Boston, and started summering in Woods Hole, Mass.  Carol began sailing competitively at age 10, from the Woods Hole Yacht Club, before moving on to college sailing while attending Connecticut College and she graduated, in 1986, with honors and a degree in European History.

A stint operating a boat yard interrupted her sailing, but after four years she returned to the sport.  Her early sailing experience may have played a part in her choice of position – crew – and over the years she has become one of the best in the country, especially in the highly-competitive Snipe fleet. 

When the new women’s keelboat was announced for the 2004 Olympic Games, Carol initially hoped to sign on as crew for another skipper.  However, she quickly moved to the back of the Yngling after her plans fell into place to make the campaign her own. 

Carol and Liz Filter have been teammates in the Yngling for three and a half years, adding Nancy Haberland to the mix only a few months ago, and giving them longer odds heading into the Trials then teams who had been solidly sailing for the last few years.  And they would need to beat two teams that had each won Yngling world championships in 2003: the open world championship in Germany and the women’s only world championship in Spain. 

Over the nine-day marathon US Olympic Team Trials, the team turned in a consistent performance.  On the final day of the series, in the first race of the day, they crossed the finish line first with just four boatlengths to spare.  Mathematically unbeatable, they elected to sit out the 16^th and final race of the series.

 “Our approach to the Trials was that we tried to get better every day. We focused on the details, which not only helped us to improve but helped us keep our heads toghether. We peaked at just the right time, and now we have to peak again for the Games. Our approach will be the same – to focus on the details, since we can always get better. I wouldn't want to sail if that wasn't the case. That's one of the great things about the sport.”

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