What Sunglasses Are the Best College Sailors Wearing?
Inside the 2026 National Champions' Lens Technology of Choice
At college national championships, the difference between the front of the fleet and the back is often just seeing the next puff a second before anyone else.
Ask top college coaches what separates the front of a championship fleet from the back, and you'll rarely hear about boat speed first. You'll hear about the eyes and ability to read the conditions — who sees the next puff before it fills, who reads the shift early, who finds the pressure or angle no one else has noticed yet. In college racing boats are even. Advantages come from seeing the subtle differences early and correctly.
So when the same lens technology kept turning up on the best college sailors in the country this season, it was worth asking what they were looking through.
Across the 2026 college season, the sailors at the very front were racing in Tajima™ polarized lenses — and most of them in basn5™ frames. The results between them: five national titles and two College Sailors of the Year.
- Justin Callahan, Harvard — 2026 College Sailor of the Year, his second straight Sailor of the Year title and the first in Harvard history; Open Team Race National Champion.
- Mitchell Callahan, Harvard — Open Team Race National Champion, and Justin's twin brother.
- Tommy Sitzmann, Stanford — A-Division National Champion at the Open Dinghy Nationals.
- Vanessa Lahrkamp, Stanford — Women's College Sailor of the Year, the first woman ever to win it three times; Women's A-Division National Champion.
What ties them together is what a polarized Tajima lens does on the water: it kills the glare reflecting off the surface and lifts color and contrast, so pressure, shifts, and the texture read earlier and sharper. The sailors put it more plainly.
Justin Callahan — Harvard
2026 College Sailor of the Year
The most decorated college sailor in the country right now: back-to-back College Sailor of the Year, the first Harvard sailor ever to win it twice. If anyone's earned the right to be particular about what he looks through, it's him — and his system is simple. Two complementary lens tints, one for bright sun and one for variable or flat light.
"I'd reach for the Copper Rose when it's leaning toward overcast, and the Gray 15s when it's sunny."
While both lens colors produce advantages in different light conditions, his two-lens habit leans function-first, vanity second: "I like a toned-down look — a darker gray or a brown. I like pretty plain stuff. I'm not too much of a fan of the mirrored or flashy look." Which is exactly where the non-mirrored Gray 15 and Copper Rose land — clarity, color, and detail without the reflective finish.
At May's Nationals — hot, bright, about six knots and not a cloud in the Florida sky — he ran the Gray 15 Tajima polarized lens, and it performed exactly where a lot of lenses wash out: "I could tell the subtle differences in the pressure on the water, even in bright, sunny conditions." The Copper Rose 15 is the other half of the kit, and he trusts it so deep into darker, flat-light conditions that he'll keep it on in weather that sends everyone else's glasses into a pocket: "I felt like I could even wear the Copper Rose lenses in the rain. That's how much I like them — and how much contrast they produce in hard-to-read conditions."
Which is exactly what happened, earlier in the season, in New England.
"When everyone else took their sunglasses off when it was raining, I kept mine on — and that gave me a huge advantage in being able to read the water and texture."
That's the whole thesis of this piece, in one sentence, from the best college sailor in the country. The Copper Rose polarized tint produces contrast in precisely the low, flat light where most sailors give up on lenses that don't render enough contrast and detail. "I cannot speak highly enough of them."
When it comes to frames, Justin lives in his basn5 Highway 1 for college sailing and college life: "The frames are lightweight and comfortable, and the durability is incredible — you don't feel like the arms are weakening or getting loose at the hinges."
He noticed what's missing, too — and then stopped noticing it. "I didn't even notice there was no rubber for the nose pads," and at the end of a long, salty day, "it was very easy to get any residue off — salt, sunscreen, anything." His verdict on the whole package: "a no-brainer."
When the breeze is up and conditions get sporty, he reaches for the Davenport frame and its extra coverage: "For hi-performance sailing, I like the structure, increased size and viewing area… and the side shields blocking extra wind and light."
Mitchell Callahan — Harvard
Team Race National Champion
Mitchell won the Open Team Race National Championship alongside twin brother and teammate Justin. He came to basn5 with more sunglasses behind him, and more reason to be hard to impress, than just about anyone:
"Highway 1 is the best-looking and most functional pair of sunglasses I've ever worn sailing — and I've had 20 to 25 pairs in 15 years of sailing."
It starts with the frame. Mitchell wears the Highway 1 well beyond the racecourse:
"I love the Highway 1's. I wear them to class, to practice, to regattas. They're lightweight, you can mold them however you want, they're durable — the hinge… so snappy. Temples snap out, snap back into place. And they are just so comfortable."
That's the quiet case for one pair that does everything: "I wouldn't have to switch between sailing sunglasses and walking-around sunglasses. As a college kid, that's what I really value — I don't want to be bringing around two pairs everywhere."
Team racing is one of the more intense and active moments in college sailing: constant tacking and gybing, your head whipping around on a swivel with boats inches apart. It's where Mitchell used to lose and have problems with his glasses.
"I used to have problems keeping my sunglasses on in team racing — I've lost pairs just flattening out of a tack and having them fly off my head. I don't have to worry about that at all with these. They're grippy to my face, and even if I do want them tighter, the frame temple tips are flexible enough that you just bend them in a little and they hold tighter."
He calls it "the structural impact" of the frame: "I don't have to take my hand off the mainsheet or the tiller to push them up my nose." On a windward leg, that's a real edge — both hands stay on the boat. And the bend-to-fit isn't a workaround, it's the design: every basn5 frame is moldable, with adjustable temple tips you can tune to your own fit preference, no rubber required to keep them on.
Which matters more than it sounds, because in a place like Florida the rubber is the first thing to fail:
"It was super light and super hot, so we were wearing a lot of sunscreen at all times, and a lot of sweat with it. I didn't find them slipping around my face at all — and the sunscreen didn't really get on the frames. A lot of sunglasses have a rubber insert at the nose that gets gross with sunscreen and sweat; but these don't, and were super easy to just wipe clean."
For the bright sunshine Nationals, Mitchell wore the Highway 1 with Brown 15 Black Mirror Tajima polarized lenses, and got both halves of what the lens is built to do — "the mirror reflects a lot of the light off the water and the lens filters the glare, while the brown tint really accentuates the texture and color from the outside world":
"It's really easy to see puffs. I felt like I was seeing the puffs and the lulls and the shifts as well as anyone out there."
Tommy Sitzmann — Stanford
A-Division National Champion
Tommy dominated A Division at the Open Dinghy National Championship — the deepest fleet in college sailing — for Stanford. He's been reliant on eye protection on the water his entire sailing career, and the lens technology still caught him off guard: "I've gone through probably hundreds of pairs, and I'd never really tried a lens like this before." He went on: "I just enjoy putting them on, because everything looks so much clearer and sharper — very good color and contrast on everything."
He chose the basn5 Davenport frame style for its fit and coverage, and his case for side shields is the most sailing-specific you'll hear: "I'd never tried side shields before — they prevent so much light from getting in, especially all the light reflecting off the water. We have hats for the sun, but the water reflection is the big thing." A hat blocks the sky; the side shields block the glare coming up off the surface. And, he adds, "it's hard to find glasses that look good and also have that all-around protection. These had both the style and the functionality."
Then there's the part he didn't expect. Tommy came in a skeptic, specifically about the thing that makes a basn5 frame a basn5 frame:
"I was skeptical at first about there being no rubber on the ear pieces. But after using them, I've had no problems. I'm all about simplicity, so I'm totally on board with keeping it as simple and clean as possible. I haven't had to push them up or reposition them on my face like I have with other sunglasses. I think it's the ability to bend the ends in around my head; and the fit is just really good."
The payoff that matters most to Tommy for a national-title run is the one he kept circling — pure racecourse advantage, and the sunglass's core engine that matters most:
"If you can see farther up the course and get more accurate data from your eyes, it's a big advantage — it informs all the split-second decisions you have to make."
Vanessa Lahrkamp — Stanford
Women's College Sailor of the Year
Vanessa is the most decorated woman in college sailing — the first ever to win Women's College Sailor of the Year three times, and the 2026 Women's A-Division National Champion.
Vanessa has been wearing Tajima lens technology in her own frames since she arrived at Stanford as a freshman. Through Tajima Direct, she had Tajima polarized lenses cut to fit her own frames, selecting the company's Copper Rose 15 Silver Mirror — for the added contrast and color enhancement that brings texture and detail to life. It's the same variable-to-low-light contrast tint Justin reaches for when the light goes flat; Vanessa just prefers it in all conditions, finished with a front-side silver mirror to reflect more light.
The difference was immediate:
"When I switched to Tajima lenses, I could see the definition on the water much clearer. Identifying the puffs was way easier, which helped me make racecourse decisions. My other glasses didn't make the puffs that visible — the lenses weren't that clear, and the reflection off the water bothered me. With the Tajima lenses, I didn't have those issues."
And what she's chasing is what every sailor in this piece is chasing: seeing the racecourse a beat before everyone else.
"When I look for glasses, I look for lenses that enhance my performance. Compared to my natural eyes, the lenses sharpen the contrast on the water — and that's what I look for. After having Tajima lenses, I can't go back to any other company — because of the quality and what I can now see on the water."
Vanessa's setup points to the very unique business model of Tajima Direct, built around their leading polarized lens technology. Tajima-Direct.com is the open-source model — they'll custom-cut their lenses into any frame you already have, from any brand. basn5 is the closed-source side — their own house brand, designed and engineered for performance, function, and style. Open to any frame, or all-in on basn5; the same lens technology either way. Including prescription.
The lenses, by condition
Four sailors, four setups, one lens technology. Every Tajima lens is polarized and made from their patented Tajima Urethane lens material, featuring a unique 30-micron-thin polarizing filter. The tint and lens finish is personal preference — how you tune your lens selection to the conditions:
- Gray 15 — neutral and true, for bright, high-sun days. Justin's bright-sun Nationals lens choice. Gray 15 is also available in a variety of front-side mirror treatments.
- Copper Rose 15 — adds color and contrast, excelling across variable light from bright to low, flat, overcast, and rain. Justin's flat-light rain-day lens — and the one and only all-around base tint for Vanessa.
- Brown 15 Black Mirror — a warm lens color adding enhanced color and contrast for bright and variable conditions, with a subtle front-side black mirror that reflects light away for a slightly darker, more comfortable view. Mitchell's and Tommy's lens choice at the Nationals.
- Copper Rose 15 Silver Mirror — Vanessa's all-around lens choice: enhanced color and contrast with a front-side silver mirror for the brightest light, and uplifting detail in flat and variable conditions.
Want the full breakdown of tints by condition? Read our guide to the best polarized lens tints for sailing, or explore our lens colors.
Two ways to get the lens
Worth knowing: every one of these sailors raced non-prescription — but every Tajima lens and every basn5 frame can be made to your prescription. Polarized clarity, with or without your prescription.
Shop basn5 → · Put Tajima lenses in your own frames →
A note on the frames: what basn5 is
basn5 was built from the ground up by the founders behind Tajima Direct — people who've spent decades developing eyewear and lens technology, with the added advantage of watching how eyewear actually holds up over its life, and what fails.
basn5 is stripped free of rubber, paint, and any unnecessary decoration — just the frame, with a sturdy, rock-solid stacked-hinge architecture built to add function, structure, and life span. Then fitted exclusively with patented Tajima polarized lens technology, meant to perform across a variety of conditions and personal preferences. Designed in California. Made in Germany.
The sailors found the payoff on their own, without being pointed at it. Tommy said it best — about a problem he didn't know he had:
"The rubber nose guards on all my sunglasses get coated in sunscreen, with little nooks and crannies I can't clean out, then become gooey and disintegrate. basn5 is solving a problem I didn't think I had — you wipe it off once and it's completely clean. It's a feature I didn't realize I needed."
That's basn5: made by sailors, for sailors — engineered to perform on the water, and clean enough to wear everywhere off. Aesthetics that protect and perform.