UCD Sailing Club 3rd at IUSA Southerns

On the weekend of the 14^th/15^th November five UCD sailing teams made the journey down to Schull, Co. Cork to compete in the Irish University Sailing Association (IUSA) Southern Championships, the second university team racing sailing event of the 09/10 season. Thanks to the careful organisation of colleges DIT and DCU, and host venue the Fastnet Marine Outdoor Education Centre, 28 teams representing Irish Universities and ITs enjoyed 2 days of sailing and over 120 races.

With a win at the first IUSA event in Wexford, UCD sailors were eager to attempt a repeat performance in West Cork. Racing started early Saturday morning under the race management of Dave Harte and continued into the afternoon, allowing 74 races to be completed before daylight faded. Despite a defeat to DIT in their first race, UCD1 went on to win their next five races against colleges CIT, UCC, DCU, UL and old rivals TCD, finishing top of the gold fleet after the round robin.

Favourable weather conditions allowed another early start to racing on Sunday morning, and the remaining round robin races were completed before the knockout stages commenced. A 2-1 win against UL2 in their “best of three” quarter final, gave UCD1 a place in the semi-final, along with teams- DIT1, UL1 and TCD1.  However a closely contested semi-final against UL1, ending with an umpire’s decision in UL’s favour on the finish line of the third and final race, clinched the victory and the opportunity of a place in the final from the UCD team.

The event was won by DIT who, victorious in their semi-final, went on to achieve a 3-1 victory in the “best of five” final against UL1.

In the silver fleet UCD2 finished in second place, losing out in a tight final race to a CIT team recently returned from the Student Yachting World Cup.

Gold fleet

1^st DIT1 - Marty O’Leary/ Tomás Duke, Conor Byrne/ Rachel Guy, Simon Rattigan/ Aoife English

2^nd UL1 –Darragh O’Connor/Katie Tingle, Kev Stallard/Rachel O’Brien, Pa Hegarty/Peadar O’Sullivan

3^rd UCD1– Barry McCartin/Anne Collins, Aidan Mc Laverty/Sharon Quigley, Nick Harger/Katie Curtin