UCD Sailing club started a run of their own at the weekend to claim the UCD/Trinity Sailing Colours trophy for the second year in a row. This backed up last year’s victory in 2010 that denied Trinity’s one-sided stranglehold on the trophy.

They previously held it dating back to 2006.

The annual Sailing Colours Match took place on Saturday 16th April in Dun Laoghaire harbour, hosted by University College Dublin SC via the Royal Irish and Royal St George Yacht Club. Any Colours sports events that has long-time rivals UCD and Trinity going head-to-head is a big event. Pride, glory and bragging rights for at least another year are all on the line so I can assure you nothing is left behind! Some say, it is the most important event of the year, that theory may not be far wrong with the Sailing Colours no exception.

In preparation for the Event, all the UCD Teams had taken part in the IUSA Intervarsities, also run by UCD in March, UCD putting in a  strong performance with three teams in Gold Fleet, two claiming 2nd and 3rd. UCD 1 and 2 also took part in the ITRA invitational qualification event for the ISAF Team Racing World Championships, narrowly missing out claiming 3rd and 5th with only 2 Irish entries going. Even one sailor managed to take part in the BUSA championships, the first time an Irish entry was accepted, and were winning the event after Race Day 2! However, UCD were keen to put missing-out by small margins behind them for 2011 after a string of perfect results beforehand and the Colours at the end of the year was the perfect platform to do just that!

With very variable and light conditions, the boats were launched mid Saturday morning to do battle, with game-faces from both colleges well and truly switched on, not giving anything away to their opposition. The format of racing follows that all sailing teams firsts to sixths race their opposite number from the other college, as well as a ladies team and an alumni team. However, the college that wins the event depends entirely on the result of the races between the UCD First and Trinity First teams. But while this may have been the case it can be assured no individual race was taken half-hearted, all full flooded affairs, each team in every race striving to strike a devasting blow!

The day started out well for UCD wins against their respective Trinity teams in their best of three races, with the“Gruesome Twosomes”  and “Diaspora divas” winning, then a narrow loss by the 4ths was proved as an anomaly result by UCD 3, UCD 2 as well as the Ladies Team all taking clean wins.

The wind had filled in a little bit more by the time of the two colleges’ first teams came to race. In what was to be a “best of five” final, UCD managed to prevail in three, dishing out a white-wash with a comfortable (most of the time) win 3-0. This meant that for the second year in a row, UCD had won the 2011 Colours Sailing, and in emphatic style winning all but one of the other sets of races. The aim for 2012 must be for a total clean-sweep and most importantly, a hat-trick of wins!

UCDSC having run the event, owe themselves a big thanks and Well-done particularly Aidan, Ellen, and all the umpires that consisted of some past alumni and UL students. We would also like to thank the host clubs and Trinity for their involvement in the event and anyone else that has been missed. Colours marks the end of UCD’s sailing season for the 10/11 Academic year, and are now setting out the Goals and ambitions towards the 11/12 year with the Four-Nations, Provincial Events and a third-time lucky attempt to finally bring that IUSA Intervarsities back to South Dublin in 2012.

Written by Barry McCartin, UCD SC PRO 11/12

UCD1 winning team:

Aidan McLaverty & Jodie-Jane Tingle, Simon Doran & Christine Lynch, Barry McCartin & Sharon Quigley.