Trinity Sailing Team Win First IUSA Intervarsities in 11 Years

14th March 2017

Thomas Hall

The Trinity team of Scott Flanigan, Cara McDowell, Daniel Gill, Kate O’Reilly, Richard Roberts, and Laragh Lee are 2017 Varsities champions

University College Dublin Sailing Club (UCDSC), the defending Varsities champions, hosted the Irish University Sailing Association (IUSA) Intervarsities out of Clifden Boat Club from the 10th to the 12th March. 26 teams were racing at the final IUSA event of the year representing UCD,Trinity (DUSC), DIT, DCU, UCC, CIT, NUI Galway, Queen's University Belfast, Loughborough, Edinburgh and the Scottish University Sailing Association (SUSA). In total the event was attended by over 160 sailors.

The event kicked off on Thursday with Trinity, three UCC teams and SUSA building early leads. Trinity, two of the UCC teams, and SUSA finished the day unbeaten to carry over their one hundred percent records to the second day of the round robin. After finishing day two with eleven wins from twelve races, Trinity, along with three UCC teams, booked their place in the final day’s Gold Fleet semi-finals.

The third and final day of sailing saw the culmination of the round robin and the division into the Gold, Silver and Bronze Fleets for the knockout stages. Hosts UCD were represented across the fleets with their Fourth team taking victory in the Bronze final. UCC’s Fifth team took the Silver Fleet final while in the best-of-five races Gold Fleet final was contested by Trinity’s Firsts and UCC’s Thirds. After Trinity took a 2-1 lead, a black flag offence by UCC boat on the finish line meant that Trinity team of Scott Flanigan, Cara McDowell, Daniel Gill, Kate O’Reilly, Richard Roberts, and Laragh Lee returned to shore as 2017 Varsities champions.

Clifden sailing The Colleges go afloat in Clifden for the 2017 IUSA Intervarsities

Trinity club captain Daniel Gill said “it's the best week of results in recent history for Trinity Sailing and the first time we have won varsities in eleven years. Results have been consistently strong at all the regional events this year and the changing of helms and crews throughout shows how strong the club is at the moment, particularly given that many of them are sailing on our seconds, thirds and fourths, showing the depth we have in the club."

The culmination of such a well-run event resulted in UCDSC being awarded IUSA Event of the Year at the final evening’s awards ball, where UCC’s Florence Lyden was awarded Fresher of the Year with Brendan Lyden, also of UCC, awarded Sailor of the Year.

The IUSA AGM also took place during Varsities, with UCC’s Paddy Hogan elected as the incoming Treasurer/Secretary and Trinity’s Chris Phelan elected as President.

The 2017 Colours Match between Trinity and UCD will take place on April 1st in Grand Canal Dock and the Student Yachting Nationals will be held at the end of April, doubling as the qualifiers for the Student Yachting World Cup (SYWoC) and marking the official end of the student sailing season for 2016/17.

Published in Team Racing

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About Team Racing

Team racing in sailing is an exciting, strategy-focused format where two teams, usually with three boats each, compete to achieve the best combined score by the end of the race. Unlike fleet racing, where individual performance matters most, team racing emphasises teamwork, tactics, and boat positioning to outmanoeuvre the opposing team.

Each team typically has three boats, often two-person dinghies like the Firefly class. The boats from each team are distinguished by their unique sail colours or numbers.

Points are assigned to finishing positions, with 1 point for 1st place, 2 points for 2nd place, and so on. The team with the lowest combined score wins. The target is to achieve a "winning combination" of points. In a six-boat race (three per team), winning combinations include scores like 10 points or less for a 1-2-6 or a 2-3-5 finish.

Teams can slow down or block opposing boats, especially in an advantageous position. A boat ahead can "cover" an opponent, manoeuvring to block the wind and slow them down.

Teams often employ manoeuvres to help slower boats catch up or pass opponents, switching positions if needed. This keeps the team in a winning configuration.

At key turning points, boats can execute mark traps, where they intentionally slow down or position themselves to block opponents, forcing them into bad turns or causing them to lose speed.

Team racing follows standard sailing rules but with some additions tailored to team tactics. For example, a "fouling" boat (one that breaks a rule) must complete a penalty turn or even multiple turns, depending on the rule violation. Penalty management is crucial as it can make or break a team's success in the race.

Constant communication is key as team members coordinate strategies, adjust for wind shifts, and adapt to changes in the race. They signal intentions, warn of opponents' moves, and ensure every team member’s position is optimized.

In short, team racing combines fast-paced sailing with strategic teamwork. While speed is essential, winning often depends more on positioning, communication, and the ability to execute effective tactics as a team.