The Irish Universities Sailing Association (IUSA) Intervarsities is a major team racing event attended by over 160 sailors across 26 teams. This year’s, staged at the hospitable Clifden Boat Club in the far west of Connemara and hosted by University College Dublin, enjoyed good if distinctly crisp weather for the weekend of March 10th to 12th. It saw strong representation from all the major universities and colleges in Ireland, Queens from Northern Ireland, and Loughborough from England, together with Edinburgh and a representative team from the Scottish Universities Sailing Association.

Magic weather at Clifen in Connemara in mid-March, and a magic result for Trinity is celebrated with an air-punch by helmsman Scott Flanigan. Photo: Guy Boggan
In competition at this level, merely figuring in the frame at all is quite an achievement. But Dublin University SC – known to all as Trinity – were determined to put an end to an eleven year drought in winning this title. Under the very determined team captaincy of Richard d’Esterre Roberts (who is also a former Captain of the DUSC, and is known to all as Rich Roberts) the Dublin squad got through to the final to find themselves up against University College Cork Team 3.

Roberts being from Cork himself, this added an extra edge, and in a tense final Trinity had worked through to a 2-1 lead when a black flag offence on in the finish line by a Cork boat put Trinity three up. And so Rich Roberts is Sailor of the Month for March, fully supported by his team mates Scott Flanigan, Cara McDowell, Daniel Gill, Kate O’Reilly, and Laragh Lee.

The Trinity team at Clifden Boat Club celebrate ending their eleven year drought at Clifden Boat Club with their captain Rich Roberts on the left. Photo Guy Boggan