With the close of the 2022/23 academic year at Trinity College Dublin we wave farewell to an outstanding year of sailing for DUSC. The activities boasted by our full social and sailing calendars are a testament to the wonderful committee. To them all members of DUSC express our gratitude!
The year began on a high note with a collaboration between DUBES and Trinity Sailing for the first annual Boat Party since the pandemic. It was an excellent event and an opportunity to create intersocietal relations within Trinity College.
It was next that we gathered for a long journey to Bundoran Co.Donegal for the first IUSA event of the year hosted by TU Dublin and DCU. Bundoran proved to be an exceptional weekend of thrilling team racing and an exciting start to the year. As Ireland goes the weather was not on our side but in an impressive feat all races and finals were completed on a singular day! In continuation our results were just as noteworthy with TCD 2 claiming second place.
This year our Captain and Committee aimed to place special emphasis on getting beginners out on the water and into sailing. This was executed through a series of beginners and freshers sailing sessions run at the start of the academic year through the Royal St. George and Irish Yacht Clubs. We can all unanimously agree that they were a huge success with a large number of students out on the water and a plethora of positive feedback. This was concluded with an action packed Freshers Supercup day of racing that came as a success for all. It was the attitude of our committee and the generous help of all our members that are responsible for deconstructing some of the barriers to college sailing that would have been prevailed previously.
In November it was time for one of the most rewarding events of the year, Trinity Alumni and this year we celebrated a historic 91 years of Trinity Sailing. We stayed close to home with the Royal St.George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire hosting a fabulous day of team racing and formal dinner. It was a night of celebration and fun, incorporating new and old members of the club, with the music lasting long into the night. This event is an integral part of the year for DUSC, between fundraising and giving back to the Alumni that made this club what it is today. We would like to extend our gratitude to all that donated, collectively raising 500 euro . These donations will be used to aid in the purchasing of much needed trailers for our boats !!
The next event of the IUSA calendar hosted by UCD was set to be held in Killaloe Co.Clare and we excitedly set out west. This was a weekend to remember of fun, friends but not to mention fierce competition. Impressive organisation allowed us to breeze through a serious amount of races on the Saturday. We were delighted with the performance by Trinity, especially TCD 1 finishing second in the round robin and third overall and TCD 2 finishing joint third overall.
After the long Christmas holidays we were eager to return to the water. In Januray a women's team crossed the pond to the home of team racing, Rutland Sailing Club in the East Midlands. They competed alongside some of the most familiar faces in the team racing world in their home ground. After a successful first day of fierce competition the women found themselves in the Gold fleet. Unfortunately the second day of racing proved more challenging, however the sailors returned proud and delighted with the team racing experience acquired.
It was then time for the uncontested event of the year, IUSA Inter- Varsities hosted by our very own Trinity College in Carlingford Co.Louth. The wind was not on our side as we were confronted with very light conditions, but our spirits did not waiver. We had some impressive results as TCD 4 became victorious in Silver Fleet and TCD 5 in Bronze, TCD 2 third in Gold Fleet and TCD 1, fourth. This means that Trinity has three of the top six teams in IUSA. Impressive results that left a taste in our mouth for more wins in the next year of IUSA events and securing four teams for Trinity in the Gold Fleet next year. Four days of competitive racing between seven universities came to an ultimate showdown where UCC ultimately took the gold in Gold Fleet.
It was a quick turnaround for a fan favourite, in April Colours was hosted by UCD in the heart of Dublin City on the Liffey. The rain and clouds could not dull our morale as we battled our long time rivals for the Gold. The racing was close with many crucial judgements given by the umpires. Ultimately it was the womens team that made the difference as colours came home and Trinity were victorious winning not only the Gold but winning seven out of nine teams. The first time DUSC has won Colours since 2015 this set the tone for a night of celebrations.
Many of our sailors took to Howth Yacht Club to compete in the Student Yachting Nationals. The conditions were immaculate, the competition fierce and all came off the water praising the experience they had gained!
Women on the water is an initiative that played an up and coming role in DUSC this year, it involved encouraging as many women as possible to sign up to helm. It is about understanding the gender imbalance that has and still exists in sports and doing our best every day to breach the gap one sailor at a time. We organised a special Women on the water training session and will continue to incorporate it as a top priority in the 2023/24 academic year.
Even after the academic year had concluded, DUSC rallied for one final parting weekend as they sent a team North to the Queen's University Belfast Alumni Event. Trinity sailed skillfully and a series of protests, umpire calls and unabashed team racing left us unbeaten. Ending on a 1,2,3 in the final Trinity took the gold and concluded a year of fabulous racing and sportsmanship.