Sheffield University Sailing Club has qualified for the BUCS Team Finals for a second year in a row after finishing fourth at the Northern Qualifiers.
The club entered two teams into the BUCS Team Racing Northern Qualifiers in West Kirby on 1-2 February, Sheffield Yellow (first team) and Sheffield Black (second team). Despite challenging weather conditions, Sheffield Yellow secured the fourth and final automatic qualification spot for the competitive sailing finals, where they will represent the North alongside teams from Durham, Newcastle and Manchester.
After the event, club captain Sam Yale said: “We are so happy. Everyone on the team sailed really well together, and we are really pleased that the hard work and commitment we’ve put in throughout the year has paid off.
“Everyone, from our committee who run the club to the sailors who attend every training and social, is part of this achievement”.
“We have a number of new sailors in the team this year which makes the achievement even better. Having qualified for two years in a row now I’m excited about where the club will go in the next few years.”
The finals will be hosted by Cambridge University on 13-15 April and will see Sheffield, who have won the last four Sheffield Varsity events, compete against the best teams in the country.
Sam said: “We are training hard at the moment in preparation and are hoping to build on last year’s performance, when we finished 27th.
“We are keen to prove ourselves against the other top teams competing, but ultimately we want to enjoy ourselves and have a good time.
Team racing is a form of competitive sailing that sees two teams race each other with three boats each. The teams sail around a course in 10 minute races, with typically 10 to 15 races at each event. Points are awarded according to finishing position (one point for first place, two points for second), meaning the overall winner is the team that amasses the lowest points total.
Sheffield Yellow’s team members included Sam Yale (captain), Elizabeth Geraghty, Robbie Langford, Hannah Baber, Peter Owen and Immi van Ruiten. Meanwhile, Sheffield Black’s were represented by Tim Harms, Henry Heath, Doug White, Jenna Fogden, Tabitha Ridgwell and Ania Klecun.
