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UVic sails to victory at the Western Canada Cup

U Vic sailing club

October 3, 2022

VICTORIA - Returning strong after a two-year hiatus, the University of Victoria (1) sailing club cruised to the top of the podium at the 2022 Western Canada Cup held at Cadboro Bay on Sept 24-25.

It was smooth sailing for UVic's veteran athletes, who didn't skip a beat despite having not competed since 2019. According to regatta coordinator and UVic team member Anna Schroeder, beautiful fall weather made for a great weekend on the water that saw 22 races occur between UVic, the University of British Columbia, Oregon State University, the University of Washington and Western Washington University.

"It was definitely the largest race I've ever run, but we had great winds over the weekend, and it went really well. The races were short, and the course was technical, so each team got lots of laps in," said Schroader, who hails from Washington and has been sailing for over a decade.

Three UVic boats participated in the event, with UVic 1 taking home top spot. The success of UVic 1 means that they will move on to compete at the Canadian Intercollegiate Sailing National Championships in Montreal, Quebec.

"It should be really fun to compete at nationals, I've never been to Montreal before, so I'm really looking forward to it," continued Schroeder.

“We haven't participated in an intercollegiate regatta in a long time, so striking up those old rivalries and meeting the newest members of those teams was really great.”
Vikes Sailing Western Canada Cup

For UVic engineering student Michelle Martindale, who is in her fourth year with the sailing club, this will be her first time competing at nationals.

Martindale, originally from Calgary, Alta., started sailing competitively at age 14 and is looking forward to developing some of her technical skills and learning more about high-level racing strategy as she and partner Ilya Sharikov prepare for nationals.

"It felt so great to get out on the water competing for UVic again," said Martindale. "We haven't participated in an intercollegiate regatta in a long time, so striking up those old rivalries and meeting the newest members of those teams was really great. I loved meeting the members of other university teams and seeing where UVic sits in terms of the other competition."

"I haven't competed at nationals before, but I'm really excited to compete against other Canadian teams and race out of Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club."

The UVic sailing club trains three days a week for three or more hours each session out the UVic Sailing compound in Cadboro/Gyro Park, about a five-minute walk from UVic.

UVic sailing provides unique opportunities for students to grow and learn outside the classroom. Students learn teamwork, leadership, and organization and are constantly challenged to improve and grow personally, and constantly improve the Sailing Club to provide better opportunities for all students.

Learn more about the UVic Sailing Club here.