The Trinity College sailing club has had a huge amount of success lately at the recent IUSA Intervarsity competition. The club's first, second and third teams managed to place in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th overall. The fourth team and fifth teams also did well, with the fourth team reaching the silver fleet finals and the fifth team reaching the bronze fleet playoff finals. Placing 2nd,3rd and 4th has never been achieved at intervarsity’s in sailing, with Trinity’s firsts, seconds and thirds impressively overcoming UCC 1, TUD 1 and Queens 1 to reach the semi-finals. Trinity also made up 3 out of 4 of the places in the gold fleet finals. Earlier this year Trinity Sailing club also won the southern championship in Dingle, Co. Kerry, the first win in over five years.
“It has been a season to remember, and we are delighted with the success we've had on and off the water. The club managed to win its first Irish university sailing association event at the southern championships in Dingle in more than 5 years. This was a remarkable achievement for the club, and this comes from all the hard work and commitment of the members. I’m incredibly impressed by the season the club is having.” Commented Marcus Boggan, the Trinity Sailing Club Captain.
Trinity Sailing Club was very successful at the Irish University Sailing Association (IUSA) awards. They were awarded with The Irish University Sailing Club of the year, won the event of the year, Trinity sailor Toby Hudson Fowler won Irish university sailing association ‘sailor of the year’, sailor Eimear O’ Regan won crew of the year, and sailor Cian Murphy won volunteer of the year for his commitment at events including towing and aiding.
“As a club we are enormously proud of what has been achieved this year. On a personal level, I am ecstatic for the members who claimed individual recognition, which goes to show their hard work in training and at events.” said Boggan “The phrase it takes a village is the most adapt way to describe what led the club to receive the awards, and it really did, as effort was made by every individual member which led to the success of the club as a whole. The commitment of the committee cannot go unmentioned, whether it was organising training and theory sessions or organising events, all members of the committee worked extremely hard. Without their hard work, these awards would have been impossible.”
There have been a lot of memorable moments this season for Trinity Sailing club members, “Without a doubt, the all Trinity final when TCD 1 took on TCD 2 in the finals at the Dingle Southern Championships. This sticks out as it was a great showcase of not only the club's strength but also the depth of talent within our ranks. The fact that we had two Trinity teams battling it out for the top spot speaks volumes about the caliber of sailors we have within our club.” said Boggan. Boggan loved the competition and being able to do well on the big stage and that's why this was his favorite memorable moment of the year.
Along with the recent success on the water, Trinity Sailing club are also ensuring they're promoting female participation at all levels by launching a 'women at the helm' campaign. “Despite the success we've had this year, Trinity sailing can always improve. One area we're keen to focus on is promoting and supporting women at the helm. Trinity Sailing is firmly committed to increasing diversity and inclusivity within the sailing community.” commented Boggan. “We aspire to create an environment where women feel empowered to take the helm, by actively encouraging and promoting female representation at all levels of our club, we hope to foster a more inclusive and diverse sailing community. The Women at the Helm initiative seeks to provide targeted support and resources for female sailors looking to enhance their skills and confidence on the water. This includes training sessions and peer mentorship.”