Competitive Sailing Team

Who are we?

The UofT Competitive Sailing Team races both keelboats and dinghies in fun and high-intensity regattas throughout Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and even the northern United States. We are always on the lookout for new sailors to help push our team towards victory!

What do we sail?

Our team trains in double-handed 420 dinghies three days a week. Most regattas we go to sail these double-handed dinghies - either Collegiate 420s, Club 420s, or FJ's depending on the host school's fleet. All dinghy sailing is white sail, with no spinnaker or trapeze allowed. There are also a couple of keelboat events during the year. Although the team does not have any keelboats that we can regularly practice on, some of the keelboat regattas provide opportunities to train on the boats directly before the regatta begins.

How do competitions work?

At a collegiate sailing dinghy regatta, a school is ranked based on the combined score of its A-fleet and B-fleet boat. Each school sends four sailors where two sail in each fleet. The fleets are independent and sail against the other boats in that fleet, typically around 8-12 boats per fleet, depending on the regatta. A typical regatta lasts a single weekend, where races begin Saturday morning and end Sunday afternoon. Depending on the location of the regatta, we usually aim to arrive Friday night and return Sunday evening. We aim to have 15-20 members on the team, so each UofT sailor typically attends 2-3 regattas through the duration of the season. Which regattas are attended by who is determined by availability and performance.

Who do we compete against?

The main circuit UofT competes in is the Canadian Intercollegiate Sailing Association (CICSA), which consists of over a dozen Canadian and American schools. See the CICSA website for an updated list of the participating schools. CICSA regattas typically occur between mid-September to mid-November, and involves regattas throughout Ontario, Quebec, British Colombia, and Nova Scotia. UofT also participates in some additional regattas in the Northern United States as part of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association's Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA). Scoring in each of these circuits is counted as the cumulation of points earned throughout the whole season, typically the top few regional regattas plus a select few national regattas.

When and where do we train?

Our competitive program sails out of The National Yacht Club, 1 stadium rd, by Coronation Park along the downtown Toronto harbourfront, just a short TTC ride down from the St. George campus.

Practices will take place Monday to Wednesday from 3-6pm. Team members are expected to attend two practices a week. If this poses a challenge it is still possible to be involved in the team - this can be discussed on a case by case basis.

Regardless of practice / regatta availability, all interested sailors are encouraged to attend tryouts - if you make the team but can only attend one practice we can probably find you a partner in a similar scenario; if you can’t attend any we may be able to take you as a reserve and offer them events that we can’t otherwise fill. Either way, tryouts are the best way for us to get to know you so that we can keep you posted of sailing opportunities as they come up.

How is the team selected?

The competitive sailing team holds tryouts at the beginning of every school year. Individuals may try out as a skipper or crew , and partners are rotated so being able to sail well with various partners is beneficial. The tryouts typically involve participants sailing in 420’s through some courses, drills, and practice races. The team is selected in an attempt to make a competitive roster for the upcoming season, and is based not just on performance but also on attitude, effort, and how well a sailor works together with their teammate. The competitive team does commonly accept members with no prior racing experience, but some form of sailing experience and comfort on a boat is generally required, alongside a willingness to learn. The UofT sailing team works very hard to create a welcoming and inclusive community, and new team members are expected to demonstrate sportsmanship and team spirit in order to positively represent the school at regattas. Once on the team, members are not required to try out again and may remain on the team for future years as long as they maintain good standing with the team.

Who can try out?

Unfortunately MAISA events are open to undergraduate students only. That does not mean graduate students cannot participate in racing! We encourage graduate students with an interest in racing to make themselves known to our leadership so that we may attempt to register events where graduate students are eligible.

How much does it cost?

The UofT competitive sailing team is mostly self-funded, with some help from the school. The team fee for the Fall 2024 season is not yet been decided and will be announced once the full schedule is released. Team fees cover the cost of training and using the NYC boats, and the cost of registering in CICSA regattas (although travel and accommodation may be extra). Team fees are typically a few hundred dollars per season.