The University of Washington Sailing Team certainly has a storied history, and it’s good to see it continues to make history. The UW Sailing Team has qualified for both the women’s fleet Collegiate Nationals and co-ed Nationals, which will be hosted by the College of Charleston May 22-June 2 in South Carolina.
I had a quick chat with team member Cassidy Lynch, who will be traveling to South Carolina later this month. “We have about 20 team members,” she reports. “And we’re sailing for the most part without coaches. A few of the alumni come by and give us some coaching,” she added.
The University of Washington Team
The racing is primarily in FJs, with the occasional J/22 used in match racing. For the last several years, the team has been on a roll. They were so confident they’d qualify for Charleston that they contemplate booking flights ahead of time. But of course the nature of college sports is athlete turnover. “We were a little worried when some of the good seniors graduated,” Lynch says, “But some very talented freshmen joined the team so we’ll continue to be strong. Lynch herself is from the Bay area.
I’m hoping to get some reports from the team as they sail Nationals. And, personally, I’d sure like to see “our” team do well out there. I’m a little tired of seeing the college rankings disregard what’s happening out here!
The UW Sailing team has a Facebook page and a web site.
Go Dawgs.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.