Sunny weather and smiles all round for Exeter University Sailing Club’s debut event

Exeter University Sailing Club took a break from revision last weekend, to host their brand-new event: EUSC Reunion Race Weekend.

Open to members, alumni and family alike, the event saw five teams descend to the Solent to compete for the Rory Cheetham Memorial Cup, in a fantastic weekend of friendly racing.

Good wind all weekend meant that the sailors managed to fit in a full round robin on Saturday, and half on Sunday before going into the tense knockout stages. Southampton cruised to victory, proving that quality over quantity, is the key to success.

They didn’t lose a single race the whole weekend, despite having only three crew on Saturday and two on Sunday! However, they were pushed to their limits in a tight final with Exeter, with a steadily building wind providing difficult conditions. Exeter’s kite went for a dip, so Southampton were able to win the two races, best out of three.

Bates Family & CO came third, after sailing well all weekend, whilst the ‘newby’ Exeter freshers took fourth place.

The wooden spoon prize was presented to Exeter’s alumni team, who finished in fifth place. All were in good spirits at the Prize Giving on Sunday, when the winners were awarded the Rory Cheetham Cup. As requested, the cup was filled with the sponsors drink, Exmoor Ales, and ‘chugged’ by the winning team!

As well as the sailing, competitors enjoyed some great tanning time as the sun came out, making it the hottest April day in history. Sadly, the rain kicked in during the evening, but this didn’t dampen the sailor’s spirits, who still enjoyed partying on Saturday evening. They headed to Jesters for the social, and danced away until the early hours.

For its debut run, the event was a great success, and hopefully one which we will see hosted annually.

Photos: Will Roberts