Varsity 2025 Race Report | Sailing

It’s been just over two weeks since AUSC travelled up to the strange and intriguing land of North Wales to compete in our annual Varsity event. The land-based flotilla of cars and buses set off sharp at 7am from the boathouse, with the minibus having to conduct a penalty turn for hitting a mark before the sailing had even begun.

Arriving on the Isle of Anglesey, the boats were rigged, kit donned, and hair sprayed pink. Soon, the first warning single blared out across the water. The first race saw light winds and a strong tide with Aberystwyth achieving their first win of four, with a 1-2-4 result. However, this light wind soon picked up a strong blow, with crews and helms hiking intently. These winds continued for the next 3 races, with Aber once again taking the lead in each race. This inspired intense competition between our own boats, evidenced by Aber helm Matthew quoted saying “Tom Darlington was the biggest opp on the start line.” Aber helm Oliver Smoult was witnessed to protest an Aber boat at the leeward mark in race 3.

During the battle for the Varsity win, Aber sailor Jude Lince fought his own battle, Jude vs Feva. This was a battle that Aber did not win, with Jude being dunked 7 times but still leaving the water with a smile. As racing came to a close and the wind eased, the pints started pouring and the rugby was on. Whilst many eyes were glued to the screen for Scotland vs Wales, the Varsity result was deliberated. The result for the Varsity point followed Aberystwyth’s successes on the water, with an overall win! Oli won all but one of the 5 races sailed, and the other two Aber boats performed well against Bangor, who were a great adversary to race against.

As the sun set and the evening drew in, the social began. Aber took their role of aliens in the Men in Black theme very seriously, establishing a new language amongst our sailors in addition to our space goggles and antennae. As we ventured into the metropolis of Bangor we were greeted by locals, one of whom wanted to lead us to the “hardest man in Bangor”, which we sadly had to refuse. Aber lead the way in creating cocktails to show our lovely new Bangor friends, with the Gonster (patent pending) going down particularly well. The social drew to a close and Aberystwyth returned to their borrowed digs. As the sun rose on a Sunday morning we made tracks and headed back down to rural mid-Wales with the first varsity win for the university tucked under our buoyancy aids.

Both committee and club members of AUSC would like to thank BUSC for hosting the racing, sailors, and social. We had a great day of racing with excellent competition. We hope to see you guys soon, on or off the water, possibly even later this year at our 70th anniversary regatta…

Lots of love from AUSC xoxo

For more photos of the event, click here!