The Yacht Squad competes in Fleet Racing throughout the year and takes part in several inshore regattas each year as well as several offshore regattas. Yacht fleet racing has been a Half-Blue sport since 2008. The Varsity Match is raced every year over the Easter holiday in the Solent, with the full history of the cup results found here. The Blues Team also competes in BUSA Yachting Nationals every spring.
Cruising trips are for members who want to enjoy sailing without the added competition. They are also organised throughout the year, with most trips taking place over Winter in order to keep costs low. We usually charter a yacht on the South Coast for a short weekend break, though occasionally venture out of the Solent for longer trips both within British waters and abroad. We can cater for both beginners and experienced sailors.
If you want to start yachting at the beginning of the academic year and meet lots of yachties – then join our annual Yachting Extravaganza. The Extravaganza is our biggest event of the year, generally taking place on the Saturday of 3rd week / Sunday of 4th week Michaelmas term, and is probably the best way to get to know people in the club, as well as a great chance to try yachting at Oxford!
Varsity and the student sailing Championships (BUSA) are the biggest events on the yachting calendar. For both, we race on Bénéteau Oceanis 38s out of Port Hamble. There is reasonably high standard at BUSA and the Tabs are often pretty good, which means it’s very important that we take are training seriously as we only have limited time on the water. If you’d like to get involved, email yachting-racing@ouyc.co.uk. We are having a pre-season training weekend before Freshers’ week - email us for more information.
Teams and Training
Training will be running over the whole of a given weekend as we have to go down to the Solent to do so. The firsts team will be training for 3-4 weekends a term, whilst the seconds will only be training once or twice a term, which means that the commitment is lower. The seconds boat is perfect for developing our less experienced sailors, so please don’t hesitate to get involved even if you haven’t raced yachts before. It’s possible that if you have been training on the seconds boat in Michaelmas that you’ll be asked to train on the firsts in Hilary and beyond!
Am I good enough?
Yes. We often have at least one inexperienced sailor on the first team every year and the seconds boat is aimed at getting new and inexperienced sailors onto the water. Providing you are free for the weekend and eager to learn, we’ll happily have you on board and will show you the ropes!
During the summer months we often run an offshore campaign. We’ve competed in a series of JOG and RORC races including the previous Rolex Fastnet Races and the 2018 Round Britain and Ireland Race. OUYC members can always be found at regattas throughout the Solent, from Cowes Week to Panerai Classics, so if you see one of us wearing an Oxford jacket please don’t hesitate to say hello!
Whether you are a prospective student, current student or alumni, please contact offshore-captain@ouyc.co.uk if you’re interested in joining our offshore campaign.
OUYC runs cruising trips at least once a term, they are aimed purely at getting people out onto the water and involved in the club.
However our main event is the Extravaganza – OUYC’s annual big cruising event. This is a sailing opportunity for anyone who wants to to get out on the water in a yacht – no experience necessary! Have a go for the first time, or get in some practice. We usually sail from Hamble or Portsmouth to Cowes, with a meal out on the Saturday night, before sailing back on Sunday.
We also are planning a summer cruising. Where we’ll explore the waters of another country and have some lovely meals out with other members of the club. Email cruising@ouyc.co.uk to get involved!
