BUSA/ICSA Tour

This biennial competition between the USA (ICSA) and the UK (BUSA) has, since its inception in 1959, involved teams of university student sailors alternately 'touring' the two countries, alternating, every other year..

For information about this year's edition, see 2022-2023 Tour page.

Background to the Tour:

The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) is the governing authority for sailing at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in some parts of Canada.

The "Hall of Fame" provides information on many of the past Tours.

2013; the ICSA team toured the UK and won the series, putting a stop to several year's of UK wins.

2015; the BUSA team toured the USA and got its own back with across-the-board wins.

2017; ICSA team return to the UK, BUSA told their title, winning 3 matches to 2.

2019; BUSA team head to the USA. ICSA take the series win.

2021-2022 Cancelled

There are four trophies:

  • Lord John King - Match Race
  • Performance Sailcraft - Laser Team Race
  • British American - 2K
  • Thomas Lipton - 3v3 Team Racing

2022-2023 Tour

Details of tour will be posted in due course


2019 Tour

This time round, the Challenge will be taking place in the US, namely throughout New England and the Mid- Atlantic.

The challenge will be approximately 18 days long, where the BUSA team of 8 sailors will start in Boston and work their way down the east coast to DC, competing in 5 trophy events throughout the course of the challenge. The tour will also allow the BUSA team to compete in various ISCA college championships outside of the trophy events.

For information about this year's edition, see 2019 Tour page.

2017 - The 30th - Tour

In 2017 the ICSA-BUSA Tour came to the UK.

Invitation to Team Selection 2017
Selection Notice 2017

ICSA Team: Charles Lalumiere, Brendan Shanahan, Carolyn Smith, Gabriel Smith, Nic Baird, Edmund Cooper, Chandler Gregoire and Hannah Polster

BUSA Teams:

Firefly Team Race 1: Tarra Gill-Taylor, Scott Wallis, Arthur Henderson, Josh Flack, Matt Whitfield and Tim Gratton

Laser Team Race: Tarra Gill-Taylor, Scott Wallis and Matt Whitfield

Match Race: Matt Whitfield, Tim Gratton and Zak Bermon

2K: Tarra Gill Taylor, Arthur Henderson, Tim Gratton, Hugo Sloper, Zak Bermon and Millie Gibbons

Firefly Team Race 2: Tarra Gill-Taylor, Scott Wallis, Arthur Henderson, Hugo Sloper, Matt Whitfield, Tim Gratton, Ben Rahemtulla, Jamie Webb and Millie Gibbons

2015 Tour

The 29th Tour involved a UK Team touring the USA in September 2015

BUSA Team:
Connor Miller (Loughborough University), Cam Douglas (University of Bristol), Ben Gratton (University of Oxford), Tim Gratton (University of Cambridge),Emily Nagel (University of Southampton), Arthur Henderson (University of Cambridge), Charlie Makepeace (University of Bristol), Mike Matthews (Loughborough University), Matt Reid (Southampton Solent University), Emily Wiltshire (Cardiff University)

Pre-Tour Press Release

Notice of Selection

Post Event News

Full Report with photos

With the Trophies at the US Naval Academy

Sonars at Boston

Team Racing at Tufts


2013 Tour

This was the 28th BUSA/ICSA Tour since the challenge started 54 years ago.

Chris Barnard, a member of the 2013 USA Team, made a great Chris Barnard's Blog Reports on their Tour.


Previous Years

The Tour "Hall of Fame" provides information on previous tour events.

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