The weekend that university team racers up and down the country have been waiting for, the 1st and 2nd of February 2020 will see 70 teams compete across 5 venues around the UK to kick off the BUCS Team Racing Championship 2020.
The culmination of 4 months training, the Qualifiers will be hosted as follows:
- Scotland – SSS/University of St. Andrews Sailing Club, Loch Ore
- North – University of Manchester Sailing Club, West Kirby SC
- Midlands – Cambridge University Cruising Club, Grafham Water SC
- South Central – Oxford University Yacht Club, Oxford SC
- Western – University of Bristol Sailing Club, Chew Valley SC
Will 2020 see Exeter defend their 2019 title? Will Cambridge, Southampton or Oxford, last year’s semi-finalists, take the crown, or will we see a new team upset the mix?
Next weekend is the first step on the road to the 2020 BUCS Championship finals, to be hosted by Cambridge University Cruising Club at Grafham Water SC in April 2020. The top 4 teams from each regional qualifier will secure their finals place automatically, whilst the 5th-7th placed teams will progress to the national playoffs, to be hosted by the University of Bristol Sailing Club at Chew Valley SC on the 29th-1st of March 2020.
Nicole Ames, no stranger to BUCS Team Racing having organised the South Central qualifier for the last couple of years, took on the renewed role of BUSA Team Racing Officer for 2019-20.
“It has been a challenge to step into a new role for BUSA as well as for myself. I hope that with the new perspective BUSA is building for the BUCS Team Racing Championships, we can improve the event experience for all competitors. I would like to thank the membership for the advice and suggestions for improvement we have received and hope that some of these changes can be implemented within the next year.”
Nicole wishes everyone luck for the upcoming qualifiers and hopes that there is less snow to contend with this year!
Emma Hartley, BUSA Western Area Chair and event organiser for the Western qualifiers, is looking forward to welcoming everyone to Chew Valley SC, where preparations are well underway. This year is an exciting one for Bristol, who are also hosting the BUCS Playoffs in a month’s time.
In the Midlands, the qualifier returns to Grafham Water SC, where BUSA Chair Karen Thomas will be delivering the event alongside her team from Cambridge
“We look forward to welcoming all the Midlands teams back to Grafham for another year of great competition, hopefully accompanied by sunshine and breeze!” 2019 saw temperatures of -6 degrees across most of the weekend in the Midlands, so anything above that would be pleasant!
Up in Scotland, the format is slightly different. Rather than one weekend of racing, the Scottish teams compete for those 4 finals places and 3 playoffs places across a series of 3 weekends. Emily Hill, the BUSA Area Chair for Scotland, will be helping to deliver the second event and stakes are high for some decent weather following the abandonment of the first weekend
“After a lack of sailing at our SSS1, Scotland is ready for our second qualifier this weekend at Loch Ore hosted by the University of St Andrews. With an aim to get through a round robin and a few leagues, the weekend is sure to be filled with tight racing and even tighter outfits at the retro icons social. Keep up to date by following BUSA Media and Scottish Student Sailing Instagram pages!”.
How do I follow the action?
Racing updates, photos and more will be posted across the BUSA social media channels. Follow @BUSASAILING on Twitter for updates on the competition throughout the weekend, as well as @busamedia on Facebook and Instagram for student takeovers and the daily summaries.
