The Newsletter of Homerton College, Cambridge & The Homerton Roll

Sailing Blue
I first started sailing to avoid playing
Rugby. I lack any hand-eye coordination
and the traditional ball
sports that I was being asked to engage
in served little purpose other than
slight humiliation – and I had to run
around a lot, something that my
13-year self had serious issues with.
So I ticked the box marked ‘Sailing’ on my
secondary school form and attended a
course over the summer, hoping that I
would never have to touch a rugby ball
ever again. I loved it, and have never looked
back. Sailing has provided the backdrop
to my life, and I hope it continues to do
so in the future. Through it I have found
immeasurable confidence, thoroughly
enjoyed myself and found many friends. For
those of you not au-fait with competitive
sailing, here is a brief overview.
Above Having
just won the
Varsity match
Right On being
presented with
the trophy
(Felix in the
Blues Blazer)
There are three types of racing when
it comes to sailing: first, there is Fleet-
Racing where one boat wins, often out of
a fleet of over 150 vessels. Second, there
is Match-Racing – two boats pitched
directly against each other, as you might
see in the America’s Cup. Lastly, there is
Team-Racing – by far the most complex
of the three and participated in mostly by
Universities and Alumni teams across the
world, and something that I have devoted
my sporting life to for nine years.
A team consists of three boats, with two
people in each boat. A team-race consists
of two teams attempting to out-sail each
other over a short course – a race often
takes no longer than ten minutes. What
makes it interesting, and tactical, is that
beating that other team, not winning, is
what counts. Your boat’s finishing position
is the number of points your boat gets. (So
1st gets one point and so on) There are six
boats in the race, so there are 21 points on
offer. The aim is to get fewer points than
the opposing team. This can be achieved
through ten different combinations –
and not all of them include coming first!
Slowing down your opponents, letting
your team-mates’ boats through and giving
penalties to the rival team is the name of
the game – actually finishing a race can
sometimes leave you at a disadvantage!
I came to Cambridge in October 2008
and found a place on a strong University
2nd team – we came 11th at the National
Championships in April 2009. I spent every
Wednesday afternoon, and every weekend,
either training at Grafham (about 45
minutes drive away from Cambridge) or at
events around the country, from Aberdeen
to Southampton. I certainly learnt to be very
organised with work (and how to sail on a
Sunday with a horrific hangover…). I gained
a half-blue on being selected for the Varsity
match – which we then sadly lost.
In my second year, I ran successfully for
Captain, and was responsible for the
organisation of three teams with regards to
squad selection and training. We must have
done something right: sailing with the 1sts,
I came 5th at the National Championships
and earned my Full Blue (Full Blue status is
only awarded if a top-8 ranking is achieved).
Captaining the Varsity Match was a very
special experience, and winning was a
moment I will always remember fondly –
despite being summarily thrown into the
sea on our victory by the rest of the team.
Outside of Cambridge, I sail both an RS
200 and a Swallow (two and three-man
dinghies), the latter of which I took to Cowes
Week in 2010, coming a creditable 4th, and
being the first Swallow to ever finish a race
on the Royal Yacht Squadron Line.
This year, I have taken a back-seat, becoming
Commodore of the CU Cruising Club,
and focused a little more on my degree
(spending only four days a week on it was
starting to show), choosing only to organise
Cambridge’s annual sailing event, the Cam
Cup. I have taken on a few coaching roles
with a local school up near Rutland Water
to keep interested in the sport, and will
hopefully return to it next year!
Felix Danczak
Politics Psychology & Sociology 2008–2011
12
Homertonian