After defeating some of the best sailing clubs in the country last fall, the University of Toledo Sailing Club headed across the sea April 22 for a global race.
The club received an invitation to the 47th EDHEC Sailing Cup in La Rochelle, France, after winning the Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (IOR) held at Larchmont Yacht Club in New York. The team prevailed over some heavy hitters in sailing at the IOR, including Harvard University, defending champion Georgetown University and the United States Coast Guard Academy.
Luke Gossman, 22, commodore of the club, said he is thrilled to participate in the race with his six teammates: Andrew Logan, 29, Hans Guentert, 22, Drew Blackburn, 20, Colin Mackay, 20, Evon DePrey, 20, and Garrett Altenberger, 19.
Gossman said their goal for the EDHEC, a six-day intercollegiate race, is to make it to the finals, which means placing in the top 20. The UT Sailing Club will compete against more than 150 other teams from across the globe.
The students raised money for their trip through fundraisers and campus events. In addition, they received support from UT’s alumni association. The alumni group is also planning to throw the team a celebration on the last night of the event.
Nicolas Degroote, who attended the IOR as a representative of the EDHEC Sailing Cup, told race organizers he was impressed by UT’s team.
“[UT’s Sailing Club] has proven to have a really good level of sailing; they defeated some varsity teams that were favorites to win the IOR,” Degroote said in a news release after the October win.
The release also described conditions during the race, noting sailors faced on the first day a “nasty short, steep chop that gave fits to some, but did not slow the Toledo team.”
“The chop was an advantage for us since we sail in those conditions all the time on western Lake Erie,” Mackay said in the release.
Gossman is a member of North Cape Yacht Club in La Salle, Michigan. Gossman’s father, Chip, is also a member of the club and sparked his son’s passion for sailing. Gossman said he is also thrilled to raise awareness of the sport. In the past year, the team expanded from three to 15 members.
“The great thing about sailing is it’s just as exciting to do well as it is to bring people into the sport,” Gossman said.
The EDHEC Sailing Cup is April 24 to May 2. Those interested can follow the club’s journey at facebook. com/sail.utoledo, where they will post videos, blog posts and photos from France.
