Over the reading week, Queen's sailing team had the opportunity to send 2 teams to the 2023 CICSA Keelboat Match Racing National Championship being hosted by the West Vancouver Yacht Club. QU 1 was comprised of Rachel Green, Mansell Styles, Sam Barbara and Samuel Riszk. QU 2 was comprised of Olin Bailly, Peyton Duggan, Rose Sbrolla and Jullian Hill. This was both these teams' first time sailing J22s together. Developing communication was key during the practice day and throughout the round-robin, racing against other teams at the regatta (UofT, Mac, Dal, UVic and UBC). During the round-robin, our QU 1 team got 3 wins and 3 losses, while QU 2 got 2 wins and 4 losses. Highlights of these matches include the QU 1 vs. QU 2 race, won by QU 1 and the QU 2 vs. Dal, won by QU 2. The team completed the entirety of the round-robin sailing in zero degrees and wild weather conditions, including a snowstorm and extremely challenging wind conditions. 
 
Following the completion of the round-robin, it was time for a single elimination bracket and finals. Coming into the elimination round, QU 1 was seeded in 3rd and got a by to the semi-finals with QU 2 in 5th matching up against Dal. Unfortunately, QU 2 got eliminated by Dal but was excited to support their teammates on the water throughout the rest of the regatta. QU 1 worked hard in the semi-finals, beating UVic in 2 out of 3 races, which sent them to the finals against the undefeated U of T. 
 
In the finals, the light winds made every movement count. In a best 2 out of 3 series, QU1 only finished just a few feet behind UofT. In the last race, wind conditions were tactically challenging and the team was unfortunately not able to beat UofT. This loss placed QU 1 in 2nd place at the CICSA Keelboat Match Racing National Championship! Both teams are so grateful to have gone and cannot wait to be back out on the water again soon!