Some forget that the University of Hawai‘i has a team, sailing competitions or regattas occur year round in the collegiate sailing world. The competitive sport of sailing occurs on a race course, similar to Formula 1 except in the water. 

On the weekend of January 14th and 15th, the Rainbow Warrior Sailing team hosted their annual Peter Wenner Rainbow Invite. The invite is an annual invitation with schools from the Pacific Coast Conference division in honor of sailing alumni Peter Wenner. According to one of the sailors, sophomore Kees Horn, “The invite is one of the few more fun regattas… a lot of schools will send their seniors or less experienced sailors.”. Horn likes to think of the invite as a way for schools to send off their seniors or get the less experienced sailors some racing in.  The University of Hawaii sailing team was divided up into four teams and dominated the competition ranking in the top ten out twenty other teams. Like many sports like golf, tennis, and cross country, sailing is  not as popular as Volleyball or Football. Football and Volleyball draw out crowds of thousands in the Stan Sheriff Center. Under viewed sports may not be interesting to all people, but that does not mean they should be unrecognized. The sailing team has consistently been one of the highest performing teams here throughout the years.

Low Funding

Although the UH Sailing team is a winning team with better outcomes unlike some other sports on campus. The UH sailing team ranks in at least the top 25 in the country. The sailing team was even mentioned as one of the best schools in the country by the Collegiate Sailing Association, yet the team struggles financially year round. This can be due to a lack of viewership, unlike Football, they do not receive sufficient funding overall. In comparison to football, sailing is not a spectator sport, but it is known that the football team does not perform as high as the sailing team. Although viewership is important in terms of profit, that does not mean “just enough” funding is adequate enough. A lot of the money that helps run the sailing program comes from donations and outside funds according to Horn. These funds are just to be able to pay for their coaches. As one of the best in the country, the sailing team should not have to worry about enough funding. 

What is Sailing? 

Some forget that the University of Hawai‘i has a team, sailing competitions or regattas occur year round in the collegiate sailing world. The competitive sport of sailing occurs on a race course, similar to Formula 1 except in the water. The course is made out of sets of buoys. A regatta is a series of sailing races that occur over one or two days.  This sport requires a lot of knowledge on wind patterns and how to use the wind to your advantage when navigating through the course. Sailing can be an extremely dangerous sport as water conditions or wind conditions can be hazardous to competitors. Depending on the situation serious harm can occur. Although the sport of sailing may not spark everyone’s interest, it is still a compelling sport that requires a lot of athleticism and knowledge. Horn likes to call it “a real niche sport”. 

JOUR 325: Magazine Writing with Julien Gorbach

Created on: Jan. 24, 2023