From October 17th to 22nd, the Laurier Sailing team represented Canada at the Student Yachting World Cup off the coast of Marseille, France.  The team qualified for the event after finishing second at Canadian Keelboat Nationals in 2016. 

Prior to the World Cup, a team of six students practiced diligently throughout the spring, summer and fall months.  A group of six students, including five sailors from Wilfrid Laurier University and one sailor from the University of Waterloo represented Canada at the event.
 
Leading the team was Laurier's Keelboat Captain and Skipper, Riley Finch.  His crew was composed of Spinnaker Trimmer - Geordie Miller, Jib Trimmer - Christine Correia, Pit Controls – Sophie Littlemore and Bowmen – Katrina Greenfield and Jack Jones.

The team's abilities were put to the test, as they faced diverse sailing conditions throughout the week.  On heavy wind days, gusts surpassed 20 knots and on light wind days, there was as little as three knots of wind.  

Canada was one of the smaller teams at the event and as such, all members were critical to the team's success.  Depending on the wind conditions, crew members often swapped and shared roles as needed.  Throughout the week, Canada remained consistent in their placing and contended with Norway for sixth place.  In the end, Canada pulled ahead with an 11 point difference and claimed sixth place. 

Off the race course, team members embodied all the qualities of a Golden Hawk by overcoming language barriers to interact with teams from other countries and partaking in cultural practices from around the world.  

Founder and former President of the Laurier Sailing Team, Geordie Miller, is thrilled with the team's success.  Moreover, he stated that qualifying for the World Cup is a remarkable accomplishment on it's own.  The Laurier Sailing Team is only four years old and has already achieved considerable success. The Golden Hawk community looks forward to seeing what the team will achieve in the future!

- courtesy of Laurier Sailing