Trinity Sailing Club continue to make waves with their second Women at the Helm event

Trinity Sailing Club aka DUSC celebrated another historic milestone with its second ‘Women at the Helm’ event which took place on 7 February 2026 at the Royal Saint George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire.  The event was organised to empower female sailors and promote inclusivity within the sport, saw an impressive 18 teams made up of both current students and alumni from across Ireland competing in a competitive yet encouraging environment.

Blessed with sunshine and a steady moderate breeze, the day saw over 60 races expertly overseen by PRO David Bolger.  This celebration of women in sport was made possible through the generous support of Irish businesses including CH Marine, Boss Stop, and Bóbó’s Burgers, all of whom contributed prizes to the raffle held at the Royal St George following prizegiving.

Building on the success of its inaugural edition, 'Women at the Helm' once again proved to be an inspiring and competitive showcase of collegiate sailing talent. The initiative, founded last year by Trinity Sailing Committee members Tim Norwood and Adam Leddy (24/25), continues to be a stepping stone for the development of women helms in Ireland.

A thrilling best-of-five final between two current student teams from UCD and Trinity provided a fitting climax to the day.  Trinity’s TCD Lavender delivered a commanding 3-0 victory, echoing the TCD first team’s standout performance just two weeks earlier at the Oxford Top Gun.

Trinity Sailing Club's Events Officer Ella Dempsey celebrated the 'Women at the Helm' event, saying, "This was such an incredibly high standard event that is rapidly improving and we're already looking forward to next year.  I would also like to take this chance to thank Finn Walker, Natacha Byrne, Adam Leddy and Tim Norwood for birthing the 'Women at The Helm' event last year, without them none of this women in sport initiative would have been possible!"

Trinity Sailing Club's Captain Oisín Hughes seconded Ella's comments, saying: "This event is so much more than just another weekend of racing, it is a testament to all of the hard work put in by the women in our sport that is often overlooked.  The event has become an important one in our calendar as a club and is vital to our development of women helms in sailing.  Its an honour to be given the chance to host so many teams from all over the country and to dedicate a full event to getting as many women out on the water as possible."

With another resounding success in the books, Women at the Helm has firmly established itself as a highlight of the collegiate sailing calendar for students and alumni alike, showing every sign of continuing to grow.