Adam Rathmell (History and German 2019) thought he had sailed for the final time when on his year abroad in Berlin. Now the Gonville & Caius College student is celebrating being a British Universities and Colleges Sports champion with the University of Cambridge.

Ewan Gribbin (Engineering 2019) and Adam were in the Cambridge team which won BUCS earlier in April, sealing success on home water at Grafham Water, a reservoir near Huntingdon, north west of Cambridge.

“That was the biggest achievement of the year. That was amazing,” says Adam of the BUCS win. He raced in a two-person boat with Charlotte McConnell (Emmanuel College).

“It was a three-day event and we were ranked eighth going into the final day.

“We choked really badly on the first two days. The final afternoon, quarter-finals, semis and finals we sailed really well.”

Cambridge beat top-ranked Exeter in the quarter-finals and then Varsity rivals Oxford in the semis. BUCS victory was secure, as the final opponents were the Irish champions, University College Dublin, who won the regatta. Cambridge’s second boat, captained by Robbie McDonald (Medicine 2021), finished fifth nationally of the 80 teams which began the competition. Each team had three two-person boats.

 

 

 

 

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The full name of the club is Cambridge University Cruising Club (CUCrC). And it is the home of every sort of small craft sailing at the University – dinghies, windsurfers, kiteboarders, small keel boats.

Adam has sailed since the start of secondary school and enjoys the camaraderie on and off the water. He enjoys the strategy and hopes to carry on match racing in future.

“I thought I’d stopped and didn’t think I’d sail this year at all,” he says. “But coming back this year I decided to get involved again. I just got sucked into it!”

Main photo: Adam racing with Charlotte McConnell (Emmanuel College) (credit: Georgina Altham, PhotoBoat)