National Championships


National Championships are held in six categories. Women’s Single-handed (new in 1994), Men’s Single-Handed, and Match Racing Championships (previously Sloop) are conducted in the fall, while Women’s Dinghy, Coed Dinghy, and Team Racing take place in the spring. The college team that compiles the best overall record in the six categories is awarded the Leonard M. Fowle Trophy, which honors the “Father of College Sailing”, who guided the development and expansion of college sailing from 1930 until 1976.

Teams must qualify for the Nationals through Conference Championships. All events are scored low-point with no throw-out races. Racing is done on short courses. Boats are usually rotated each race so that each team sails each boat in the fleet once. Most events are two-division A and B with the scores of each division added for a final team score.

The ICSA National Championships rotate amongst the seven different Conferences each year.