When most people think of the state of Oregon, they may think about water, but it probably isn’t associated with sailing.
Skipper Rob Dubuc and the University sailing club want to change that. The club took a big step toward achieving that goal by winning the North-North Regatta in Seattle Oct. 14-15.
Both Oregon boats placed in the top four in their respective divisions. It was Dubuc’s boat that stole the show, however, dominating the competition by winning five out of seven races. For Dubuc, the club’s recent success is an added bonus to a pastime that he has enjoyed nearly his entire life.
Dubuc grew up in Rhode Island and sailing has always been in his blood.
“My family’s always been into the water,” Dubuc said.
After starting to sail seriously around age ten, the sport has been a constant in his life. Dubuc left his high school baseball team to start a sailing squad, one that survives today. Upon graduation, he applied only to schools that featured a sailing program. The Rhode Islander chose to move to Eugene in part because he would have the opportunity to pursue his passion immediately.
“I just wanted something different,” Dubuc said. “At a smaller school you get to sail (right away).”
Dubuc joined the University club, and now in his senior season, the Ducks are making some noise on the water. Two weekends ago Oregon traveled to Seattle to take part in the North-North Regatta, hosted by regional power Washington, and the last regional event before the fall championships Oct. 29-30. The club’s season so far has been one of change, with Dubuc stepping down as team captain to concentrate more fully on other activities as well as adjusting to a new boat and other equipment.
“He knows the most about the club of anyone here,” team captain Taylor Chittick said. “I’d call him a leader, definitely.”
The Ducks were unfazed by the changes, as Dubuc and crewmate Jessica Andrews took the new boat all the way to first place while Chittick and Stephanie Ostrander finished in fourth place overall in the “B” division races.
“In my four years here Oregon has not won a Northwest event,” Dubuc said. “It’s a huge, huge accomplishment.”
Dubuc and Andrews have been a team for little more than two weeks, but they are quickly establishing a rapport on the water.
“We’re being really talkative, we work it through,” Andrews said. “Rob’s a great teacher.”
Although he affects a laid-back personality on shore, as skipper, Dubuc is all business.
“He gets so into it, really passionate and intense,” Andrews said. “Out on the water he can really make the boat move.”
Because the Northwest Intercollegiate Sailing Association is small in size, it generally only receives one berth to the national championships and other large events, ensuring that Oregon will have to prove again that this new group of Ducks is not a fluke.
“The better we get to know each other, the better we’ll be,” Dubuc said.
After the fall championships at the end of the month and the sailing season ends in the spring, don’t expect Dubuc to retire to dry land. Although he doubts he’ll be able to sail full-time, the Oregon skipper plans to enter competitions after college.
“I guess it’s been just a big hobby,” Dubuc said. “It’s the wind and the water; the movements you make affect the wind and water. I love being out there.”