Queen’s Sailing is spending more time on the road than ever before.
The Gaels are sending athletes to multiple regattas across Canada and the United States this weekend, continuing what co-president Izzy Pepper, ArtSci ’28, described as the busiest schedule in the program’s history.
“We have, on average, 16 people travelling per weekend,” Pepper said in an interview with The Journal. “We’re just doing a lot of travel this year.”
The expansion comes as Queen’s has gained access to a wider range of American competition. Pepper said the team competes within the Canadian Intercollegiate Sailing Association (CISA) while also taking part in the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) and its Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA).
As Queen’s has improved, Pepper said the team has gained more opportunities to compete south of the border.
“We’re now a tier-one school, so we can select from not only MAISA but also from all the ICSA events,” she said. “We now can compete against basically any U.S. school, which wasn’t even a thing last season.”
Pepper said earning those opportunities initially required convincing American programs that Queen’s could compete at their level.
“It started with us basically begging U.S. schools for a berth,” Pepper said. “Then showing them that we train hard and that we deserve to be there.”
The growing schedule has also brought more responsibility for Pepper and co-president Andrew Kenny, ArtSci ’28. Pepper said the pair have handled much of the team’s administration since January while Queen’s works to onboard a part-time coach.
“We started this role as second years, acting as both head coach and as presidents with the heaviest schedule in history,” Pepper said.
That workload includes travel planning and team selection alongside their own training and full course loads. Pepper said the team regularly holds two practices a day, in addition to strength training and specialized keelboat sessions.
The program’s international reach will also be on display this week. Kenny and Anna Powick, Sci ’29, will represent Canada at the 2026 International University Sports Federation, also known as FISU, World University Championship Sailing in Croatia.
“I’m honestly just so proud of them and the work that they’ve put into sailing and just all of their training,” Pepper said. “They deserve it so much.”
For Pepper, their selection reflects the work taking place throughout the program as Queen’s sailors continue competing both domestically and internationally.
“Everyone’s doing really cool stuff and we’re very proud of the team this year because everyone is working incredibly hard,” she said.
The Gaels’ ambitions remain high as the schedule continues. Queen’s is aiming to build on four consecutive Team Race national titles and improve on last year’s second-place finish in fleet racing.
The program’s goals also extend beyond Canada. Pepper said Queen’s qualified for the America Trophy pathway toward the U.S. National Championships last season but could not attend because the event conflicted with exams.
“The goal is to go to the U.S. National Championships, even this spring,” Pepper said.
For now, Queen’s will continue working through a packed fall schedule, with upcoming Canadian and American regattas giving the team more opportunities to compete at the level it has spent the past two seasons working toward.
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