MUST is an essential beacon of collegiate sailing in both the Canadian and American competitive circuits. Consistently being a podium-contender at national-level events, this team has proven itself time and time again, attracting and developing excellent sailors from Canada, the US, and beyond.

This past November, we were notified that our team would be part of the 15 sports cut from the McGill Athletics program. Though this decision will only take effect at the beginning of the next academic year, our interim has been filled with considerable uncertainty as to how this transition will materialize.

While we will still run a full season next fall (inclusive of events such as tryouts and learn to sail) under the SSMU, the loss of recognition and support from McGill Athletics is heavily disappointing. The team will lose access to several pillars of administrative support SSMU is not positioned to fill. In light of the transition timeline, this includes being unable to run a McGill24 campaign under McGill Athletics this year.

Our team runs a very intensive season in the fall. We train four times a week, run 2-3 weekends of Learn to Sail fundraisers, and often host between 3-4 regattas being the only team in Quebec with a complete fleet of z420s. However, doing so means we commit to funding the high costs of maintenance and an ambitious 6-year refleeting plan in order to keep our boats in competitive condition. Historically, the majority of these funds have come from crowdfunding campaigns such as McGill24, formerly Seeds of Change. Our inability to run a campaign this year is disheartening, and goes against McGill Athletic’s promise to maintain “business-as-usual” until the end of this academic year.

While we are in discussion with SSMU about how to fill these gaps, building these structures takes time. In the meantime, we are asking for your help to build the team’s resilience and capacity. Your support is invaluable in allowing us to continue operating as expected while we adjust to our new normal.

To our community of supporters, thank you for standing up for us. Reading your words of encouragement has been an empowering reminder of determination and perseverance. Allez, allez, allez!