Tight competition at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta (GLIOR)
by Storm Trysail Club 9 Sep 11:27 NZST
September 6-7, 2025
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta 2025 © Storm Trysail Club
It all came down to just a single point on Lake Michigan. In the 9-boat J/105 class, the U.S. Naval Academy, sailing Peregrine owned by Mark and Meg Stoll, edged out the College of Charleston on Pura Vida by one point to take the win. Brown University, racing Sealark, was just two points back, rounding out a fiercely competitive podium.
Sailors couldn't have asked for better conditions—a bright, breezy Saturday followed by a slightly cooler, partly sunny Sunday that still made for fantastic racing. The mission of the Storm Trysail Club IORs is to give college sailors the chance to step onto bigger boats and start imagining what comes next after college sailing to spark a lifelong passion for the sport."
"This weekend was packed with stiff competition and tricky conditions that led to a great weekend of racing. Our team stayed steady in keeping our heads out of the boat and taking advantage of the course to put ourselves in dominant positions," said USNA skipper Logan Hayes. "Our tactician Nancy Rhoades made some fantastic calls and the crew made up of Ford Buckley, Lois Herring, Olivia Schuchard, and Jordan Hall threw in some great maneuvers and maintained top notch boat speed to excel us to the front. Navy Offshore Sailing is excited to be racing at IOR in Larchmont next month and is looking forward to some more great competition on the water with the other schools."
"I am incredibly proud to be a part of such a hard-working and determined team. The five Cougars in front of me all weekend gave it their all and it showed. USNA sailed incredibly consistently and they were seriously hard to keep up with," said Luka Touga, helmsman for College of Charleston's team. "This event was something that was really special for us because it proved that our CofC team has a bright and competitive future."
Over in the 5-boat Tartan 10 class, it was another nail-biter with Western Michigan University claiming victory by one point over Miami University (Ohio).
"This team has performed very well with multiple podium finishes, including first-place finishes at Larchmont IOR, Sloop Champs, and now GLIOR. We are very proud of our team we have built up," Western Michigan Skipper Will O'Haver said. "The WMU sailing team is excited to compete for the first time at the Larchmont IOR event in October, and we are looking forward to continuing to build and develop our team of sailors."
Across both classes, seven races were sailed over two days, delivering close racing from start to finish. Competitors were treated to spectacular weather that showcased the very best of Chicago sailing.
All of the top teams will now turn their focus east to Larchmont Yacht Club next month for the second stop in the Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta series, where they'll compete for the newly established Callisto Cup—a trophy that ties together the Midwest and East Coast editions of this growing national series kindly donated by Jim and Kate Murray.
Storm Trysail Club Rear Commodore and Chicago native Matt Gallagher is leading the effort to look at how to bridge college sailing to offshore sailing. "We have established a new committee in the Club to create pathways for college sailors to transition into big-boat racing. The IOR is just one way to give these athletes the experience and exposure they need."
Full results can be found on Yacht Scoring. Photos on StormTryail.org.