Third-year science student Sophia Moiseyenko followed her brother’s footsteps, sailing at six-years-old, and never looked back. She was initially drawn to sailing on the ocean because of the sport’s environmental connection.
“Seeing all the whales poke out of the water … you get a really unique perspective,” said Mosieyenko.
After sailing keelboats for a few years with the Farr 30 team at the West Vancouver Yacht Club, Moiseyenko discovered her passion for sailing. But, it wasn’t until 2022 when she joined UBC’s Sailing team (TSC) that she noticed how community-oriented and close-knit the sport is.
“I still really like the competitive part of [racing] … but I also really like seeing all of my friends at every event that I go to, which I think college racing is really, really good for.”
“I try to pride myself and say that I can sail with anybody,” said Moiseyenko. “My biggest motivator is everybody I sail with.”
Aside from racing with UBC, Moiseyenko also sails on international waters as the only Western Canadian student selected to represent Canada. Last year, Mosieyenko’s team finished first overall amongst seven teams in the J80 Class at the EDHEC Sailing Cup in France.
“It was cool seeing all the different countries there — that was really fun!” said Moiseyenko.
This past June marked one of Moiseyenko’s biggest accomplishments to date — the FISU Sailing World University Championships.
“That was my first time going to Italy and my first time sailing in Italy,” she said. “So that was pretty awesome.”
The team sailed on Lake Garda, just east of Milan, where Mosieyenko took on the ‘bow’ position — a multi-skilled role involving changing sails and communicating manoeuvres, located at the most exposed, and therefore wettest, end of the boat.
“It was pretty cool sailing there; some of the biggest regattas are hosted on that same lake,” said Moiseyenko.
Despite unfortunate weather conditions with winds for “all four days being light and shifting directions, [which] makes it super tricky to keep the boat moving,” — and having never sailed altogether as a team — Mosieyenko and the Canadian team placed fourth overall.
“It was funny because the day after we left, it started blowing winds like crazy,” Moiseyenko laughed.
Reflecting on what she has learned while sailing over the years, Moiseyenko said sailing with TSC has improved her communication, which is crucial when there’s multiple people on the boat.
“These boats are never silent; you’re always talking about something and feeding information,” she shared.
As the next season steadily approaches, Moiseyenko is looking forward to another year of sailing with TSC and the Farr 30 team. She aims to go the distance — quite literally — setting her sights on overnight races and long-distance regattas around BC.
“Living in Vancouver, you tend to take the mountains for granted because we see them every day,” said Moiseyenko. “But every once in a while, I sit down when I’m sailing and am super grateful for where I live and being able to sail in this beautiful place.”
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