Waseda University’s Snipe team has claimed a remarkable seventh consecutive class title at the All-Japan Intercollegiate Yacht Championship, cementing its dynasty at Japan’s premier college sailing event. With all three of its boats finishing first, second, and third individually, Waseda also captured the 470 class crown, delivering the Tokyo university its fifth “complete” victory and its first overall win in two years.
The 91st edition of the championship was held at Shin-Nishinomiya Yacht Harbor in Hyogo Prefecture. Twenty-four universities entered each class, fielding three boats per team for a total of 72 Snipes and 72 470s. Team scores were calculated by combining the results of all three boats.
On the final day, the fleet headed out on schedule after flag D was raised at 09:35, but waited on the water for wind that never materialized. At noon, the race committee hoisted AP over A, ending any chance of further racing. The six races completed over the first three days became the final series, with each boat’s worst result discarded.
Conditions across the four days ranged from light air to a strong, shifty northerly, with wind shifting between north and south. Waseda led both classes from the opening day and was never seriously challenged.
Waseda’s Snipe performance was nothing short of extraordinary. The team’s score of 78.7 points in a 72-boat fleet was less than half that of second-placed Nihon University at 165. Mukai, the Snipe class leader, explained that this season’s goal had been to elevate the level of the third boat and beyond. Instead of depending on a handful of elite crews, the entire squad committed to improving collectively, and the third boat’s results proved the strategy had worked. After small mistakes and boat-handling issues cost Waseda the overall title the previous year, the team adopted the slogan kantsui, meaning “seeing things through to the end,” and devoted themselves to executing the fundamentals on every occasion.
Mukai described the Snipe team’s core strength as experience handed down and built up year after year. He expressed hope that the younger sailors would extend the streak to eight consecutive titles next season.
Head coach Kazunori Komatsu noted that the program maintained its overall direction following last year’s defeat but adjusted elements of its day-to-day training. Crews practiced helming by swapping positions with their skippers, ensuring both sailors could handle the boat confidently. The team also sailed longer practice courses to develop the broader tactical awareness needed to recover from errors. Because the Nishinomiya courses featured short legs, Komatsu believed his sailors felt they had more time than usual. On the final morning, he counted around 60 supporters who had traveled to Nishinomiya and reminded the team how many people stood behind them.
Team director Koshi Sekiguchi said the margin of victory had surprised even him. He credited the squad’s thorough commitment to the kantsui philosophy and the institutional knowledge the Snipe program passes from one generation to the next for its remarkable consistency.
Back on shore, the entire Waseda contingent, supporters included, sang the university anthem. By longstanding team tradition, the anthem is sung only after an overall title.
The battle for the remaining podium spots was tight throughout the week. Nihon University, last year’s overall champion, held on to second in the Snipe fleet. Its leading boats were Fuma Takashima and Hanto Hotta in fourth individually, and Tatsunobu Okuchi and Kaho Matsubara in fifth, who won Race 5 by a commanding margin.
Kyoto University, the Snipe winner the last time the Intercollegiate visited Nishinomiya seven years ago, finished third with 245 points. Sota Goto and Shizuka Nishikawa placed seventh individually, while Kanato Matsunaga and Haruhiko Akemi took tenth to lead the Kyoto effort.
A post-racing scoring penalty in Race 5 for Science Tokyo’s Takuto Iwakoshi and Yamato Haga lifted their team total from 270.7 to 292.6. That adjustment pushed Kwansei Gakuin, on 291 points, up to fourth, while Science Tokyo slipped to fifth by just 1.6 points. Keio at 324, Kyushu at 331, Japan University of Economics at 364.7, Kansai at 389, and Kobe at 418 completed the top ten.
Among individual standouts from outside the top three universities, Kansai’s Daiki Takeda and Shogo Kumakura finished sixth overall, while Ritsumeikan’s Hayato Maezono and Keito Fujioka placed eighth.
In the 470 class, Waseda took the title with 145 points ahead of Doshisha at 240 and Nihon at 281. In the combined overall standings, Waseda’s 223.7 points was roughly half of Nihon’s 446, with Kyoto rounding out the podium on 611.
Next year’s championship moves to the Sea of Japan coast, with Taki Port Marina in Ishikawa Prefecture set to host the 92nd edition of this storied event.
