All Japan Intercollegiate Individual Championship

Shin-Nishinomiya, Japan, October 11, 2026. Doshisha University wins the Snipe title at the All Japan Intercollegiate Individual Championship.

Doshisha University’s Yusei Sakamaki (skipper) and Satoki Horai / Maho Takahashi (crew, as listed in the official results) won the Snipe class at the 2026 All Japan Intercollegiate Yacht Individual Championship, held over two days at Shin-Nishinomiya Yacht Harbor. They finished on 9 points in a fleet of 55 boats, four ahead of Kansai University’s Daiki Takeda and Shogo Kumakura / Kento Ueda (13). Waseda University’s Shintaro Mukai and Asaka Seike took third with 14. Doshisha also won the 470 class to complete a double.

The final day, October 11, began with clear autumn skies but little wind. As on the previous day, racing started only once the southwesterly sea breeze filled in. The breeze reached a maximum of about 9 knots, and two races were sailed, bringing the total to five over the two days.

Doshisha’s scores were 4-26-1-3-1, with the 26th place discarded. They closed with a third and a first on the final day. Sakamaki and Takahashi won the last race after starting on the windward side, tacking straight away and finding fresh breeze to take the lead. The Doshisha Snipe team also received the Most Valuable Player Award, which goes to the team with the lowest points total across both the 470 and Snipe classes.

“We had a speed advantage over the other boats, so it was easier to sail our own course and move up steadily,” said Sakamaki, a second-year student. “Even when we made a bad start, we were able to get to the front. This time everything worked really well.”

Takahashi, a third-year, pointed to the team’s preparation. “Our speed has been good since training, and I think that was a real advantage. We have been training in Nishinomiya since around August, and I could feel the speed improving.”

The win carries extra weight for Doshisha. The university’s Snipe team, one of the most prestigious in Japanese collegiate sailing, was unexpectedly eliminated in the regional qualifier and cannot take part in the team championship. For the fourth-year students, this was their last race.

“After we lost the team-event regional qualifier, I felt I couldn’t feel good about myself unless I got a result in the individual event,” said Horai, a fourth-year. “I had always wanted to win, so I’m really glad.”

Pos	Sail no.	University	Skipper	Crew	Races	Pts
1	JPN31263	Doshisha	Yusei Sakamaki	Satoki Horai / Maho Takahashi	4-26-1-3-1	9
2	JPN32059	Kansai	Daiki Takeda	Shogo Kumakura / Kento Ueda	8-3-4-2-4	13
3	JPN31813	Waseda	Shintaro Mukai	Asaka Seike	1-6-15-4-3	14
4	JPN31926	Waseda	Shun Shigematsu	Yuri Yoshimi	12-5-3-30-5	25
5	JPN32024	Meiji	Terumi Hattori	Sena Matsuura / Kyoshun Takahashi	6-4-2-14-20	26
6	JPN32038	Institute of Science Tokyo	Takuto Iwakoshi	Yamato Haga	9-2-36-7-9	27
7	JPN31968	Kwansei Gakuin	Goto Miura	Yoshitomo Yamamoto / Futa Tokuda	3-21-8-5-38	37
8	JPN31988	Nihon	Fuma Takashima	Taichi Kaiya / Hanto Hotta	7-13-13-11-14	44
9	JPN31505	Nagoya	Kenta Okumura	Shunya Kitagawa / Kazuki Tomoda	14-22-12-19-2	47
10	JPN32036	Nihon	Tatsunobu Okuchi	Kaho Matsubara	18-12-9-22-8	47

A Snipe sailor wins the Singlehanded Regatta

The All Japan Intercollegiate Singlehanded Regatta, held alongside the championship, drew six boats. It was won by Miho Deguchi of Kobe University, a Snipe sailor who has been competing since her junior days, with all first places.

“I sailed singlehanders in high school, but since entering university I have been sailing the Snipe. It was my first time in an ILCA in two years,” said Deguchi, a first-year. “The wind was light, which suits me, and since many of the other sailors were bigger, I think my small build helped. After this win, I will work even harder on the Snipe.”

The action now continues at the same venue with the All Japan Intercollegiate team championship.

Source: Bulkhead Magazine

Photos. Junichi Hirai