KINGSTON, R.I. – Feb. 17, 2026 – Anyone who has spent time on a college campus knows full well that the opening stretch of a semester can be hectic. Professors are handing out their syllabi, and students can be seen walking all over, charting a course to their next class. The spring term carries its own swell of emotion within students, faculty, and staff with commencement on the horizon.
Olin Guck, a University of Rhode Island senior engineering student from Bristol, had a different start to the semester.
Instead of trekking through snow in Kingston, he was cutting through waves on the other side of the globe in Australia.
The captain of URI’s Sailing Team took his talents to Perth where he competed in the F18 World Championships, the premier annual international sailing competition for Formula 18 catamarans.
“It was a full day’s effort of racing and then also catching up on schoolwork,” said Guck.
The week-long competition featured 75 elite-level competitors from around the world.
“At this event, there were multiple medalists we sailed against and people who have sailed in the Olympics. So, the level of competition is fairly high,” said Guck.
Facing world class competition in unfamiliar waters is something Guck has grown accustomed to, having competed with his father from an early age. He’s participated in the international championships for four years and his thirst for competition has led to him sailing against the world’s best in places such as Spain.
“I first got on a boat at 2 months old and I started racing when I was pretty young, but I started sailing the Formula 18 when I was around 12 or 13 with my dad,” said Guck.
Sailing is in his blood, as both of Guck’s parents are All-American sailors.
The F18 World Championships marked his first competition in Australia—and perhaps his most demanding. With the southern hemisphere’s reversed season, Perth was experiencing a summer heat wave and with a 13‑hour time difference, the sun beat down as steadily as the swells he’s had to navigate.
Given the event’s location, Guck’s boat had to be disassembled and shipped in containers. Once there, Guck and his father spent a day re‑rigging the twin‑hull, high‑performance Exploder F18 Scorpion.
“It took us a full day to put it all together with the bolt and everything together and get all the lines running well and putting up the mast,” said Guck.
Sailing catamarans such as the Scorpion requires immense experience and skill. The vessel requires a lot of exertion, both physically and mentally. Guck’s boat typically cruises around 15 to 17 knots—or 17 to 19 miles an hour. But the boat can reach as high as 20 knots if the conditions are right.
“It’s got two hulls and a square top deck sweeping the main sill and a jib, and also a spinnaker,” said Guck. “It’s a three-sail boat with a skipper and a crew, and people are on two trapezes kind of hanging off the side of the boat. I’m in the front of the boat and my dad drives, so I’m helping with the different changes and setting up the sail so that we can go fast.”
Though Guck isn’t steering, his role involves controlling the sail and reading the angles needed to harness shifting winds. In a regatta such as this, Guck must maintain hours of strenuous line handling while staying mentally alert to every change in breeze and chop.
“It’s a full day of racing, but the wind can shift everything within minutes,” said Guck.
Ultimately, Guck and his dad would capture 11th place at the F18 Championships, maneuvering past 64 other competitors. There was little time for Guck to celebrate, though, as he had to return to the U.S. and sail back into his last final semester at URI.
Sailing will remain part of Guck’s life after graduating from the University. His concentration in mechanical engineering will help him to continue doing what he loves—improving the performance of sailboats and catamarans alike.
An internship he had this past summer gave him a glimpse of that, allowing him to work on sailboats and design parts for vessels. But the spirit of competition is something that will stay with him and, hopefully, give him an edge.
“I find the work incredibly interesting, but I also want to find a job that will allow me to keep sailing at a high level,” Guck said. “I think my experience sailing helps make me a better engineer, and my engineering experience makes me a better sailor.”