With wind blowing, boats rigged, and sails hoisted, Sailing Club participates in friendly races at practice. Water splashed up on the boats as sailors glided through the water in preparation for intense regattas, a series of races against other schools, freshman Jonah Winer, Sailing Club member, said.

Sailing is a fall and spring sport, with the Junior Varsity team meeting at the Wilmette Harbor Club on Mondays and Wednesdays, and Varsity practicing Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, Winer said. Sailing Club uses boats called 420 Clubs. In each boat, there are two sailors with different roles, skipper and crew, Winer added. The skipper’s job is to drive the boat and control the mainsail trim, while the crew is in charge of the front sail and works to keep the boat afloat.

Sailors participate in two-day competitions called regattas on Lake Michigan, Katie Tinder, Head Sailing Coach, said. Sailing Club competes against teams in the North Shore area such as North, New Trier, and Evanston, but has also gone out of state for other competitions.

Wind changes in different areas so sailors must learn how to adjust their boats at their regattas, Tinder explained. Sailors need to position their boats to catch the wind moving across the water, especially if the winds are higher and the boat speeds up, Tinder added.

“Wind impacts sailing by determining the speed, direction, and maneuverability of a sailboat,” Tinder said. “Sailors use the wind to determine which angle is most efficient for their course.”

The sailing team is proposing to be made an official South sport, Winer said. The club is rather small and is looking to recruit more people, Winer explained. Sailing is very beginner-friendly to newcomers, so it can be easy to pick up with the coaches’ help, Winer added.

“We hosted a free ‘try it out’ week, May 19-23 from 4:30p.m. to 6:30p.m.,” Tinder said. “Participants had to sign a waiver, and [were able to sail] with [Junior Varsity or Varsity] sailors to see if it’s something that they would be interested in getting involved in further.”

Sophomore Aliyana Ahmed, Sailing Club member, joined Sailing Club at the recommendation of a friend and has developed a new passion. While sailing might seem easy, it is not as effortless as many think because of the water crashing up on the sailors and the critical thought involved, Ahmed explained.

“More people should know about [Sailing Club] and we should bring awareness [to show]what we actually do,” Ahmed said.