September 22, 1999
Sailing program on course
High school students set sail in fall program at GTYC
By Garret Leiva
Herald editor
Course work for most high school students involves algebraic equations, American history and the table of periodical elements. Learning the jib from the main sail, however, is usually not required study.
Staying the course, or better yet staying on course, is precisely the ABC's of sailing being taught through a high school sailing program this month. Comprised of five-week sessions, the program is a collaborative volunteer effort of the Grand Traverse Yacht Club, Interlake Fleet #38 and Traverse Area Community Sailing (TACS).
Meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Grand Traverse Yacht Club on West Bay, upwards of 20 students divide into a crew of skipper, foredeck and navigator to sail jib and main sail Interlake sloops.
Chairman Bob Sagan noted that the high school program offers student sailors the next step up from 8 foot Optimist Prams and 14 foot Sunfish - the primary vessels of the TACS summer camps. The program, however, doesn't discern itself from those considered landlubbers.
"Our mission is to develop and provide a quality sportsmanship program for area high schools through quality coaching and sailing experiences in a safe environment," said Sagan, who as band director for Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools knows about giving students direction.
Sagan also noted that crew members learn an amazing amount of teamwork and communication skills along with how to trim the sails.
A continuance of a similar summer program, the fall session finds students shoving off in 18 foot Interlakes. Sagan said these 7 fiberglass boats were donated along with appropriate sails and equipment hardware. Donators and sponsors include Access Dental, Powell Brothers, Quantum Sails Great Lakes, Global Marine Insurance, West Marine, Hattie's Restaurant and several anonymous donors.
Program funding will be used to update the Interlakes, including one slated winter project of making rigging and hardware identical. Sagan noted that creating identical crafts is ideal because it tests sailors ability, not the boat's design or engineering.
"The goal is to create identical boats, even the lines will be color coded. That way a coach can tell a sailor to tighten the outhaul line, and if the student doesn't know, the coach can simply call out 'the purple line,'" said Sagan, who noted that top-level American Cup boats use color coordinated lines.
While the fall program teaches sailing terminology, the underlying purpose is establishing something greater than a well-versed vocabulary- a high school sailing conference.
Sagan noted that aside from funding and equipment, lack of competition has been the downfall of most high school sailing teams. More than 20 programs in Michigan have run aground because they couldn't solve one key problem: who do you race against?
Establishing a sailing conference, however, solves the competition conundrum.
"What we are doing is creating a sailing conference, not a program for a particular school. The boats will race at the same location that way students from Traverse City, Elk Rapids, Suttons Bay, Northport or Buckley can form teams and compete in the conference," said Sagan, who noted that another off-season project entails spinnaker sails in various school colors.
"The goal is definitely to have fun, but we also want to develop a competitive sail boat conference."
For information on the remaining fall high school sailing sessions, call head coach Joe Richter at 922-7768. Those wishing to make a donation to the program may also contact Richter.