Over fall break, Fenwick’s Sailing Team qualified for the Shepherd Championships. On November 12-13 at the Columbia Yacht Club, they competed in this regatta against nineteen Midwestern teams. In the sailing world, this competition is equivalent to competing in state. To qualify, the team has competed in many regattas over the past weekends to lead to the chance to qualify.

All sailing teams are made up of an A and B team. The A team tends to be more experienced. The competitions are about two days long with 10-20 boats, each with two people known as the crew and the skipper, the driver. The boats race different courses throughout the day.

“People should consider joining sailing because it is a fun and unique sport that builds a tight-knit community and teaches you a lifelong skill!” says Julia Overmyer, captain of the team.

Going into the team, most have little prior experience. At the beginning of the season, the team started out with only five experienced sailors. Sophomore Thaddeus Turek explains, “Over the more or less 3 months that we had practices and regattas, I’ve learned so much from being able to rig and derig boats, to learning how to sail as a crew, learning how to cooperate with my sailing partner and the sort.” The team practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school until 6:30 on Lake Michigan. There are currently ten sailors, now with experience. Two-fifths of the team are seniors, so they’re always looking for more sailors to welcome. The sailing season at Fenwick is the spring and fall. The sport’s schedule allows for flexibility so that the team can also participate in other clubs and extracurriculars.

The team talks highly of the close knit group. Margret Deneen says, “People should join Fenwick sailing because it is genuinely so much fun. You get to learn so much and it is a wonderful experience. I met some really great people this year in sailing and I am so glad I joined the team.”

To join the Fenwick sailing team or to learn more, register through the Columbia Yacht club. You can follow them on Instagram and Twitter at FHS_Sailing