State’s Sailing Club, one of the oldest club sports on campus, has been around since the 1950’s. The team is both a recreational and competitive outlet for its members year-round. The club provides people who have sailed with the opportunity to continue their passion. But it is also an outlet for people who have never sailed, according to April Alix, commodore and a senior in zoology.
“For people who are inexperienced, people who have never seen a boat, touched a boat, or don’t even know what a sailboat does, you can join the club,” Alix said. “We have these classroom series on things like how to tie a knot, which way to sail, how to read the wind and those types of things.”
The team heads out to Lake Wheeler three times a week, which provides them with a hands-on experience. The team provides the equipment and facilities to its members.
“That’s when you get to physically work with somebody to teach you how to sail,” Alix said. “It can be a social event too, a whole bunch of people having lots of fun.You get certified by going through a series of steps. Once you’re certified, we let you take the boats out whenever you want. “
Henryk Orlik, a senior in international studies, said he never sailed in his life before he joined the club.
“I just came to one of the meetings they had every week on Thursday on campus,” Orlik said. “They asked if I wanted to go sailing the next day and I was hooked instantly. It’s a great place to learn, especially if you are a student. If you take a class to learn how to sail, you don’t get nearly as much hands-on experience or the chance to take the range of boats that we have.”
The club does pay dues once a semester, which adds up to $110 a year.
“The average cost of three lessons for about an hour is $75 to $95, just for those three,” Alix said. “[The $110] insures that you can use the boats all fall semester and spring semester and over the summer.”
The club allows its member to learn at their own pace and ensures they will be more comfortable.
“You show up to a sail day and you say ‘Last week I learned how to tie knots but I’m still not sure about what I need to learn next,’ so we say we can teach you docking. Even if it takes you seven days to learn how to do docking then it takes seven days. Nobody is rushed to learn something.”
For those who are competitive, the club does have a racing team, which competes all over the southeast, according to Alyssa Benfield, a sophomore in business administration.
“We compete against schools like College of Charleston,” Benfield said. “They are actually No. 1 in the nation and for them it’s a varsity sport. We also compete against Tennessee, University of South Carolina, Clemson and Georgia Tech.”
The club takes a number of trips throughout the year to give members more experience in different waters, including Lake Norman, the Neuse River and Cape Lookout. The club also travels to the Bahamas on Spring Breaks for one of its biggest trips of the year.
For students who are looking to try something new, Benfield said it is a great opportunity.
“If you have any interest at all in learning how to sail, we can teach you how to do that,” Benfield said. “We have a full sailing school that will teach you from the basics. We offer a lot of opportunities.”
