Vassar Sailing Club gets second wind

Greg Armstrong Guest Writer

The Vassar Sailing Club, an organization that has long sat in a defunct state, is setting sail anew this year, revitalized and under new leadership. Plagued for years by organizational issues and a lack of fully functioning equipment, the club has been all but out of operation until this year. Since last spring, the club’s new administrators—President Peter Whinn ’08, Vice President Krystian Boreyko ’08, Treasurer Adam Jost ’08, and Director of Facilities Management Winston Clement ’09—have completely overhauled the club and have restored its six racing boats to full working condition. The Foxy, one of the boats, was showcased on Sunset Lake during Lakefest earlier this year.

Whinn assumed leadership of the group last year and began the process of reinvigorating the club last spring by meeting with various Vassar administrators to work out the numerous bureaucratic kinks hampering the club. “In the beginning, there really wasn’t a lot of outside help, because a lot of people thought it was too much work to get it running again,” said Whinn.

The largest of the club’s troubles was the fact that Vassar’s boathouse—actually a converted garage that rests on the Hudson River near Marist College—was being shared with the Spackenkill High School rowing team, who were using it as a storage facility for their crew boats according to an informal agreement with Vassar. “[Vassar’s sailboats] had been outside for four or five years, they were untended and dirty…some of the sails had been eaten by rats,” said Whinn. “It was not a workable situation.”

Fortunately, the opening of the new Hudson River Community Rowing Center this year on the other end of Vassar’s stretch of riverfront property provided a new home for Spackenkill’s crew program, allowing the Sailing Club to take full possession of the boathouse. Since Spackenkill’s equipment was moved out at the beginning of the semester, Clement said, “We’ve thoroughly cleaned and organized the boathouse, removed junk and cleared brush.”

The club’s racing boats (which consist of five two-handed 420s and a single-handed Laser) have been fully refurbished, and three are currently rigged and ready for use. “Everything from the [personal flotation devices] to the rudders is organized categorically,” said Clement.

Since the beginning of the semester, the club has been organizing outings on the Hudson with its fleet and is currently looking to take on new members. The Sailing Club is one of the few organizations on campus that provides students with nearby off-campus recreation. “The Hudson River is a gorgeous place to spend some time, and it’s a great way to get off campus,” said Whinn. A sailor for 12 years, Whinn plans to hold regular beginners’ clinics for new sailors, and has resolved to teach any interested Vassar student how to sail. Sailing experience is by no means necessary, and learning the skills needed to actually sail one of the club’s boats takes no more than a few hours. “It takes an afternoon to learn and a lifetime to master,” said Whinn.

Anyone interested is encouraged to check out the Sailing Club’s facebook group (facebook.com), or contact Whinn at pewhinn@vassar.edu.