It’s 3 p.m. and the Oregon club sailing team is heading to Fern Ridge Reservoir.
Nobody minds the 20-minute drive because soon, everyone will be on the water.
Upon arrival, skippers and crews rig their respective boats. It’s quiet, the sun is shining and there is a nice breeze.
Welcome to sailing practice. Besides being a time for Duck sailors to improve their skills, practice doubles as something some find even more important: an escape from everyday life.
“You’re not worrying about finals, you’re not worrying about tests and you’re not worrying about what you didn’t get done during the day,” student coordinator George Yioulos said. “You’re just totally relaxed.”
There is a serious side to sailing as well. With the majority of the team being relatively inexperienced, hard work is needed to develop the skills necessary for each member to fulfill responsibilities.
The Ducks sail in 14-foot boats called Flying Juniors. Each boat is sailed by two people, a “skipper” and a “crew.” A skipper steers the vessel and makes calls to his or her crew on how the boat should be balanced. A crew is in charge of keeping the boat balanced while adjusting the jib and main sails. Communication between the two is essential.
“I’ve never seen kids so pumped up to work hard,” Yioulos said. “They’ve been busting their humps all year.”
One Duck who exemplifies dedication is junior skipper Matt Sperry. Sperry has improved to become one of the Ducks’ most reliable skippers.
“He’s such a great leader,” Yioulos said. “He gets better all the time.”
The Ducks spent the weekend in Bellingham, Wash. for the Jeff Mixdorff Memorial. Remember all that stuff about the sun shining with a gentle breeze? Forget all that. The temperature in Washington dropped into the low 30’s with driving snow.
“It was the coldest stuff I’ve ever sailed in,” Yioulos said. “It was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.”
Despite the weather, the Ducks finished seventh out of 13 teams. Yioulos, along with freshman crew Jennifer Dorner, came in fourth in the “A” division, while Sperry, who doesn’t mind the cold, and freshman crew Ben Gordon finished eighth in the “B” division.
“I love sailing in all weather,” Sperry said.
Two weeks earlier, the Ducks took second at the Portland State Invite.
As the season continues, the Ducks strive to one day be mentioned in the same breath as Northwest Intercollegiate Sailing Association powers Washington and Portland State.
“There’s nothing better than going out on a Thursday or Friday,” Sperry said. “It’s one of the best ways to wind down from a stressful school week.”