Gallery • 11 Photos

Mattias Halloran

PRECISE. Talia Cairns adjusts her sail.

A physics student puts their pen down in victory, solving a complex equation. A few hours later, a sailor on Bde Maka Ska leans to the other side of the boat, adjusting their course. Unbeknownst to many, those two people are the same.

“There’s a lot of physics to do with sailing,” says freshman Adi Narayan, a member of the SPA sailing club. He, along with 5 other SPA students, gather at the Minneapolis Sailing Center from 4 to 6:30 to hone their skills. They don’t meet every day they plan to – wind, ultimately, is the determining factor.

The sailors depart quickly, not wasting any time on land. From the water, they practice an array of turning techniques, race starts, and complex maneuvers – all from a race format. Unlike other sports practices, all sailors sharpen their skills in friendly competitions, around set markers. “I really like the races during practice,” says Narayan. “It allows us to familiarize ourselves with racing in a friendly manner.”

Practice, though, really is only time for practice. The real instruction comes afterward, in the boathouse. As everyone gathers around, soaking and cold, the coach pulls out a whiteboard. “My coach ties in a lot of things to do with speed and how the sailboat actually works with differing wind conditions – the aerodynamics of the boat,” says Adi.

The educational link continues far beyond just numbers. The skills learned at SPA are part of what makes any team successful – but are especially important for sailors. “The way SPA prioritizes working in groups and having group discussions is really important,” says junior Talia Cairns. “It goes both ways.”

In the future, however, the team is looking for more members. In order to have a chance to compete at the national level, teams need four members, occupying two boats. Currently, three of the five members are rising seniors, setting sail from SPA in a year. “You need a team to do any of the events and, simply, having a team needs people. Otherwise, you can’t compete,” says Narayan. However, he remains hopeful: “I want to recruit some people and hopefully do some of the qualifiers and try to be competitive in the like National setting. We have the potential.”