PSU Sailing: 2011-2012 Season

Hello all,

I would like to thank everyone who came out to our table last Thursday at Party in the Park, it was great to meet all of you and I hope to see you soon at practice. I am sending this email to answer some questions that we fielded quite frequently last week and to remind you guys to come out and sail!

We practice on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 3 pm at the Willamette Sailing Club. We will usually stay out until it starts to get dark, or until we lose wind (usually around 6). WSC is only about two miles south of campus, right next to Willamette Park. If you are taking the bus, just hop on the 35 to Macadam, which picks up at SW 4th and Harrison, and will drop you off at SW Macadam and Carolina, literally right across the street from the club. It is also a quick and pleasant bike ride following the south waterfront.

No experience is necessary prior to joining the team, and we have many enthusiastic members and a coach who would love to teach you how to sail, and we encourage you to come down and try it out even if you've never stepped foot in a boat. Although only full-time undergraduate students are eligible to participate in competitions due to Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) regulations, graduate students are welcome to come learn as well.

That being said, we are primarily a competitive racing team, and experienced sailors are highly encouraged to join. We travel to regattas almost every weekend during the peak the seasons. Portland State is a member of the Northwest Intercollegiate Sailing Association (NWICSA), which is one of seven ICSA districts, and is constituted of universities in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. We have a few fun regattas coming up in the next few weeks, including a JV regatta here in Portland. Competitions are one of the most rewarding parts of the sport, and are always a lot of fun.

Dues are $100 per term, and that covers the use of boats, moorage, coaching, boat maintenance, use of the practice facility, and travel to regattas, among many other things. However, you are welcome to come to a practice and make sure it fits into your schedule before you fork over the money. Everyone will need to fill out a couple of waivers, though, and we can set you up with that at practice.

PSU owns and practices in a fleet of eight FJs, which are a double-handed dinghy boat. These are small vessels, and you will get wet, so I advise that you bring warm clothes to sail in - fleece, wool, polypro, and other synthetics are good, but "cotton kills". Also bring shoes that you don't mind getting wet, and definitely a change of clothes, just in case. We will provide life jackets. 

For more information on NWICSA and to see the upcoming schedule of competitions, visit www.nwicsa.com, for more information about ICSA, visit www.collegesailing.org.

The best way to get involved is to just come down to the river, so I hope to see many of you at practice. Tomorrow, perhaps...

If you have any questions, you are welcome to email me back. 

See you soon,

Aldyn