Two days a week, Hamden Hall students peel off their backpacks and suit up in lifejackets for a late afternoon of rigging, jibbing, and tacking on the whistle.

Hamden Hall’s premier Sailing Club has set sail for the season and our fine sailors are taking to the new offering and its challenges faster than the hoisting of a mainsail.

“High school sailing teams are rare and it’s awesome that Hamden Hall has started one,” said junior Caroline Quinn. “On the water, we have maneuvered race courses and practice starts and I’ve learned a few racing techniques.”

The nautical-minded students – all of whom had to undergo a swimming test prior to diving into the new program – sail with a fellow shipmate while their captain, a.k.a. the coach, mans a nearby motor boat and issues instructions.

For senior Miranda Kay, the experience has been an exhilarating one – from the mastering of the basics, like rigging and derigging the boats, to racing around leeward and windward marks.

“We are learning team spirit as well as the importance of individual reliance,” said Miranda. “On the water, you can feel as if you are alone with only one other sitting beside you in the boat, but there is an entire fleet of others who are depending on you and that need you to act in the best interest of everyone. It’s a really neat feeling.”

The new club, which is expected to eventually become a team, sails at the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club in Branford on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and is made up of a mix of Middle and Upper School students. U.S. Sailing certified instructor Kierstan Murray goes through drills with her young sailors and also has them face off in their 420 dinghy sailboats in intramural races.

“This is a program that will only get better as it goes along. The kids are enjoying it and learning a lot,” said Hamden Hall Athletic Director David Doyle.

While some of the club members have sailing experience, others are true novices – like Audree Herrera-Symonds, who noted that prior to joining the sailing club, she had never stepped foot on a boat smaller than a cruise ship!

“I wanted to join this club because maritime activity is a big part of Connecticut history and culture and I wanted in on it. Practices are super fun,” she said.

Click here to shove off with the Sailing Club via slideshow!