COME SAIL AWAY: Get a clue about the U

Fifteen knots is fast -- if you happen to be cruising along the water in a 14-foot dinghy, that is.

Just ask John Pyles, commodore of the Washington Yacht Club (WYC).

"It's about your body weight -- that's the balance of the boat," Pyles said of small -craft sailing. "You're out on a trapeze wire, going 10 or 15 knots ... it feels like you're flying. It's insane."

The WYC is a registered student organization at the UW that encourages sailing among University students, staff and alumni. Founded in 1949, the WYC offers sailing lessons for beginning and advanced sailors alike, although advanced lessons are taught by demand. Students have the option of choosing between weekly lessons, in which they meet once a week for six weeks, and more intensive weekend sessions.

Racing is another of the WYC's interests. Casual regattas are often held in Union Bay, allowing all members of the club to improve their racing skills.

"We've got a lot of fast boats, and a lot of the people in our club like to sail fast," Pyles said. "It's pretty impressive."

In addition to informal races, the WYC also sponsors the UW Intercollegiate Racing Team, which is composed entirely of WYC members.

Despite sponsoring a competitive racing team, the WYC's emphasis has always been on instruction.

"We're really about teaching people to sail, going out and having fun," Pyles said.

According to Pyles, the WYC organizes various sailing and non-sailing activities throughout the year, including movie nights and weekly billiards tournaments during winter quarter.

The WYC also sponsors a "Snooze 'n' Crooze" each quarter -- except winter -- during which WYC members sail club dinghies and keelboats, affiliate boats and private boats to Blake Island on a Saturday and return the next day. This quarter's Snooze 'n' Crooze is scheduled for April 28-29.

While the Snooze 'n' Crooze is a month away, dinghy lessons for the spring quarter begin as early as March 31 for the weekend sessions, and April 2 for the weekly sessions, which last up to six weeks. A "novice written test" is recommended before attending a beginner class, though it is not required. Depending on skill, students have the option of signing up for instruction in sailing catamarans or keelboats; specialty classes are offered as well.

The WYC employs more than a dozen types of boats -- with about 40 total -- in its lessons and races, and all are considered small craft.

"That's one thing that's unique about our club: We're really about sailing dinghies," Pyles said. "Most yacht clubs are about people with yachts. Little boats, in most people's opinion, are a hell of a lot more fun, though."

Explaining his reasoning, Pyles cited what is called a "pitch-pull," when a sailor's weight is shifted incorrectly or the fore of the boat digs into a wave, causing the front of the boat to stop while the back continues to move forward. Pyles said that this often results in the sailor being thrust through the air about 20 feet.

"It's pretty exciting," he laughed.

For more information about the WYC, visit students.washington.edu/sailing.