A lack of huge bodies of water near Ames and the ISU campus doesn’t stop members of the ISU Sailing Club from competing and leisurely sailing.

Tyler Leggett, the club’s vice president, said the Ames area has more water nearby than many would think.

“The boats are small — called an FJ, which is a 13-foot two-person racing boat — so you don’t need a huge lake,” said Leggett, senior in aerospace engineering.

“We practice at Ada Hayden Heritage Park every Tuesday night.”

Club treasurer Bobby Roe said members also occasionally go to Big Creek State Park on the weekends to sail.

Roe got his interest in sailing at a young age.

“I read sailing books and watched movies with sailing boats in them,” said Roe, sophomore in aerospace engineering.

“I just thought it looked real interesting to sail, so I read books on it.

“When I got to Iowa State, I had the opportunity to experience it. So I was happy that [Iowa State] had a sailing club here.”

John Snyder, club member and faculty adviser, came upon sailing by a different route.

“I got into racing my second summer in Ames when I sprained my ankle and could not hike for six or eight weeks, but it did not hurt to sail,” Snyder said.

“What better activity to do on summer weekends in Central Iowa than sail?”

The purpose of the ISU Sailing Club is to give experienced and inexperienced sailors the chance to have fun sailing recreationally and competitively, Snyder said.

Roe said he loves to make the boat go as fast as he can.

“I just love the feeling of sailing; it’s a rush and a lot of fun,” Roe said.

“Sailing is quiet with the wind in your hair. You are just flying through the water.”

Though wind in the hair feels good, sometimes handling it can be hard for sailors.

“Dealing with the light wind is the most difficult. Controlling the boat in certain conditions takes a lot of practice and a lot of talent,” Leggett said.

“Dealing with the wind and the tactics of the race are very intricate, very detailed.”

An assortment of people are members of the club — undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, alumni and community members.

The members compete in two different types of meets.

The Intercollegiate Regatta is only for undergraduate students, but any team member can participate in the FJUS Sailing Championships.

The club has done well in competition.

It won the FJUS National Championships in 2003 and 2004; it also won the National Master Trophy in 2001 and 2002.

The intercollegiate team members compete with other university clubs in the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association, including Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Northwestern and Illinois.

Last weekend, the college club members competed against Iowa at Lake MacBride. Roe said that Iowa State didn’t win, but they didn’t finish last either.

“This weekend Iowa beat us, but the previous weekend we beat them. Iowa is probably our biggest rival. They are at our competitive level right now,” Roe said.

Leggett said both teams give advice on how to give leadership within the club. Roe agreed, saying the Iowa rivalry is friendly, not nasty.

“Usually we have parties every night after sailing,” he said. “You get to meet a lot of good people, and everyone is there to have a good time.”

Roe said teamwork is key.

“In regatta racing, it helps to have two people who have sailed together before because they both know what the other person will do,” Roe said.

“If you want to compete, you need to practice with that person. You need to be on the same page with him or her.”

There is not many competitions in the summer because the schools are not in session, Leggett said.

Roe said that the cold water is not a big factor.

“We have dry suits and we wear our winter coats under those,” Roe said.

“So we can go to pretty cold temperatures. That makes it really nice.”

The members in the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association usually go to four or five regattas in the fall and one or two in the spring. The next regatta is in two weeks, and the season ends in mid-November.