The Iowa State sailing club provides students, faculty and staff the opportunity to compete on an intercollegiate level, as well as participating in sailing and instruction.

The purpose of the sailing club is to promote interest and activity in the sport of sailing and to teach people how to sail.

Greg Lynam, vice president of the club, said, “We can teach anyone how to sail.”

The ISU sailing club currently has 35 members and competes in the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association (MCSA), and competes against other schools in the Midwest area.

“It’s hard to have a sailing club in Iowa,” Lynam said. “But we usually have enough interest to have a club.”

The sailing club participates in two regattas during the spring semester and three during the fall semester.

Two weeks ago, the club traveled to Notre Dame and competed it the “Freshman Ice Breaker” regatta. They finished 7th out of 8 teams, but the president of the club, Nathan Griener, said they had a great time competing.

“The main objective is to have fun,” Griener said. “Which doesn’t exactly make us a powerhouse in the MCSA.”

The sailing club practices whenever they can find the time, which is usually every other weekend, said Griener.

The club sails at Big Creek and Saylorville Clubs, which are 15 minutes north of Ames.

The club currently owns three boats, which are used by members of the club. Some club members even have their own boats.

According to Griener, the sailing club can practice against Fleet 84, a team in Des Moines, any time they want. The club has a competition with Fleet 84 the first weekend in May.

The next spring regatta for the club is April 21 at Marquette University. There will be 10 schools competing, including ISU.

Anyone who is interested in joining the sailing club should contact Nathan Griener at 292-6183. Dues are $20 a semester and that gives you free access to use the boats.

Griener stressed that the club is open to faculty and staff as well as students.