The velvety ripples of Beaver Creek reflected the cloudless, sunny sky and the endless horizon of trees and hills which enclosed the lake and protected it from the outside world. A man and his son fished off a small dock as the University's Sailing Association glided around the reservoir in their small fleet of sailboats.
Silence. Tranquility. Many sea-legged students would argue that this is what sailing is all about.
After a long week of classes and studying, it's no wonder that these 30 students wanted to explore this small corner of Albemarle County wilderness.
"There is nothing more relaxing than after a week of school to come and relax and have good down time," said Beth Marotta, Sailing Association Social Secretary and second-year Architecture student.
Last Friday afternoon, like every Friday for the first two months of school, at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., the Sailing Association departed from Maury Hall for a Lake Day, usually at Beaver Creek, a small park about 20 minutes from Grounds.
After arriving, the club puts their fleet together. This time they used two Flying Juniors, or FJs, and one Laser.
Sailing Association President Andy Phillip, a fourth-year Engineering student, taught all new members how to put each boat together, covering everything from raising the sails to dropping the center board.
While the other officers supervised the construction process, Phillip reflected on his sailing career.
"I've been sailing ever since I was little," Phillip said. "It's like a family thing."
Phillip said he wanted to try to take the club out to Lake Anna sometime this year, a much bigger lake than Beaver Creek about an hour away from Grounds.
"This lake is a little hard to begin on because the wind isn't very steady," he said.
But up until about five years ago, the Sailing Association didn't even meet.
Former President and 1999 University graduate Mike Littleton wanted to get the club rejuvenated again. He retrieved the old sailing equipment and arranged for the club to use Chris Green Lake (now Beaver Creek). He also arranged for the boats to be stored next to the lake.
Littleton helped put together the first budget so the Association could become a Contracted Independent Organization, or CIO, with most of the money going toward sailing equipment.
While Phillip talked, a red van pulling a trailer with two boats drove up.
"Sweet!" Phillip exclaimed. The sails finally had arrived, so now the student sailors could go out on the lake.
In addition to recreational sailing for any experience level, the Sailing Association also offers competitive sailing for those who think that their skills are up to the challenge.
The University is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association, or MAISA, one of the top sailing divisions in the country.
Teams such as Old Dominion, Navy and St. Mary's challenge the University each season.
"We have the opportunity to learn a lot of stuff because we're dealing with some tough competitors," Phillip said.
Phillip finished the work, and the first FJ cast off, guided by two of the competitive team members.
First-year College student Louise Ivel-Brockdorff, who grew up in Denmark, has sailed in her native country.
"My father sailed all his life and I sailed with him but the expressions are much different," Brockdorff said.
She explained that Denmark is very much a sailing nation and how during vacations, she always enjoyed going out to the sea on the boats.
While she talked, one of the FJs came back in and took more sailors onto the lake.
When the boat returned, Phillip said he was upset because one of the team members had withdrawn from the regatta this weekend.
First-year College student Jon Cleborne, one of the new members of the Sailing Association, volunteered and filled the hole. The only sailing experience Cleborne had was with his family on other small boats similar to the kind the association uses.
"I love it. It's great. Just going with the wind," Cleborne said.
After Phillip thanked Cleborne and finished organizing the team for the regatta in Norfolk, they left, and sailing resumed.
Small slivers of conversation continued among the sailors as the sun melted toward the horizon and nightfall.
The sailors' day ended at 7 p.m. Time seemed to pass slower when away from the trials and tribulations of college life. The stress-free atmosphere had recharged the students' batteries.
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