With just two sails, a tiller and the weight of two humans, imagine racing aboard a 14-foot boat. In sailing, a matter of degrees and inches is the difference between riding the winds to victory and tipping over into chilly waters. For Virginia's skippers and crew, the sport of sailing allows them to achieve competitive success.
College sailing has races unlike any other on water. Teams of two maneuver their boat to be the first to complete laps around a triangular track. The race begins with the boats already moving. Strategy in sailing is more than just standing around on a boat.
"To make it around the course there is always at least one leg that is straight into the wind," Virginia race secretary Jessica Burshell said. "The boats can't sail directly into the wind, so it's like a balancing act to keep the boat pointed as close to the wind as possible, with speed, while trying to take the fastest route to the mark."
The wind's direction is only one variable Virginia's sailors must account for.
"Since the boats are all the same, you have to figure out how to have the sails, where you should be sitting, how to pass other boats and where the windy spots are on the course," vice president Martha Gray said. "You have to be constantly strategizing how to get your boat around the course as fast as possible."
This year, Virginia's club team is looking to have one of its best seasons. The crew placed third out of eight teams at Hampton University's Regatta earlier this month, defeating in-state rivals Virginia Tech and William & Mary. Last weekend at Hanbury Regatta at Christopher Newport, the team rallied to second place with an A-team of David Gundlach and Burshell and a B-team of Gray and Katie Bountress. The team's final standings come even as the Cavaliers race against professionally coached collegiate varsity teams.
The key to the club's success has been a flood of highly talented youngsters. Virginia hopes to continue its rise through the rankings of the highly competitive Mid-Atlantic Interscholastic Sailing Association after an influx of talent from two consecutive freshman classes.
"Our performances at Hampton and Christopher Newport are a reflection of the depth of our team -- we can finally send two good skippers to the same regatta," Gray said. "It allows us to succeed against some of the teams that had previously been a challenge."
The sailors practice once a week at Lake Anna, about an hour from Charlottesville. Though these players are truly dedicated to sailing, the club tries to remain open to new prospective skippers and crew.
"Any student is free to come out," said president and sailing Commodore Roger Counihan. "After a few practices, we can usually find sailors a spot as a crew on a team. After a year or two of practice, or if you come in with prior experience, students will start to skipper races."
The 20 sailors of the team's core crew don't just take fishing trips or wade under the sun. In rain or shine, gusts or calm, these sailors have learned how to manipulate jibs, tillers, their bodies and sails to dart across open waters.
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