Studio art senior Rachel Payment, left, and MSU alumnus Ben Clore practice different turning techniques during class Wednesday at the MSU Sailing Center, 5918 Shaw St. in Haslett.
The first time he was on a sailboat, Alex Clark said he was 2 months old. Now, he and his brother, Tim Clark, a 2007 MSU graduate, have carried on the family tradition, teaching classes at the MSU Sailing Center, as their father did before them.
“(My dad, Roger Clark) was out at Lake Lansing giving private classes before MSU was even involved with it,” said Alex Clark, a history sophomore and supervisor at the sailing center.
Clark said a family tradition has since grown into a love for sailing.
June has been a little slow for business, Clark said, possibly because of the more difficult economic times — but class and membership prices are still lower than at a yacht club, where sailors typically have to turn to.
The sailing center, which opened in 1997, is part of MSU’s Department of Intramural Sports and Recreative Services, and is staffed exclusively by MSU students and faculty. At the center, about 150 individuals learn to sail every year from May to September, said Ken Warshaw, director of the center. Specializing in introductory recreational sailing lessons, he said no experience is required to participate and the general public is welcome.
“I’m not sure if my passion is more for sailing or teaching sailing,” he said.
The sailing center has taught more than 1,500 people how to sail to date – about half of which have been MSU students, Warshaw said.
Kari Storm, a biology senior and employee of the sailing center, first took the class several years ago.
“I started here by taking the class about four or five years ago, after that I kept coming out sailing,” Storm said. “It’s basically been a learning, living environment.”
Last Wednesday evening, after listening to an hour-long outdoor lecture on two turning maneuvers, the jibe and track, given by Tim Clark, a dozen sailing students separated into crews of two, climbed into their sailboats and put the day’s lesson into practice on Lake Lansing.
Students learn to sail FJs, which are small sailboats that fit two people. The sailing center’s FJ fleet also is used by the MSU sailing team, which is separate from the sailing center.
The sailing center has about 35 boats, some of which are family day sailors, others are high-performance racing boats, Warshaw said.
Many of the center’s sailboats were given to the sailing center, said Clark, who spends his winters repairing and refurbishing the donated boats in Spartan Stadium.
Clark said the goal is to give sailing back to the people. He said the center doesn’t participate in competitive sailing or racing – the main purpose is just to have fun.
“I like how it can be used for so many different things,” he said. “You can relax and do it, you can have fun with it, you can clear your head.”
The diversity among staff members, volunteers and students shows how an interest in sailing can transcend a lot of different demographics.
“Typically we allow youths as young as 8 years old and we welcome seniors as well.” Warshaw said. “Some people take it as a refresher course, but most have never sailed before.”
Storm said she enjoys working with different generations of students and members, from children as young as 12 to grandparents.
The sailing center has a staff of about 14 students, said Warshaw, who is the only administrative staff member of the sailing center.
Dave Lockhart said he has been sailing for 30 years and volunteering at the center for about eight.
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“I was out here when this was a club, before the university IM took over,” he said.
Lockhart, an engineer by trade, owns a 21-foot-long sailboat. He helps with technical problems as they arise.
“As the students are learning, a lot gets thrown at them,” Lockhart said. “I help to remind people of what they need to be doing.”
Sailing classes are offered in three different sessions each month, Warshaw said.
Warshaw said the general public composes about 10-20 percent of the classes. Classes are offered from June through September. They meet twice each week, for three hours a day, for four weeks. A class typically has 12-14 students, Warshaw said.
The class also counts as one kinesiology credit for MSU students, Warshaw said.
Savage said she took her first sailing class in middle school and her family purchases a seasonal pass every year.
“It’s low-impact on the environment, which is great,” she said. “It’s really fun especially on high-wind days.”
Rachel Payment, a studio art senior, said she joined the class a few weeks ago with a friend and found it easy to follow.
“I’ve done all kinds of boating,” she said. “I didn’t really have any expectations coming in because I’ve never sailed before.”
