2025 High School Sailing Team Interest Meeting will be held on Feb. 1
If you didn’t know already, kids on Hatteras Island and Dare County have the opportunity to participate in High School Sailing through the efforts of Hatteras Sailing Organization in Buxton.
Dare County Youth from 8th – 12th grade from any school in the county, as well as homeschooled and private school youth, are welcome to come learn more about what’s involved. There will be pizza, snacks and beverages for all at the Colington Fire Department on Saturday, February 1, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Please come by and check it out. There will be a Collegiate 420 setup, a speaker, and a short multimedia presentation showing some highlights of our last couple seasons since the program started. You will also get to meet some of last season’s High School Sailing Team.
High School Teams are usually organized through the local sailing organization. because the Yacht Club, Sailing Club, and Community Sailing Programs are set up to offer safe training on the water.
Hatteras Sailing offers on-site training in Buxton, but also has boats planted at Colington in Kill Devil Hills and offers mobile clinics and sailing classes. Practices are rotated between locations and coaching is centralized through Hatteras Sailing because it is currently the only facility willing and able to conduct the program.
Beginners are welcomed! Everyone has to start somewhere, and the unique thing about Collegiate 420 sailing is that it’s a 2-person boat. The most experienced person is usually the skipper, and the less complicated work of the crew is pretty easy to learn, at least the basics.
High School Sailing is a team sport and the team depends on its members showing up and attending all practices and events. Some new sailors may not be ready for regattas in the first season, but being at practices is vital because the skills taught are progressive.
Normally, there are weekly practices on Saturday mornings unless the team is away at a Regatta. To be competitive with the bigger schools that have been at this longer, we would love to have volunteers help the kids practice closer to home in between our Saturday Practices, and this is why we have Collegiate 420s at both Colington and Buxton.
The program is conducted under US SAILING Safety and Certification Standards and has kept a perfect safety record since it started in 2020. Sailing practices and events involve additional variables for the coaching staff and families that are involved because it is much more weather dependent than land-based sports. This is a pro and a con, depending on the weather of the day! So, it requires a positive attitude, open minds, and flexible schedules sometimes.
Collegiate 420 is the boat that all high school teams compete on. This is also the same boat that almost every one of the 300 colleges, universities, and academies use for their Collegiate Varsity and Club Programs. Hatteras Sailing, through community and individual support, has built a fleet of seven Collegiate 420 Sailboats.
High school and college sailing are one of the most exciting and fun sports, with an added benefit of being in boats out there on the water! Other than rowing, sculling, or possibly surfing, sailing is one of the only widespread competitive boating programs in existence.
Not everyone loves the water, but for those that do, this might be the sport for you. Sailing is a lifelong sport that builds character, intelligence, perseverance, critical thinking, and camaraderie. Come check it out this Feb. 1 event at the Colington Fire House. For more information online visit hatterassailing.org
