A few months ago, Offshore Sailing School (OSS) announced they were going to run a contest in celebration of their 60th anniversary. They invited their graduates to "create an original photograph or artwork (painting or sketch) that illustrates or was inspired by taking a sailing or powerboating certification course…. Include a 100-word, typed essay about …
12* Ways We Get Into Sailing Without Owning a Sailboat
If you’d have asked me 5 years ago if I’d ever thought about sailing, I would have guffawed - it’s not feasible, not practical, and frankly, not possible here in Iowa. (Isn't Iowa a fly-over state?!) So when we tell people we’re learning to sail in Iowa, we sometimes get the side-eye. I’m not saying …
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New Boat, New Water, New Skills
Last Sunday we crossed another set of firsts: we sailed our new club boat out of Burnham Harbor in Chicago. Read about our new club membership here: We did something…. This is new. Weekend before last, we spent a night on the boat and practiced docking just inside the harbor. But this time, we took …
How I Earned my Light Weather Helmsman Ranking
In October 2022, on Lake Macbride with the Iowa Sailing Club, I earned my light weather helmsman ranking. This credential qualifies me to sign out an FJ, Laser, or Hobie Wave in light weather. To earn this ranking, I had to demonstrate competency in the following skills: Rig, launch, retrieve, and stow an FJ Leave …
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How We Got Here
Let’s get this blog up-to-speed. Since we started at the sailing club in 2020, a few things have happened. Here is our timeline: Summer 2020 - University of Iowa Sailing Club February 2023 - Sailing school at Offshore Sailing School in St. Petersburg, FL. July 2023 - Our maiden voyage as skippers of a chartered …
Hello Sailing World!
We're Kent and Becca - brand new to sailing, still learning the ropes. We have a dream of moving on to a sailboat when we retire, but that is a long way off, like, at least a decade. It's tempting to be in a rush, to really get this ball rolling, but not this time! …
