Editor’s Note: Grace Chaves is an officer of the Point Loma Sailing Club.
The air is filled with an aromatic briny scent. Seagulls are squawking overhead. All that surrounds you is the glistening waters of San Diego Bay, a place that has become a safe haven for sailors, kayakers and tourists alike. With the wind filling the sails and the worries of this world far away on the shore, peace and adventure start to become synonymous with each other.
I had no prior sailing experience when my friend Izzy Tocci, a second-year biology major, invited me to spend an afternoon with her on the water. Cruising around downtown San Diego in a Dana 24 (a 24-foot sailboat), I immediately understood why she loved this sport so much. There’s a sense of freedom that comes with gliding across the ocean and feeling the wind against your back.
With our campus only a mile and a half away from the docks, it would be easy to assume that sailing would be part of our school’s culture. Yet according to Rick Kennedy, professor of history and environmental studies at Point Loma Nazarene University, there has been an absence of a sailing club for nearly a decade.
Colin Sekerka, a third-year political science major, believes that in previous years, the timing might not have been right to start a sailing club and keep it going. But he believes the time to start one is now.
Students walking down Caf Lane during the club fair on Jan. 28 may have noticed the colorful signal flags and posters of the Point Loma Sailing Club (PLSC), a new ASB-sanctioned club founded by Sekerka and Tocci. With Kennedy as the faculty advisor, PLSC’s goal is to teach PLNU’s student body how to sail. The club requires no prior sailing experience, just a desire to get out on the water.
“People here are so passionate about the ocean,” Tocci said. “There’s a ton of people who are big on surfing, [but] they don’t know how to sail. It’s really nice to have [a club] for people who want that and also to have a place for people who grew up sailing.”
Sekerka secured a partnership with the San Diego Yacht Club, a group that has been named one of the top five yacht clubs in the nation according to their website. They’ll be providing club flying juniors (CFJs) for PLSC to use to teach students how to sail. But for Tocci, this is about more than just sailing – it’s about fostering a community.
“Sailing has always been [about] exploring and learning new things with other people,” Tocci said. “We’re really excited to be able to continue that.”
Sekerka echoed this, emphasizing that the people are what this club is all about. He said they want to instill a love of sailing into the student body.
“We hope this sport will act as a device for people to come together and to be engaged about one thing, and to step away from their studies for a couple hours,” Sekerka said.
To further cultivate a sense of community, PLSC plans to put together events throughout the semester like movie nights, bonfires and informational meetings about sailing. But the ultimate goal is to get out on the water, and one day sail in local regattas (racing events).
Kennedy hopes that the club will become a continual facet of PLNU, where seniors pass it down to freshmen.
“People need to be introduced to [sailing],” Kennedy said. “Then a good number who experience it will fall in love with it.”
Some of my favorite movies and books take place out on the water. From “The Pirates of the Caribbean” movie franchise to “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” by C.S. Lewis, filmmakers and writers have always been drawn to the sea. But it’s one thing to watch the crashing waves, and quite another to actually be part of it – to feel the wind pushing you further into the sea.
Kennedy said that sailing teaches humility and obedience. You can’t always go exactly where you want to – you have to go wherever the wind takes you.
I was surprised to find that with this lack of control comes an unexpected sense of peace. And before you know it, you’ve fallen in love with the feeling of hoisting the sails and zipping across the water. That’s the kind of experience Sekerka and Tocci want to provide students.
PLSC plans to kick off the semester with an info meeting in early February. To stay up-to-date and find more information, follow “Sailing Club” on MyPLNU or on Instagram @PLNUSailingClub.
