Spring Break
Class sets sail in San Jose
Ashley Johnson
Daily Staff Writer
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Beginning Sailing is taught once a week by Shirley Reekie, who has been sailing for 46 years and teaching at SJSU for 23 years.
"It seems like yesterday," she said.
Part of the class is on campus while the other part is on Lake Cunningham, near Raging Waters in San Jose.
Some of the students take the class as part of the university's physical education requirement.
"It is probably the best P.E. class you can ever take. You really enjoy yourself," said Britt Scott, a senior majoring in illustration and animation.
Other students take the class to fulfill a requirement for their major.
Rachel Sorris, a junior majoring in kinesiology, said kinesiology majors have to take four P.E. classes. The sailing class was an option that fit well into Sorris' schedule.
Before students take the class, they must swim 100 yards without stopping, which is about five laps, Reekie said. They also have to stay above water for five minutes, turn upright and climb aboard an overturned boat.
Reekie said she got into sailboats when she was 2 years old, and that by the time she was 6 years old, she was racing them.
Reekie said she was taught to sail by her father and had her first sailboat when she was 10 years old.
The three-hour class practices from 1:30 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. Wednesdays on Lake Cunningham.
Getting onto the water can be very relaxing for some students, especially when they are taking a lot of units.
"I was just interested in sailing," said Kristopher Gainey, who first took the class two years ago and graduated with a degree in photojournalism. "It's a lot of fun and relaxing. At the time, I was taking 22 units."
Classes are weather-permitting, and although it didn't rain on Wednesday's class, unfortunately there wasn't much wind either.
It takes about 20 minutes to get the boats rigged, Reekie said.
The boats used are called sunfish, which are the easiest boats to rig, she said.
The class teaches students rigging, launching, de-rigging and docking. They also learn how to turn a sailboat. The two ways of turning are called coming about and gybing.
Students also learn how to look at the sail so that it is correctly adjusted for the direction of the wind. Additionally, students will learn the basic commands while sailing, Reekie said.
"Usually, that takes about five weeks and then you can see the light bulb go on," Reekie said.
Next week, students will perfect the techniques they have learned. Additionally, they will be sailing around a course in the water.
"Right now they are pretty much going where they get taken," Reekie said. "But next week, I will give them a course and that should be quite interesting to see what happens."
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