One of the most underrated clubs at Harriton is the sailing club. I know what some of you may be thinking. “Wait what. Harriton has a sailing club?” To answer that question, yes, yes we do. To give you a little background, the club meets twice a week for practice at the Corinthian Yacht Club on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30-6 and then on Sundays for racing from 12-3. (There is also an option just to partake in Sunday racing if you are confident enough in sailing.) Practice officially starts on April 6th. I had a chance to speak with Ben Folds, who runs it at our school and ask him a couple of questions about it.

HB: How did you get into sailing?

BF: My family has a summer home in Canada, and we belong to a sailing club. I’ve been sailing since I was four years old, I did sailing camp, and my dad is into it.

HB: How did you find out about Main Line High School Sailing?

BF: There was an article in the Main Line Times highlighting the main line sailing program for high school students. Conestoga was the first team that joined, and I had friends who did it too. (It’s a program run through MLSA- Main Line Sailing Association for high school students.)

HB: How does the club work at Harriton?

BF: Harriton does not sponsor the club, so we can’t use the school name or compete inter scholastically. As a real club, we would be able to sail in different places, which makes for a better experience. The more people that join, the better, you need at least four in order to make a team.

HB: What does a typical practice look like?

BF: There’s a lot of drills, you learn tacking*, driving, how to start races, and how the wind affects the boat. You also learn a bit about vectors and how the boat goes through the water.

HB: How does competing work?

BF: Regattas are on Sundays, and there is an A boat and B boat with two people per boat that race. The boat with the lowest number of points wins.

HB: How competitive is it?

BF: It can be very competitive if you do a regatta and you learn more from them. In my opinion, they’re also more fun. It can also be laid back in an open race.

HB: Describe the coaches? What makes them special?

BF: Coach Angus is great; he has been sailing for his entire life, and so he has a lot of experience. He’s also great with kids, responsible, and safe.

HB: What are the club goals?

BF: To get more people involved and interested in sailing and be able to travel to other regattas in New York and New Jersey, which we can’t do right now because Harriton does not sponsor us.

HB: What’s your most embarrassing sailing story?

BF: I was sailing in the North American, and it was the last race and I was in second place. It was windy, but I was still in a position to stay in second. However, I fell out of the boat, then it capsized, and I came in last.

HB: What do you enjoy most about sailing?

BF: I love being on the water, you feel so free and in control. You get to decide where you are going to go, and you can do so many things.

HB: Is there anything super important for readers to know about the club?

BF: It does require a lot of time and training; you don’t just do it. You need to learn it since it is a real sport, and you should take it seriously, but still enjoy it and have fun with it.

HB: Last thoughts?

BF: Sailing is not easy or designated to one season, it’s fun, and you can’t do it everyday and the more people that do it, the better.

It was a great interview; my favorite question was the one about the most embarrassing sailing experience. (It was pretty funny, come on!) Since Harriton does not sponsor the club, it makes it more difficult for it to become known, and that’s why you didn’t see a sign on RAM day! The more people that join, the easier it would be to make the club official. So if you’re interested in sailing or just want to support the club at a regatta, go yell Ben’s name for more information! (Or visit http://corinthianyachtclub.clubhouseonline-e3.com/Sailing/High-School-Sailing.aspx)

*Tacking- sailing vessel turns its bow into the wind so that the direction of the wind changes to the other side of the sail.