Who knew that wolves could sail?
Every Saturday and Sunday, a group of around 10 Loyola students meet up at Carrollton Hall and carpool over to the Southern Yacht Club where they begin their 10 a.m. sailing practice.
For three years now, the Loyola Sailing Team has been a part of Loyola’s extracurricular activities. In the fall of 2007, William Nunn reestablished the team for the third time in the university’s history.
Nunn was the team’s commodore for three years. He said there were many reasons why he wanted to start a sailing team.
“I’ve been sailing since I was about eight years old. I had a lot of friends who sailed at other colleges. I wanted to start a team because we didn’t have one, but UNO, Tulane and LSU did at that time,” Nunn said.
Victoria Calder, philosophy sophomore, is this year’s commodore. She said the team is a very close-knit, but is always welcoming more people, no matter what their experience level.
“Most of the people on the team have only sailed a couple of times,” Calder said. “Learning to sail takes a solid six months of practice. During the first lesson, students learn how to rig a boat. After about 30 minutes, we run some drills and then go out and begin racing on the water for no less than two hours.”
After learning how to sail, students can participate in sailing competitions, travel all over the United States and meet students from around the country.
Nunn described some of the competitions he participated in over the past three years.
“The team goes to Fordham University for the Jesuit cup every October, and Austin, Texas, depending on schedule. Mobile, Alabama is another popular stop for the team,” Nunn said.
Calder said she is also excited about future regattas.
“We go to as many competitions as we want each year. Next year we plan to go to about 14,” Calder said. “One of my favorites is the all-Jesuit regatta at Fordham University.”
Calder became a member last year and sailed with her friends from other schools before she joined Loyola’s team. She said she is excited about her team’s development and the remainder of the season.
“Right now we have a coach who is on the Olympic track, Kaity Storck. There are lots of great sailors from the Southern Yacht Club, and we are fortunate enough to have two of them as our coaches,” Calder said.
According to Calder, these coaches are Storck and Sonny Smith.
“Normally, sailing is an expensive sport. If it wasn’t for Loyola I wouldn’t be sailing right now,” Calder said.
Each semester costs $30, which includes coaching, gas and rentals, Calder said. The team practices in all conditions unless they break the 30-30 rule, which means the temperature is below 30 degrees or the wind is over 30 knots.
Emmanuel Herrero, mass communication sophomore, has been a member for a year now. Sailing has always been a part of his family, and he said the sailing team gives him an outlet to enjoy his longtime hobby.
“On Loyola’s sailing team, you can just go out hassle-free, learn how to sail and have fun doing it,” Herrero said.
Mallory Asp can be reached at
