Northwestern students took to Lake Michigan this weekend for free, thanks to the NU Sailing Team and the Residence Hall Association.
Students went sailing for Sail with a Sailor, sponsored by the RHA and NU’s Sailing Team. From Saturday to Monday, students were treated to “free sailing rides, free BBQ and fun” on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Held at the South Beach Boathouse, the sailing weekend was the team’s third annual Memorial Day event and one of RHA’s two spring events. While last year attendees were charged $10 per boat ride, this year’s event was free due to the RHA’s sponsorship.
The idea arose when Sailing Team and RHA member Ben Prawer, a Medill freshman, suggested that the RHA co-sponsor the event as it drew a good number of students in past years.
“The RHA exec board really wants to work on getting our name across campus so that residents would know who we are,” said Vice President Candise Hill, a SESP sophomore.
According to Sailing Team Captain Sarah Hughes, the team recorded “well over” 200 attendees this weekend.
Approximately 61 of the 68 members of the Sailing Team were involved in the event through advertising, sailing or grilling.
Participants were taken on a boat cruise that lasted about a half hour. Hughes said sailors aimed to give riders a taste of sailing by having them help “trim the sails” if it was windy and through teaching them how to take care of the smaller sail.
“It’s hard to get a lot across when you’re just out there for a half hour, so you just want people to have as much fun as possible and get a feel for what it’s like to be out there on a boat,” said Hughes, a Weinberg sophomore.
Hughes said the event was a “chill grill out” for the Northwestern community. The team originally considered advertising at local schools to make the event more targeted towards the Evanston community, but decided to “maintain a relaxed atmosphere” and have RHA sponsor the event.
Among the participants was Adrienne DaGue, who looked into joining the Sailing Team earlier in the year and said she attended to experience sailing and talk with someone on the team.
“It was also really relaxing and it was an opportunity to take a break from reading,” said the Weinberg freshman. “It was a good time to chill with my friends and procrastinate.”
DaGue said she would “definitely” consider participating in more RHA activities after this weekend.
Hughes said the event provided a good opportunity to let students experience Lake Michigan.
“I hope they just have a nice time on the water and are able to enjoy the lake that I think people don’t get enough of,” Hughes said. “We get to be out there almost every day, so it’s nice to share that with other people.”
