Hoofers Sailing Seminar Series

The Winter Education Program is now called the Hoofer Sailing Seminar Series since we cover 3 seasons and who knows someday in the future we may have a special session even during our sailing season. This year we are excited to offer two and perhaps more special sessions that will be held in the Memorial Union. The other special session will be "Sailing the Chicago Mackinac". Dan Siedlecki, Tom Kershner, Don Hanna, Mark Gillespie and Andy Marin have agreed to present a session on the Mackinaw race where they took 2nd place in the Cruising Division.

All seminars will be held in the Hoofers Chartroom on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month.

At the beginning of October, the Hoofer Sailing Club teams up with the UW Horticulture Society to bring you the Pumpkin Regatta. Dr. James Nienhuis breeds special pumpkins used for this unique race. The insides of the pumpkins are carved into seats for sailors, then each pumpkin is put into an inner tube and launched on Lake Mendota. Everyone is invited to try to paddle along a race course in these unique contraptions!

This event is truly too unique to describe with words - come down and experience the fun for yourself!

For more pictures from past Pumpkin Regattas, click here.

Pirate's Day is held in June and is one of the most celebrated all-day events in the Hoofer Sailing Club. Participants are divided into teams, based on skill level, who search for clues leading to the Pirate's Treasure. Much like a scavenger hunt on the Lake, each clue lead's to the next and whoever finds the treasure first gets to partake in the spoils!

Pirate attire is highly encouraged.

For more pictures from past Pirate Days, click here.

Every year, the Hoofer Sailing Club hosts the Buccaneer's Ball. This is a night of costumed fun to celebrate Halloween that features a DJ, tons of dancing, and a cash bar. Events of the night include a costume contest, a mummy-wrapping contest, and other fun games for those who attend. What a great way to end the Hoofer Haunted Halloween celebration!

For more pictures from past Buccaneer Balls, click here.

Every Friday night, the Hoofer Sailing Club hosts a social for its members. The socials are a great place to meet other sailors, get to know the Board of Captains and instructors, and have a great start to your Friday evening!

During the warmer months (usually May through October) they are held on the lakefront. There is always tons of free food (although a donation is always appreciated), not to mention Hoofer's own beer service. There's no pitcher deposit and you never have to wait in the long lines at the terrace!

During the winter they are moved to The Vintage Bar and Grill (529 University Avenue). Vintage offers members of the sailing club discounted food and drinks, not to mention a great atmosphere for socializing.

Working at the Friday night socials during the summer is a great way to earn back your work deposit. You can easily earn four hours simply by helping cook, set up, and clean up. The best part is, you'll still get to socialize with all of the other sailors!

For more pictures from Friday night socials, click here.

It is a hot debate throughout the Hoofer Sailing Club-are we a sailing club with a social problem, or a social club with a sailing problem? We'll leave that up for you to decide! Make sure you check out all of the great events the Hoofer Sailing Club has to offer throughout the year:

• Friday Night Socials: Friday socials are the place to be in Madison every Friday night! Meet friends down by the lakefront during the summer or at The Vintage during the winter for some great food, drinks, and socializing.
• Pirate's Day: A day-long celebration in June that celebrates the pirates before us! Dress up in pirate garb, search for hidden treasure, and try not to put another sunken ship on the bottom of Lake Mendota!
• Commodore's Cup: A week-long celebration at the end of July to celebrate a year of service from our wonderful Commodore. For this event, sailors are divided into teams and compete in events throughout the week to win the coveted Commodore's Cup trophy.
• Pumpkin Regatta: Each October, the Hoofer Sailing Club teams up with the UW Horticulture Society to create this truly unique event. How could you pass up the opportunity to say you paddled a pumpkin in Lake Mendota?!
• Buccanneers' Ball: Every year around the time of Halloween, Hoofers holds a costume ball for its members. Come dressed in your most creative Halloween costume, dance, compete in Halloween-themed games, and enjoy the spooky atmosphere.
• Snow Ball: The Snow Ball is an annual event held in February to lift sailors' spirits in the worst part of the non-sailing season. Dress to impress and dance the night away!

Commodore's Cup is a 9-day activity that typically takes place during the third week of July to celebrate both the sailing and social aspects of the club.

All participants and divided into teams that create their own team name and nautical theme. Team names of the past include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtled, the Blue-Green Algae, The Punta Armada, and the Tech-nomaniacs.

Teams compete for points in a variety of competitions, with the winner getting their team and names inscribed on the mighty Commodore's Cup Trophy. Competitions in the past have included the greased watermelon (water polo with a watermelon coated in Crisco), the Sardine Race (a competition to see how many people can fit into a Tech; the best attempt thus far was 20 people plus a dog), the Sloop Egg competition (tape an egg to the front of a Badger Sloop and see how close you can get the boat to the pier without breaking the egg), and the famous All-Fleets Race (a regatta featuring all types of boats featured in the Hoofer fleet.

Each team is assigned a night to host a themed party on the lakefront, based on their team theme. The entire competition culminates with the Commodore's Ball-a formal swing band dance held in the Great Hall in Memorial Union. At the ball, the awards are handed out and the winners are announced.

Will you get your name inscribed on the Cup?

For more pictures from past Commodore Cups, click here.