We still have more seminar sessions coming up. All seminars will be held in the Hoofers Chartroom on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month.

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.

Door Prizes presented by WEST MARINE

Teach Sailing with Hoofers in 2010

Can you sail or windsurf? Do you enjoy teaching others? The Hoofer Sailing Club is searching for 20-25 new applicants to teach sailing and windsurfing to children, college students, faculty and staff, and people with disabilities. Part-time and full-time paid and volunteer positions are available for this summer. Applications (due February 18) can be printed here or picked up at the Hoofers office in Memorial Union.

A typical day for a summer sailing instructor might include walking or biking from your apartment to the Union at the heart of campus, meeting with other instructors at 9 a.m. to put the motorboats in the water and discuss the on-the-water plan for your youth sessions (starting at 9:30 a.m. and again at 1:30 p.m.), catching a quick bite to eat in between, taking a break to play on boats you'd like to sail, then teaching a 3-hour class for adults starting around 4:30 or 5 p.m. Other part-time instructors might opt to take a UW-Madison morning class or two, or carry another job and just teach in the evenings and on weekends. At sunset join a few fellow instructors for inexpensive food or, more likely, head to someone?s house to cook it up. Tuesday evenings at sunset are the weekly staff meetings followed by an evening of fun social activity. Hoofer alumni often report that their time with Hoofers was one of the most enjoyable periods of their lives with friendships or partnerships that last a lifetime.

Applications due February 18 at 4:30PM!

For further information, or if you have trouble viewing the application form below, e-mail headofinstruction@hoofersailing.org.

• Finding Housing in Madison

From the Ground School Manual:

Determination of conditions as indicated by flags and lights is ultimately set by the UW Lifesaving Station, which is operated by the State of Wisconsin. The flag pole is located in front of the Boathouse. Lights are located at the top of the Lake Safety Towerwhich is on the northeast corner of the Helen C. White College Library.

The UW Lifesaving Station may sound the steam whistle located on the top of the Lake Safety Tower upon closing the lake due to a storm and one hour before sunset (to inform sailors they should begin to head in). In the event of a storm, red lights shall flash from the end of Picnic Point, the Tenney Park Locks, the Lake Safety Tower, and the UW Lifesaving Station. The mechanical warning devices are subject to failure so the flags take precedence if in conflict with the light signal. Hoofers are required to obey the following flags which tell current weather conditions. Flags may change in the middle of the day (green to blue, or non-yellow to yellow)—penalties will be incurred for not following the current flags. (Penalty: one week “ratings hold” on all fleets. In the case of red flag, one week “no sail penalty.”)

Purple (Practice) Flag

Very light winds are onshore (north, northeast, northwest) and less than 12 mph.

This flag will be flown at the discretion of the Head of Instruction or his/her designee after being requested by a club member. The Purple Flag is rarely flown so just ask at the Boathouse.

Windsurfers with practice ratings may go out. Only with the permission of an instructor may these individuals also sail on green flag days.

Green Flag

Light winds up to 18 mph although this limit may be lowered to 15 mph for gusting winds and large waves, or if there are too many capsizes for the rescue services to handle.

Sailors with a light weather rating may sail.

Blue Flag

Heavier winds 18 to 30 mph or winds over 15 mph with too many rescues for the rescue services to handle.

Sailors with a heavy weather rating may sail.

Yellow Flag

Cautionary flag requires sailors to stay within the "Yellow Line" area which is an imaginary line running from the tip of Picnic Point to the red and white Oscar Mayer smoke stack.

The yellow flag appears in addition to the green or blue flag and is flown when:

• Storms are possible
• Water temperature is less than 55 degrees F
• Visibility is very poor
• One hour before sunset (evening steam whistle warning)

Blue/Red Flag

Very heavy winds greater than 30 mph, but no storm is expected. The yellow line is in effect regardless of other factors. The following are the only boats allowed out and the requirements of each are as follows:

• Windsurfers - when the sailor has a short board heavy rating.
• Techs — when the skipper has a heavy weather Tech rating and a heavy weather rating in any other fleet besides windsurfers.
• 420s — when the skipper has a heavy weather 420 rating and a heavy weather rating in any other fleet besides 420s, techs, and windsurfers, and the crew has a 420 heavy weather rating.
• Lasers are allowed out when the skipper has a heavy weather Laser rating and a heavy weather rating on any other fleet other than Techs and windsurfers.
• Keelboats follow keelboat policy addendum (Appendix D).
• No other fleets — including any scows even if for Mendota Yacht Club racing — can go out.

Red Flag

Lake is closed. No sailing equipment is allowed out. If the lake is closed because of a storm, all sailors must return to Hoofers by the most direct method.

No Flag

Lake is closed or the flag hasn't been put up yet. Ask the Boathouse staff what the flag is before going out. See section called “Sailing While UW Lifesaving Station is Closed.”

We really don't want to scare anyone away with the term "school," and we promise not to give you a test at the end. These FREE lessons are an introduction to the club's structure, layout, safety rules, instruction program, and fun social events. While attending a Ground School is required for members prior to their first lesson, Ground Schools are open to non-members as well - so be sure to bring a friend!

After a brief video presentation, your friendly and knowledgeable instructor will guide you on a tour of the facilities and lakefront, highlight certain aspects of our programs, and answer any questions you may have. The club offers Ground School lessons about three or four times per week during the peak season. The class meets in the Hoofer Chart Room--just walk up the tunnel from the Memorial Union Boathouse and through the shop (follow the yellow signs or just ask someone along the way).

Brian Borkovec - Hoofer Sailing Head of Instruction / Hoofer Advisor

Brian first joined the Sailing Club in the summer of 2000, was selected as an instructor prior to the start of the 2004 season, and was hired as the Head of Instruction in September of 2005. His primary duties involve coordinating the Hoofer Sailing instruction program, involving over 70 sailing instructors teaching more than 1,500 adult lessons each season, as well as overseeing all operations associated with the Hoofer Youth Program.

Brian earned his bachelor's degree in English from UW-Green Bay and worked in the field of Sports Information (Bradley University and UW-Madison) prior to teaching English as a Foreign Language in Prague, Czech Republic, for two years. He has also worked as a substitute teacher, basketball coach, and track coach in his home town of Antigo, Wisconsin. Brian is married to Katherine Kludt, another instructor, who he met on Lake Mendota when both were first-year instructors.

In February of 2009, Brian accepted a dual appointment as interim Hoofer Advisor with the Wisconsin Union.

Why Do We Need Safety Rules?

Although sailing can be loads of fun, the potential hazards of water sports are also great including injuries and drowning. As the skipper of your craft, it is important to recognize that the skipper is responsible for the safety of all your crew and equipment (your boat) at all times. Ask any longtime sailors about their "stories" about what went wrong. They will have plenty. As one sails more and gains more experience, one becomes wise and more cautious in preventing potential hazards. Once you are in trouble, there are at least two things you can do to increase your safety. (If everyone followed these two basic safety rules, there would be far less drownings in the boating world.)

• Wear your snug-fitting lifejacket in any potentially dangerous situations.
• Always stay with your craft (even if capsized) unless someone is right there to put you into his or her boat. The boat gives you additional buoyancy and is easily spotted.You can take additional steps to increase your safety.
  • Check the weather forecast before you go out and watch the weather as you sail.
  • Teach your crew effectively on basic sailing to increase their safety.
  • Develop your skill by sailing as much as you can
  • When at Hoofers, properly check out your equipment in the Boathouse every time you're on the water (so that we know that you are on the water and may need rescue).

Will knowing the potential risks associated with water sports diminish your fun? Certainly not. Knowing the potential dangers and the following safety rules designed to keep you out of danger is the best way to insure that you have fun. Safe sailing to you!

The Hoofer Sailing Club has long prided itself on offering quality sailing instruction as a key component of club membership. Throughout the summer season, a staff of about 60 volunteer and paid instructors offers approximately 130 lessons each week, ranging from beginner to advanced courses on all of our seven sailboat fleets as well as windsurfers. Members can take unlimited lessons, test-outs, and special-topic clinics at no charge. During the winter, instruction continues with a winter kiting program and an on-land education series.

In addition to regular adult lessons, the club operates the increasingly-popular Hoofer Youth Program for children ages 10-18. About 300 youth each summer take lessons and have on-the-water fun while leaning how to sail, windsurf, kayak and canoe.

The instruction program also runs several outreach programs intended to better connect the club with the Wisconsin Union, University of Wisconsin, and the Madison community. Participants attending a conference at the University can get a taste of Hoofers by booking a short lesson through our Conference Sailing Program. A growing Accessible Sailing program is offered for sailors (or potential sailors) with disabilities and the instruction staff runs several free sailing events for area community groups each summer.