Event Information: This three hour lesson will review the topics of the Intro to Dinghy Sailing lesson and focus on the rigging and sailing of the RS Zest. Students should expect to spend time on the water during this lesson and dress accordingly. Most students take this course once or twice before moving on to the Learner Dinghy Practical. 

Location: This lesson will meet under the yellow canopy next to the lake lab. If you are unable to find your instructor, or if there is inclement weather, please check in with the Outdoor UW Office.

Prerequisites: Intro to Dinghy Attendance Rating.

Students who take this lesson will be working toward earning their Zest Light rating. It may take several lessons to achieve proficiency in the skills that constitute the rating. Ratings are issued at the discretion of the Instructor.

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Event Information: This three hour lesson will focus on refinement of skills learned in the Intro to Badger Sloop Sailing lesson. Students will have the chance to further practice rigging, boat handling, landing and crew overboard procedures. This lesson will take place predominantly on the water.

Location: This lesson will meet under the yellow canopy next to the lake lab. If you are unable to find your instructor, or if there is inclement weather, please check in with the Outdoor UW Office.

Prerequisites: Completion of the Intro to Badger Sloop Sailing Lesson. Please review the Badger Sloop Manual prior to this lesson.   

Students who take this lesson will be working toward earning their Sloop Light rating. The Sloop fleet uses a series of skill check-off ratings (Rigging, Crew Overboard, Landing, Boat Handling) to help keep track of proficiency. Once all of the check-off ratings have been earned by a student, they will be issued a Badger Sloop Light rating. It may take several lessons to achieve proficiency in the skills that constitute the rating. Ratings are issued at the discretion of the Instructor.

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Event Information: This three hour lesson will review the topics of the Intro to Dinghy Sailing lesson and focus on the rigging and sailing of the RS Zest. Students should expect to spend time on the water during this lesson and dress accordingly. Most students take this course once or twice before moving on to the Learner Dinghy Practical. 

Location: This lesson will meet under the yellow canopy next to the lake lab. If you are unable to find your instructor, or if there is inclement weather, please check in with the Outdoor UW Office.

Prerequisites: Intro to Dinghy Attendance Rating.

Students who take this lesson will be working toward earning their Zest Light rating. It may take several lessons to achieve proficiency in the skills that constitute the rating. Ratings are issued at the discretion of the Instructor.

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Event Information:This lesson will cover the basics of Keelboat sailing and introduce you to the Keelboat fleet. Instructional topics will include boat vocabulary, basic sailing principles, knots, and rigging (setting up) the boat. Students will spend some time on shore and some time on the water and should dress accordingly.

Location: This lesson will meet under the yellow canopy next to the lake lab. If you are unable to find your instructor, or if there is inclement weather, please check in with the Outdoor UW Office.

Prerequisites: Ground School Attendance Rating.

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Security is the process of stowing our equipment and locking up the Club for the evening. By signing up for this lesson, you will be awarded volunteer hours for the time you are there.

Security can start 30 minutes before Lake Rescue and Safety closes, and fifteen minutes before Outdoor UW closes. 

Click here for the security checklist (short version).
Click here for the security checklist with pictures (with more details).

If you have any issues during your security shift or are unable to complete a task, please fill this form.
Reach out to the Head of Instruction with any questions or notes.

Note for Event Leaders: Once an instructor has signed up as event leader for a security event, the evening is their responsibility, and if they become unavailable they are expected to find someone to replace them. 

Location: Meet under the yellow canopy next to the lake lab. If you are unable to find your instructor, please check in with the Outdoor UW Office.

Pre-requisite: Intro to Keelboat or Badger Sloop rating

Location: Meet under the Yellow Canopy

Suggested reading is U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising, Bareboat Cruising, available in the Outdoor Programs Office.

Siege, Sassafras and Rhubarb are Tartan 10s, 33ft fractional rig sloops designed for racing. They are the largest boats in the hoofer fleet and have raced on the Great Lakes! Lessons will focus on basic seamanship as well as learning racing skills such as sailing under spinnaker, fine tuning sail trim, reading the wind and geometry of a course and timing a start.

Lessons proceed in all weather conditions except thunderstorms, your instructor may have on-land discussions about sailing theory or advanced topics if the weather doesn’t permit sailing. Dress appropriately; expect cooler temperatures on the lake.

Please bring you rating progress form for check off after the lesson. If you have areas you would like to focus on, please let your instructor know. You can find the progress forms and other instructional material at hoofersailing.org/manuals

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Pre-requisite: Intro to Keelboat or Badger Sloop rating

Location: Meet under the Yellow Canopy

Suggested reading is U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising, Bareboat Cruising, available in the Outdoor Programs Office.

Siege, Ratty and Rhubarb are Tartan 10s, 33ft fractional rig sloops designed for racing. They are the largest boats in the hoofer fleet and have raced on the Great Lakes! Lessons will focus on basic seamanship as well as learning racing skills such as sailing under spinnaker, fine tuning sail trim, reading the wind and geometry of a course and timing a start.

Lessons proceed in all weather conditions except thunderstorms, your instructor may have on-land discussions about sailing theory or advanced topics if the weather doesn’t permit sailing. Dress appropriately; expect cooler temperatures on the lake.

Please bring you rating progress form for check off after the lesson. If you have areas you would like to focus on, please let your instructor know. You can find the progress forms and other instructional material at hoofersailing.org/manuals

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Event Information: This lesson will cover the basics of sailing and introduce you to the Badger Sloop. Instructional topics will include boat vocabulary, basic sailing principles, knots, and rigging (setting up) the boat. Students will not be on the water during this lesson and are welcome to wear regular clothes instead of sailing clothes.

Location: This lesson will meet under the yellow canopy next to the lake lab. If you are unable to find your instructor, or if there is inclement weather, please check in with the Outdoor UW Office.

Prerequisites: Ground School Attendance Rating. Please read the Badger Sloop Manual prior to this lesson. 

Students who take this lesson will be working toward earning their Sloop Light rating. The Sloop fleet uses a series of skill check-off ratings (Rigging, Crew Overboard, Landing, Boat Handling) to help keep track of proficiency. Once all of the check-off ratings have been earned by a student, they will be issued a Badger Sloop Light rating. It is recommended that students take this lesson once, followed by a Badger Sloop Lesson two to three times to earn their skill check offs and eventually Badger Sloop Light rating.

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Event Information: This two and a half hour on-land lesson will cover the basics of sailing and introduce you to two of the Hoofer Sailing Club’s introductory boats, the Badger Techs and RS Zests. Instructional topics will include boat vocabulary, basic sailing principles, knots, and rigging (setting up) both types of boat. Students will not be in boats during this lesson and are welcome to wear regular clothes instead of sailing clothes.

Location: This lesson will meet under the yellow canopy next to the lake lab. If you are unable to find your instructor, or if there is inclement weather, please check in with the Outdoor UW Office.

Prerequisites: Ground School Attendance Rating.

Students who take this lesson will be issued the Intro to Dinghy Attendance Rating

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Event Information: This three hour lesson will focus on refinement of skills specific to the J24 and the knowledge gained in Intro to Keelboat. Students will have the chance to further practice rigging, boat handling, landing and crew overboard procedures. This lesson will take place predominantly on the water.

Location: This lesson will meet under the yellow canopy next to the lake lab. If you are unable to find your instructor, or if there is inclement weather, please check in with the Outdoor UW Office.

Prerequisites: Intro to Keelboat Attendance Rating

Students who take this lesson will be working toward earning their J24 Light rating. The Keelboat fleet uses a J-Fleet sign off sheet for earning ratings to help keep track of proficiency. Once the student has filled out a J-Fleet sign off sheet, they will be eligible to earn a J24 Light rating. It will take several lessons to achieve proficiency in the skills that constitute the rating. Ratings are issued at the discretion of the Instructor. 

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Event Information: This three hour lesson will focus on refinement of skills specific to the J24 and the knowledge gained in Intro to Keelboat. Students will have the chance to further practice rigging, boat handling, landing and crew overboard procedures. This lesson will take place predominantly on the water.

Location: This lesson will meet under the yellow canopy next to the lake lab. If you are unable to find your instructor, or if there is inclement weather, please check in with the Outdoor UW Office.

Prerequisites: Intro to Keelboat Attendance Rating

Students who take this lesson will be working toward earning their J24 Light rating. The Keelboat fleet uses a J-Fleet sign off sheet for earning ratings to help keep track of proficiency. Once the student has filled out a J-Fleet sign off sheet, they will be eligible to earn a J24 Light rating. It will take several lessons to achieve proficiency in the skills that constitute the rating. Ratings are issued at the discretion of the Instructor. 

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Event Information: This three hour lesson will focus on refinement of skills learned in the Intro to Badger Sloop Sailing lesson. Students will have the chance to further practice rigging, boat handling, landing and crew overboard procedures. This lesson will take place predominantly on the water.

Location: This lesson will meet under the yellow canopy next to the lake lab. If you are unable to find your instructor, or if there is inclement weather, please check in with the Outdoor UW Office.

Prerequisites: Completion of the Intro to Badger Sloop Sailing Lesson. Please review the Badger Sloop Manual prior to this lesson.   

Students who take this lesson will be working toward earning their Sloop Light rating. The Sloop fleet uses a series of skill check-off ratings (Rigging, Crew Overboard, Landing, Boat Handling) to help keep track of proficiency. Once all of the check-off ratings have been earned by a student, they will be issued a Badger Sloop Light rating. It may take several lessons to achieve proficiency in the skills that constitute the rating. Ratings are issued at the discretion of the Instructor.

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Event Information: This two hour classroom lesson will cover a variety of topics on small-boat-sailing and other general information to help new sailors hone their skills and progress into the more advanced fleets. Topics covered include: 

• Physics of sailing

• Effective use of sail controls

• Heavy wind sailing considerations

• Effective seating positions and hiking techniques

• Right-of-way rules

• Introduction to sailboat racing

Instructors will endeavor to leave time at the end of the lesson to answer individual questions.

Location: Check the Today in the Union website or the digital signs in Memorial Union on the day of the lesson. Note that the event start time may appear earlier on the TITU listing but will begin at the time shown here. If the event does not appear on the TITU listing, please go to the Outdoor UW Office and speak with the staff to determine the event location.

Prerequisites: This Classroom lesson is intended for students who are working toward or have already obtained a Tech Light or Zest Light Rating. Attending this course and having earned either a Tech or Zest Light allows members to take lessons in the Advanced Dinghies (Laser, Byte, and 420).

Students who take this lesson will receive an Advanced Dinghy Classroom Attendance rating. This rating, along with a Tech or Zest Light rating, will allow a student to sign up for 420, Laser, and Byte lessons.

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Event Information: This lesson is an opportunity for students to showcase their skills and abilities in either a Tech or a Zest to an instructor. Students should come prepared to rig, launch, sail, and land either a Tech or a Zest without assistance. 

Location: This lesson will meet under the yellow canopy next to the lake lab. If you are unable to find your instructor, or if there is inclement weather, please check in with the Outdoor UW Office.

Prerequisites: Intro to Dinghy Attendance rating

Students who show proficiency in all criteria in this lesson will be issued either their Tech or Zest Light rating. Ratings are issued at the discretion of the Instructor.

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Security is the process of stowing our equipment and locking up the Club for the evening. By signing up for this lesson, you will be awarded volunteer hours for the time you are there.

Security can start 30 minutes before Lake Rescue and Safety closes, and fifteen minutes before Outdoor UW closes. 

Click here for the security checklist (short version).
Click here for the security checklist with pictures (with more details).

If you have any issues during your security shift or are unable to complete a task, please fill this form.
Reach out to the Head of Instruction with any questions or notes.

Note for Event Leaders: Once an instructor has signed up as event leader for a security event, the evening is their responsibility, and if they become unavailable they are expected to find someone to replace them. 

Location: Meet under the yellow canopy next to the lake lab. If you are unable to find your instructor, please check in with the Outdoor UW Office.

Event Information: Spray is a 30ft classic cruising yacht that has sailed the great lakes before coming to Hoofers in 2003. Lessons on Spray focus on cruising and general sailing skills including care and use of the inboard diesel engine, sailing with a roller furler jib, and ensuring the crew has a safe and enjoyable sail.Please bring your rating progress form for check off after the lesson. If you have areas you would like to focus on, please let your instructor know. You can find the progress forms and other instructional material at hoofersailing.org/manuals

Lessons proceed in all weather conditions except thunderstorms, your instructor may have on-land discussions about sailing theory or advanced topics if the weather doesn’t permit sailing.

Location: This lesson will meet under the yellow canopy next to the lake lab. If you are unable to find your instructor, or if there is inclement weather, please check in with the Outdoor UW Office.

Prerequisite: Intro to Keelboat or Badger Sloop rating

Suggested reading is U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising, Bareboat Cruising, available in the Outdoor Programs Office.

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Pre-requisite: Intro to Keelboat or Badger Sloop rating

Location: Meet under the Yellow Canopy

Suggested reading is U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising, Bareboat Cruising, available in the Outdoor Programs Office.

Siege, Sassafras and Rhubarb are Tartan 10s, 33ft fractional rig sloops designed for racing. They are the largest boats in the hoofer fleet and have raced on the Great Lakes! Lessons will focus on basic seamanship as well as learning racing skills such as sailing under spinnaker, fine tuning sail trim, reading the wind and geometry of a course and timing a start.

Lessons proceed in all weather conditions except thunderstorms, your instructor may have on-land discussions about sailing theory or advanced topics if the weather doesn’t permit sailing. Dress appropriately; expect cooler temperatures on the lake.

Please bring you rating progress form for check off after the lesson. If you have areas you would like to focus on, please let your instructor know. You can find the progress forms and other instructional material at hoofersailing.org/manuals

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting

Pre-requisite: Intro to Keelboat or Badger Sloop rating

Location: Meet under the Yellow Canopy

Suggested reading is U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising, Bareboat Cruising, available in the Outdoor Programs Office.

Siege, Ratty and Rhubarb are Tartan 10s, 33ft fractional rig sloops designed for racing. They are the largest boats in the hoofer fleet and have raced on the Great Lakes! Lessons will focus on basic seamanship as well as learning racing skills such as sailing under spinnaker, fine tuning sail trim, reading the wind and geometry of a course and timing a start.

Lessons proceed in all weather conditions except thunderstorms, your instructor may have on-land discussions about sailing theory or advanced topics if the weather doesn’t permit sailing. Dress appropriately; expect cooler temperatures on the lake.

Please bring you rating progress form for check off after the lesson. If you have areas you would like to focus on, please let your instructor know. You can find the progress forms and other instructional material at hoofersailing.org/manuals

Post-Lesson Resources:

Instructor Evaluation Form

Incident & Accident Reporting