
Hoofer Sailing Club
Set Sail
Tong Family Marina
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Hoofer Youth
Youth Sailing Summer Camp
UW Sailing Team
GO GO WISCO!The Hoofer Sailing Club, established in 1939, is a collection of students and community members working together to maintain a fleet of boats for recreational and competitive sailing. Membership includes unlimited lessons and boat usage. Our fleet, one of the largest in the nation, includes dinghies, keelboats, windsurfing and even winter kiting.
We encourage all our members to volunteer, to become instructors (the best way to become a better sailor) and to be involved in club leadership.
By doing as much of the work as possible ourselves, we can keep our membership dues incredibly low. Compare our dues to other yacht clubs, where you may have to pay up to $1,000 per month in dues just to maintain your membership and then pay hundreds of dollars more for lessons and the expense of private boat ownership.
Not only does our structure keep our costs low, but it also has tremendous social potential. When you teach others to sail or get involved in our periodic work parties and social events, you meet new people and create friendships. Friendships made all the stronger by common interests and a shared sense of pride in a job well done. You also get a chance to learn a great deal about boat operations and maintenance-- a great thing if you dream of owning a boat someday.
The majority of our membership is made up of individuals wanting to just take a few lessons and learn the basics of sailing. Yet our intercollegiate sailing team often ranks in the top 20 in the nation. We also have a committed group of long-time members to add to the great mix that is Hoofer Sailing Club.
News

We are currently navigating unchartered waters, for an update regarding the impact of Covid-19 on Hoofers, the Director of Outdoor UW, Joe Webb has put together the following message.

Olivia Staruck is this year's 420 Fleet co-Captain and Sailing Team co-Captain. She is a senior and 4 year member of the the Wisco Sailing Team. To learn more about her, see this post!

Kaitlyn Hamers is this year's Laser & Byte Fleet co-Captain. She has been part of the club for 12 years, including time spent as a youth program where she learned to sail! To learn more about her, see this post!

This week we are featuring, Hallie, our who is our Marketing Chair. See this post to learn more!

The snow and cold weather might not make for great sailing weather but it's a perfect time to start preparing for next summer! To help you meet your BOC, we will be posting weekly throughout the winter about one of our BOC members. If you ever see them around Hoofers, make sure to say hi, everyone on the board loves to meet our amazing and wonderful members. Our first post features Noah Janssen, who is this year's Rear Commodore. He is a lifelong sailor, current graduate student in the MAcc program and alumnus of the Wisco Sailing Team. To learn more about him, see this post, and stay tuned for next week's post!
Upcoming Events
Move Heavy Keelboats to Lake!
It's time for the keelboats to return to the lake! We'll need a crew to help clear the parking pad next to the lake lab and another crew at the Mineral Point lab to get the boats ready to roll down the road. This is not a lift-in, but we're getting closer. It's getting exciting now!
Volunteer hours will be credited. Meet at the big crane on the lakefront.
Sloop flipping and rigging
The Sloops are washed, buffed, waxed and ready for flipping and rigging! Meet by the sloops and get ready for boat flipping! Please wear sturdy shoes or construction boots. Work gloves may be advisable as well. You must be signed up for this event to attend. There will be a prework meeting where we will discuss all safety protocols to comply with the Univesity and County safety requirements for the prevention of the spread of Covid-19. Please be on time so I can cover this just once.
How It All Went Down Down Under: A Review of the 36th America’s Cup Match
The 36th America’s Cup match recently concluded last month in Auckland, New Zealand. Re-live all the excitement of the latest installment of the world’s oldest sporting competition, as Emirates Team New Zealand sought to defend the cup against one of three worthy challengers from Italy, the United States, and Great Britain. This presentation will include a brief history of the America’s Cup, a look at the technological marvels that are the AC 75 foiling monohulls that were used in the match, a discussion of match racing rules, strategy and tactics, and video highlights of all the action, from the challenger selection series to the cup match itself. Find out how and why Emirates Team New Zealand were ultimately able to defend and retain the oldest trophy in sports!
Participants signed up for this event will receive an email from the lessons site on the day of the presentation containing a link and password for joining the meeting. Please keep an eye out for it.
This online presentation will be held on the Zoom platform.
Using Zoom is free. You do not need to install the app or create a Zoom account, but doing so may result in a better user experience. Please visit the Zoom website for more information (https://zoom.us).
Move Techs to the Union!
It is time to move the techs from the lab back to the union! We will need two people who can drive fleet vehicles to bring the vehicles. We will need atleast 10 people to help load and unload the techs.
Meet at the lab (6101 Mineral Point Rd, Madison, WI 53705 - South side of the street). Depending on how many volunteers we have we may have to go back and forth between the lab and the union to load and unload boats. If you are a UW student or staff you can carpool if you meet the badger badge safety requirements.
Volunteer hours will be credited.
Any questions contact Robin at techs@hoofersailing.org.
Rig Techs and Zests
Let's rig the techs and zests. We will be adding all the standing rigging and powerwashing the boats. Let's get ready to go sailing.
Volunteer hours will be credited.
Any questions contact Robin at techs@hoofersailing.org.
Scow Work Party
- Work on getting scows ready for the season
- replace/take note of any lines that need replacement
- trailer safety check and prepare boats for transport
- Bring boats to lakefront if timing allows
- Current HSC members only due to COVID restrictions
Lake Mendota Conditions
How to Join
1. Create your Account!
Head over to our member site at https://members.hoofers.org to create your account! You don't have to officially join the club yet, but this will be required to sign up for Ground School. You must be a Union Member to officially join the club. Note that UW-Madison students are automatically granted Union membership.
2. Ground School!
Join us for Ground School, a FREE on-land presentation! This 90 minute guided tour and information session is required for all new Hoofer Sailing Club members. Ground School is available to Hoofer Sailing Club members, as well as to the broader campus community. Sign up here!
3. Sign Up for Events!
Once you've joined the club, you can search for events and sign up from the member site. Pick your favorite event, sign up, and get ready for an adventure!
For more information, click the button below!
Contact Us
Hoofer Sailing Club
Memorial Union, Lower Level
800 Langdon St.
Madison, WI 53706
(608) 262-1630
info@hoofersailing.org
Contact Us
Hoofer Youth Program

The Hoofer Youth Program offers quality on-the-water instruction with a focus on fun and learning. Courses in sailing, windsurfing, and racing are open to youth ages 10-18 and range from beginner to advanced.
Programs are designed to teach outdoor recreation skills while encouraging youth to have fun and develop personally in the areas of communication, self-reliance, sportsmanship, and respect for others. Hoofers promotes a constant awareness of safety, emphasizes the importance of working together, and teaches students to adapt themselves to the forces of nature.