Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Daytona Beach, FL USA
We are an entirely student run sailing club and Sailing Team at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Our mission is to promote the sport of sailing amongst our peers and represent Embry-Riddle in the Intercollegiate Sailing Association. We pride ourselves on offering a low barrier of entry to sailing, offering free lessons and opening our team to all students, regardless of experience. We want to teach as many students as possible and create life long sailors. Approximately 80% of our club members are students who joined with zero sailing experience, some had never stepped foot on a boat before joining our club! Each semester we continue to grow our program and welcome new students to the club.
Over the past year, our club has experienced an overwhelming interest in sailing. Starting with just eight members in Spring 2020, our sailing team now has 20 committed students. In our recreation club, we have another group of 20 students involved in our sailing lessons and recreation events. This is not just a short term boost in interest. From late August to present, our club has been operating at full capacity non-stop with the same consistent group of students at events each week. The growth of our club is exciting, but our club is experiencing growing pains. Our fleet of 12 FJs, 2 C420s, and 3 Lasers can accommodate up to 31 students on the water, at the same time! Our goal is to one day fill all boats and have our own intrateam regatta.
"The Sailing club has introduced me to sailing as an amazing sport full of, technical skill, athletic ability and competition. Before I came to the club I had already fallen in love with casual sailing. There is no better way to relax and clear your head after a stressful week of studying than a afternoon out on the water. Most importantly though, the club has allowed me to meet and make friends of some of the most unique and diverse individuals you could imagine, and I couldn’t be more thankful to have meet the sailors I now call my best friends."
— Zechariah Frantz
