Kyle Hoffman '27 (left) and Zijin Wang '27 (right) at a regatta at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington on Saturday. Photo Courtesy of Zijin Wang.
When Club Sailing Co-President Zijin (Jim) Wang ‘27 texted the club’s GroupMe “STRONG WIND TODAY! Make sure to wear enough layers!” ahead of Sunday’s practice, the small crew stuffed into Wang’s SUV on the way to Lake Campus knew they might get wet.
What the members sailing for only their second time might not have expected was getting soaked by water spraying over the bow as Wang guided the 420-model sailing dinghy through choppy water and strong gusts on Lake Norman. But to Wang, who learned to sail nine years ago in China, windy days and rough water are the best parts of sailing—and great ways to hook new members.
“Taking people out to rough water to start is a great way to get their interest,” Wang said. “When I first fell in love with this sport, it was because I was sailing over strong wind conditions. […] When people can handle the boat [and sail] against the strength of nature […] they will feel more connected to the sport.”
This fall is Wang’s second year as Co-President of the student-run club. When he came to Davidson as a freshman in fall 2023, the sailing club was largely inactive. Its Instagram page had been dormant since Oct. 2021. Busy schedules, overlapping commitments and low membership meant the club’s leadership at the time was unable to hold regular practices.
Wang eventually got on the water alongside Co-President Nicholas Skarbek-Borowski ‘27 who is abroad this semester. “Throughout the whole year, there was only one practice, and that practice happened because I was emailing the club president so much that she eventually agreed to host a practice,” Wang said.
After contacting the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association’s (SAISA) conference organizer, Wang and Skarbek teamed up to compete at the 2024 Carolina Trophy Regatta in March—the club’s first competition since fall 2019.
“I was very competitive back in China, and I wanted to continue that here,” Wang said.
The regatta’s sponsor, the Lake Norman Yacht Club, sits Southwest from Davidson’s Lake Campus. On a windy day, students can see the white sails of the Yacht Club’s boats across the lake. Despite the regatta’s proximity, Davidson only fielded one boat.
“The regatta organizer was very surprised, like ‘you have Lake Campus across the lake [from] where we are racing, and you couldn’t get enough people to come,’” Wang said. “I was just feeling ashamed by that, and that’s how I decided to expand the club.”
Wang and Skarbek took the reins last year. They prioritized competing at regattas, which Wang admitted came at the expense of the club’s growth.
“Because we’re focusing so much on regattas and only Nick and I [are skippers], every time we travel to regattas and back, we just don’t have the time to host another practice during the weekend,” Wang said.
Previously, Wang dragged friends along to weekend regattas across the 33-member SAISA conference that stretches from Florida to North Carolina. Past destinations include Clemson, Raleigh, Atlanta and even Jacksonville, a six hour drive away.
Changtai (Terry) Li ‘27, who had never sailed before but now helps Wang lead practices, joined the club when they needed one more person for a regatta in Charleston last fall. “[Jim] reached out to me and I wasn’t that busy,” Li said.
This year, Wang’s priorities are different. He is taking more time to instruct new members on the fundamentals of sailing instead of jumping straight into competitions. On Sunday, Wang began practice with a brief whiteboard session discussing terminology, concepts and knots. However, Wang firmly believes in learning by doing.
For the rest of Sunday’s practice, Wang and Li each took a crew of two sailors on the water. Li guided his boat around a bay more sheltered from the wind, letting people practice being the “skipper,” or captain, who steers the boat and controls the main sail. Wang took his boat into rougher water to practice “tacking,” changing directions while facing upwind, and “hiking out,” leaning over the side of the hull to counter-balance the boat and prevent it from tipping over.
For now, the goal is to pique people’s interest and provide an opportunity to practice basic techniques. “We haven’t stepped into the phase where we really need to learn the competing skills. So far, we’re just letting everybody get the experience,” Li said.
Newcomers are often surprised to hear Wang and Li coordinating logistics or calling out to each other across the lake in Chinese. Li is one of multiple Chinese students in the club recruited by Wang. Thanks to him, sailing has become a popular way for Chinese underclassmen at Davidson to meet and socialize.
“I think there’s a lot more [Chinese students] sailing because many of my close friends are Chinese,” Wang said. “They’re very supportive of my passion and what I’m doing. So whenever I need help, they’re like, ‘oh, maybe I can help.’ And then I’ll just say, like, ‘okay, come along’ and just train them for a bit, and we just go to the regatta.”
Wang said about 15% of the 50-member club are Chinese. That makes Davidson’s club unique. About 82% of collegiate sailors are white, according to a recent survey by the Intercollegiate Sailing Association. Wang said finding Chinese sailors at regattas is uncommon. “I think our identity adds diversity to this sport.”
Although Wang is anxious to compete this fall, he keeps himself grounded by looking to the future. “I calm myself down and say, ‘you have to grow the club,’” Wang said. “I envision that after they learn all the skills, we can have more sustainable practices, and […] eventually become a bigger club and get more funding and [be] more competitive.”