HELENA — It is no secret that Montana is home to many adventure sports, world-class backcountry skiing, whitewater rafting, and mountaineering. But few may know that, even in our landlocked state, there are groups dedicated to a sport almost as old as man's obsession with the sea.
East of Helena, the Canyon Ferry Yacht Club welcomes sailors young and old, novice and expert, and gives them a chance to test themselves against each other and the elements.
Pat Cirillo is the Commodore of the Canyon Ferry Yacht Club: "The motto out here is 90 percent boredom, 10 percent terror."
Cirillo invited MTN aboard his J-24 sailboat, the Saba Wind, to see firsthand the opportunities available for people interested in experiencing what it's like to crew a sailboat.
On the Saba Wind is Cirillo's wife Paula Jacques, as well as Nik Sorenson and Kelsey Wagner, a couple learning how to sail after buying a similar boat.
"I had sailed a handful of times with family, once or twice a year, as a kid. You know one day here, one day there. But no formal experience," explained Sorenson.
The yacht club has been sailing the waters of Canyon Ferry for nearly 50 years. The club helps connect people interested in sailing with lessons, runs races and competitions, and is a community of boat owners and enthusiasts who regularly help each other with boat maintenance and launching their watercraft.
The club also participates in other races against clubs like the North Flathead Yacht Club. Big races, like the Montana Cup, will even draw sailors and boats from other states.
Sunday's friendly race included many novice sailors, with some getting their first experience on a sailboat. Club members used the day to introduce the fundamentals of sailing.
On the Saba Wind the crew worked as a team. No one had just one job; each person got the opportunity to crew a different part of the yacht and crew members changed positions about every half hour.
They have to be prepared to address a variety of scenarios that may test them mentally and physically.
In what Cirillo referred to as a "faux pas," a halyard, the nautical term for a rope used for raising and lowering a sail, became stuck at the top of the mast. One crew member had to put on a harness to retrieve it.
"Uh, it was intense, for sure. Luckily they took most of my weight with a hoist," Wagner said.
Wagner, who has rock climbing experience, expertly scrambled up the mast while the rest of the crew worked to help her and keep the boat stable. It was hard to imagine this was her first time on the Saba Wind. The whole operation took about 10 minutes.
"This is something that happens and as a crew, and-and anybody who is a proficient sailor, this will happen to them," Cirillo says.
Communication is key. As a team they have to manage shifting wind and weather, other boats on the water and the different sails and equipment on their own boat.
Sailing has language of its own. The crew uses terms like genoa, spinnaker, tacking, sheets and halyards. The crew must also know how to tie different knots and flags are used to relay information between boats.
The more time the crew spent on the water, the more relaxed the race and the crew became. When they needed to tack and trim sails they moved quickly and in unison, making adjustments in seconds.
Cirillo and his crew kept the Saba Wind cruising between four and five knots an hour.
"Today I felt more comfortable and needed less and less and instruction." Sorenson told MTN.
"It is really exciting. Just a different sport, different physics, a lot of vocabulary," Wagner added.
Cirillo brings more than 30 years of sailing experience to his role as Canyon Ferry Yacht Club Commodore. He tells MTN he was drawn to sailing by its ability to take you anywhere in the world almost completely under your power.
"My goal initially was when I was just learning how to sail, I said I want to be able to go to the Virgin Islands and be able to charter my own without a cook and a skipper. And so I have gotten to that point."
What keeps him sailing is the people.
"Sailing is like something you can do all over the world. I've met more friends. I run into them everywhere I go."
Yacht Club members emphasized that you don't need a boat to get started in sailing. The club meets for events during the week and weekends during the summer. You can learn more about the Canyon Ferry Yacht Club by visiting their Facebook page.
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