"I learned to sail at Hoofers in 2006, when merely attaching the rudder to a Tech made me seasick. Undeterred, I’m still at it, picking up a little something new every time I’m on the water, whether on a J-boat or scow, one of those remarkable Bytes, a nimble 420, the sociable Badger Sloop, or pedal-to-the-metal windsurfing. (My windsurfing pages are here). Join us and perhaps you’ll pick up a little something new too."

“I first developed a love for sailing as a youngster growing up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., where I learned to sail on the Chesapeake Bay, sailing and racing in Flying Scots. My love and enthusiasm for all things sailing continues unabated to this day. In my day job as a public school teacher (subject-music), I derive great satisfaction in helping my students achieve success both inside and outside the classroom and take great pride in seeing my students reach their goals. I look forward to using my skills and experience as a professional educator in my new role as a Hoofers sailing instructor to enable our members to discover the joys of sailing and to nurture and encourage their own passion and enthusiasm for this great sport.

I will be serving as instructor for the 420, Badger Sloop, and J boat fleets, and am especially looking forward to teaching Intro to Sailing, where it all begins!"

"I raced 420s in college, rebuilt and sailed my own boat, sailed the Apostle, Puerto Rican, and US Virgin Islands. I love sharing my passion for sailing by being a Hoofer's instructor."

"I'm from Racine, Wisconsin where I grew up sailing on Lake Michigan. I've been instructing at Hoofers since 2011. I just graduated from UW - Madison where I competed on the sailing team."

"I really learned to sail with Hoofers and have enjoyed teaching for several years. It’s amazing and so satisfying to see beginners quickly learn the basic maneuvers for the boats or windsurfers, then get a lot of experience and some additional coaching and take off so well. I fell in love with the speed of windsurfing when (as my body, the equipment and the conditions all work well) time feels as though it actually slows down as the speed increases."

"Hey! I'm Sawyer! I learned to sail and windsurf through the Youth Program at Hoofers when I was 10. I worked my way up, and was hired as an instructor at 16! My favorite classes to teach are windsurfing and Scows. I have the best summer job ever!"

"Winter sports have always been my passion, and so it’s been a thrill to work with the Hoofer Snow Kiting Fleet. Sailing and Kiting in Madison has been a great way for me to satiate my desire for the mountains and coastline of the Pacific Northwest, where I was raised. There is nothing better than the direct wind-body connection enabled by a snow kite, and Hoofers has developed one of the largest and most successful kiting schools in the region. If you’re looking for a thrilling new wind-powered sport, come take a kiting lesson with us!"

"I've been sailing in small boats with my dad since before I can remember. I've sailed on many types of boats, from windsurfing to a tall ship, but small boat lake sailing is still my favorite. This is my second year at Hoofers and my first year teaching adults, but I taught 10 year olds for two idyllic summers when I was in college. My favorite part of teaching is witnessing the moment when fear turns into excitement (often after the first capsize). Adults may not be as transparent as children, but I hope I can instill some of this excitement into my Hoofers students as well!

When I'm not sailing, I'm a graduate student studying the microbial community ecology of Lake Mendota. Basically, my life is all things Lake Mendota."

"I grew up sailing on the Madison lakes and love this city! When I was 10 I took an intro sailing camp out of Maple Bluff and was hooked instantly. Since then I have also picked up windsurfing, and while the sport can be frustrating at times, it is immensely rewarding when you finally get the sail up and the wake starts forming behind you. I am excited to be instructing for the first time this year and share this amazing sport with as many people as possible!"

"I grew up learning to sail Optimists, X-boats, 420s, and E-Scows on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, WI. When I came to UW-Madison, I joined the Hoofer Sailing Club and became an instructor for various boats and taught Hoofer Youth lessons. I graduated last year and now I work full-time at UW Hospital, but I still love spending my summers teaching sailing and participating in Hoofer Sailing!"

"I love sailing!! I have made some great friends hanging around Hoofers and look forward to welcoming new faces into our community... especially if you can be heavy crew! Despite being a small person, I love the thrilling as well as relaxing times when I go sailing. Seeing people learn and love sailing is really rewarding for me. I was in the youth programs a few years ago, then became an instructor, and even gave the sailing team a try. The view of Madison from the lake is fantastic too. See you out on the lake!"

"I learned to sail as a member of the collegiate racing team here at UW. From competing in regattas around the country, I gained a vast knowledge about dinghy sailing, especially the ability to sail them fast! I mainly teach on our Tech fleet and once in a while on the 420s."

"I have 25 years of racing experience in C-Scows and five in keel boats. I just had to get back to the scows so I joined Hoofer’s and am honoured to be a part of this fine organization. While I still enjoy racing, there is no feeling quite like instructing a student on the water; watching for that moment when it all comes together for them and they become part of the boat. Best feeling in the world, that."

"I am an undergraduate at UW Madison. I started sailing in Japan on the open ocean when I was 7 years old, and spent 8 years in the Navy sailing around on an aircraft carrier. Now, I teach windsurfing and techs lessons, and am co-captain of the Windsurfing Fleet!"

"Started windsurfing in 2009 and started to teach windsurfing in 2012 at HSC.

"I started sailing when I was 12 years old at a summer camp, but Hoofers is where I really learned the finer points of sailing. I joined the club in 2006 and became a volunteer instructor a few years later after earning my Toy Boat skipper rating. The knowledge I gained at Hoofers allowed me to charter keelboats on the great lakes and the bahamas, and also to be employed as a professional sailor on a tall ship for a summer. My other hobbies include mountain biking, science, and playing the violin."

"I took up sailing with Hoofers in 2009. I’ve been a volunteer instructor on the Heavy Keelboats since 2011. I enjoy racing on Toy boat, sailing all of our boats and maintaining the boats over the winter months!"

"I learned to sail, windsurf and kite at Hoofers Sailing Club over the last 3 years, and I'm excited to pass on the know-how to you! Joining the club is definitely the best decision I made since coming to Madison for graduate school. Welcome aboard, and feel free to introduce yourself if you see me around!"

"I started sailing at Hoofers when I was 11 in the youth program and became a youth assistant after a few years. I was hired on as an instructor when I was 16 and have worked at hoofers since then. Other sailing experience includes sailing a 134 foot tall ship across the Pacific Ocean in a program called SEA for a month last spring. I mostly teach on the smaller fleets and in the youth program."

"I began my sailing life with Hoofer's in 2007 and became hooked immediately. In Hoofer's I instruct for our J-fleet and Swing-Keels. Outside of Hoofers I've had the opportunity to sail in Chicago, around the Apostle Islands and off the coast of Israel. There's nothing like our club in the world and I'm so thankful to be a part of it!"

"I learned to sail when I was 10 and have been racing dinghies and keelboats ever since. I am on the UW sailing team and have been teaching sailing for the last 5 years. I love teaching people something I am passionate about and spreading the joy of sailing."

"This is my first year instructing here, but before that I was in the youth program and also a youth assistant. I like long walks on the beach and sunsets. Oh, and if you need a massage you can always ask me."

“I joined Hoofers in the summer of 2013 to learn how to sail keelboats. Since then I've become ASA certified, sailed the British Virgin Islands, and co-own a 30’ sailboat on Lake Michigan. I hope to share my passion for sailing by sharing the knowledge I've gained at Hoofer Sailing Club.”

"I love to sail! I grew up sailing and racing on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, WI. I sailed for the University of Wisconsin Sailing Team during my four years as an undergraduate and competed at so many cool places around the country. Nowadays, I am a middle and high school math teacher; however my favorite job is teaching sailing at Hoofers! I like to sail any type of boat and also windsurf, but you will usually find me teaching lasers, 420s, techs, scows, and, of course, the Hoofer youth camps!"

"The Hoofer Sailing Club is a big reason I chose to come to Wisconsin to do my graduate work (ssshh… don’t tell my advisor). I grew up sailing dinghies. Since joining the club the day I arrived in Madison, I’ve taken the opportunity to expose myself to as many boats as possible (including Betty Lou…). I mainly teach J’s, scows, and windsurfing. As the Winter Kiting Fleet Captain I make sure the fun continues year round!”

"I started sailing in the Hoofer Youth Program when I was eleven years old, and became a youth assistant at age fifteen. I've loved sailing ever since the very beginning, and I'm excited to pass on my enthusiasm for the sport to the children in the youth program!"

"My family was dumbstruck when I took up sailing as an adult. When I was a kid, taking me down to the marina was like taking a dog to the vet! But now—and thanks largely to Hoofers, where I’ll be teaching scows this summer—the switch has been completely flipped from off to on. So if you’ve tried sailing before and it didn’t take, trust me: With the right boat (hint: a scow) and a great club to sail with, it can be tremendous fun the second time around."

"I joined HSC about 15 years ago when I moved to Madison for work, and decided that, although I had never sailed before, the sailing club seemed like a great way to take advantage of the lakes surrounding Madison. Since then I have sailed on nearly all of the club’s fleets, and I started as an instructor on Spray and Knotty Rascal in the 2007 season. I also became a certified ASA 101 instructor in 2010. Since learning sailing at Hoofer’s, I’ve sailed on Lakes Michigan and Superior many times, and also in the British Virgin Islands twice and St. Lucia and the Grenadines once. So what you learn at HSC can certainly take you sailing throughout the world."

"I first learned to sail on keelboats out in the Pacific Northwest. Technically I have a couple ASA certifications, but I’d be a hazard to others if I tried to skipper now. These days I do some windsurfing and a little snow kiting. Mostly I enjoy the company of all the awesome people at Hoofers and few things beat a sunny, warm and windy day with friends on the terrace."

"The Hoofer Sailing Club is near and dear to my heart. I began teaching at Hoofers in 2004, met my husband here and even got engaged on Lake Mendota on a Hoofers boat! We moved away to California for a few years where I was able to participate in various local and national regattas. I've also had the opportunity to sail in Italy, Greece, the Bahamas and the BVI's . I'm so happy to be back in Madison at Hoofers...there's no place like it!"