CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Chicago Yacht Club and professional U.S. sailors taught young water enthusiasts a new way to sail Saturday.
The water was calm on Lake Michigan, ideal conditions for learning a new trick. A couple dozen young sailors set out to foil during their training camp led by Jimmy Spithill, a world-champion sailor.
"Kids are just so quick nowadays in being able to adapt. But it's all about balance, really, it's a lot like riding a bike," Spithill, who leads the United States SailGP team, told WBBM Newsradio.
Foiling boats have wings underneath them that lift the small boat out of the water, allowing sailors to gain speed above the waves. Spithill said it's like flying an aircraft.
"It's an incredible experience for the kids because as soon as the boat does take off, just like a plane does, the acceleration is two to three times whatever the speed they're doing, so it's just like a turbo boost,” he said.
The U.S. SailGP team partnered with the Chicago Yacht Club to bring the joy of sailing and foiling to new communities of young people. Their goal is to make sailing and the lakefront more accessible.
"The great opportunity is that the kids are flying. They're literally above the water, flying above the water, at speeds you could never obtain in the water," said Nick Berberian, commodore of the Chicago Yacht Club.
The young foilers said it was challenging, but worth it. Most of them capsized multiple times, but they kept getting back up.
"It was so hard to balance the boat, and to pick up speed you have to be good at balancing, and since it's only one person on the boat it's like you have complete control of it. It's so hard, but it's so fun at the same time," Alejandro Cerone said.
"It was really cool just to go that fast and feel yourself rising up," Jillian Drake said.
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