“Sailing’s exhilarating, and the rush of adrenaline you get while doing it feels incredible,” Nathan Posard said. Sophomore Nathan takes part in sailing and is on three different teams: the Redwood sailing team, the San Francisco Yacht Club’s (SFYC) C420 sailing team, and the SFYC’s RS21 team. On top of that, Nathan has won many medals at regattas, which run similarly to track meets. At his last C420 race at SFYC, he took third place out of 30 other boats.

Sailing was first invented in the 17th century when the Dutch became the first to race yachts for entertainment. Towards the second half of the 20th century sailing gained popularity in the Bay Area due to the easy accessibility of the water. The sport kept gaining a crowd, and eventually, Redwood High School created a team. Redwood’s sailing team has now been around for more than 20 years.

Nathan’s mother, Wendy Posard, has a connection to boating through her relationship with her grandfather, who owned a boat on Lake Michigan.

“My mother sailed on Lake Michigan with her father for all her childhood… Then, after my family had settled in Marin and Nathan turned six, I signed him up for a sailing summer program,” Wendy said.

At the summer program, Nathan learned to sail in Belvedere Cove, a great venue for a first-time sailor. He continued attending the program until he eventually joined the racing team at 11 years old. He has now been on a racing team for five years.

Nathan described how an important aspect of sailing is the different types of boats. A C420, for example, is a terrific boat for anyone willing to try the sport but difficult enough that it can still be used in competition. The C420 is a two-person dinghy, making it smaller than the four-person RS21, which is a modern keelboat. A keelboat is a boat with a keel instead of a centerboard. A keel is a fin that goes underneath the boat that helps prevent the boat from capsizing. It differs from a centerboard because a keel cannot be adjusted while a centerboard can be positioned.

Nathan has many happy memories from sailing, but one is his favorite.

“Last September, I was sailing in an RS21. There were four people on the boat. We were in the central Bay around the Golden Gate Bridge and Angel Island. Since it was so windy, we were going so fast. Sailors measure speed in knots instead of miles per hour, so we were probably going 15 knots, which is about 17 miles per hour in three-foot waves,” Nathan said.

Wendy said that sailing has not only given Nathan positive memories but has also taught him important life lessons that give him a source of confidence.

“When [Nathan] was eight years old, he came off a boat out of a storm crying. He told me he never wanted to sail again because his boat capsized. He had to flip it back over alone in the water. I talked to his coach, and his coach told me that he believed in him. So I told him ‘No, you’re not going to quit.’ He went back out and kept sailing. He was really proud of himself. One of the best memories of being a parent,” Wendy said.

Nathan has also made many connections with his fellow teammates. His sailing partner, freshman Xander Mann, compliments Nathan’s positive attitude.

“When I joined the Redwood sailing team, Nathan was super welcoming and made it enjoyable. He gives plenty of positive feedback, and when I need more work, he explains things to me. There is no negativity around him, which makes [sailing] an enjoyable experience,” Mann said.

“Sailing is a very unique sport, and the community is so nice,” Nathan said.

Nathan encourages anyone who has an interest in the sport to try it out, as he believes the sport will help you grow as it did with him.