The second annual Senior Sail kicked off with a splash on Friday, November 10th. Participating teams constructed handmade boats out of cardboard and duct tape, which they raced across the natatorium’s pool in a competition to determine the fastest vessel.
Seniors were filled with anticipation and excitement for the makeshift regatta and could hardly wait to see how events would unfold.
“I’m going to cheer,” senior Ikshu Shandilya ‘24 said moments before the sail. “I’m actually going to scream. I was born for this.”
Some seniors expressed apprehension about the sail.
“Going into the race, I was feeling so nervous. I was stressed because I didn’t have my paddles, and I knew that I couldn’t sit in it a certain way,” senior Luisa Bracho ‘24 said. “It was very stressful, but as soon as I hit the water, it was all laughter and fun.”
Albeit a nerve-wracking experience for some, working as a team helped calm jittery nerves.
“I felt really nervous but also excited,” senior Sudiksha Hajra ‘24 said. “My team was amazing at making me feel less stressed, and I had an amazing experience.”
Designing their boats proved to be a demanding task. Many seniors strategically created their vessels and tested the finished products afterward.
“We designed our boat after a canoe since we figured it would be a reliable design to base it on,” senior Raghav Agarwal ‘24 said. “We tested out our boat in our neighbor’s pool once we finished it so we could check for leaks and figure out the best way to sit in it.”
Other teams, such as “S.S.S.N.,” created their designs from scratch.
“We first created a design, and then we built it based on the template,” Hajra said. “We watched a ton of boat competition videos to get ideas.”
Despite all the preparation for constructing the boats, the process was not entirely smooth sailing.
“Some challenges we faced were getting the supplies while keeping a tight budget and finding time to come together and work on the boat,” Agarwal said. “It was also difficult to predict how the boat would work since we really had no way of knowing whether or not it would work until race day or unless we were able to test it.”
Teams scouted out their competition before the showdown, demonstrating their appreciation for other boats and the creativity it took to make them.
“It was interesting to see the other boats and how the other teams had designed them,” Agarwal said.
“Sunset Racing” and its crew members Ryan Daly ‘24, Sebastian Zapata ‘24, Curtis Childress ‘24, and Vishanth Yoganand ‘24 emerged victorious after a swift finish.
“I felt that the result reflected the team’s effort and met our expectations,” Childress said.
Regardless of the outcome, seniors found their spirits buoyed. They considered the event purely fun.
“Even though I sank first and didn’t even make it halfway, it was a blast,” Bracho said. “I didn’t stop laughing the whole time while I was swimming.”
The event could only have occurred with the efforts of the senior student council officers, who helped orchestrate and manage the fun-filled competition.
“It was not a grueling process, but it was difficult because we had to discuss the best dates where people would respond and the best ways to gather support and attention to Senior Sail,” Senior Class Vice President Idara Etuks ‘24 said.
In addition to the successful Senior Sail, the senior class officers have more fun events in store for the class of 2024. Seniors are highly encouraged to attend.
“We have a free movie night that I encourage all seniors to come to,” Etuks said. “We plan on doing it during finals week, and we want it to be a relaxing time for seniors as our first semester of our last year ends. The movie is Rise of the Guardians.”
In an earlier version of this story, the Senior Sail was said to have been planned by senior student council members. However, it was solely planned by the senior class officers. This article was corrected on 1/4/24.
