Adventure Reports
Hoofer Friday Socials Starting Soon!
The famous Friday socials are starting up May 19th @ 6pm. Come down and enjoy the Nacho bar with your fellow sailors.
Suwannee River Spring Break 2023
A group of Hoofers explored the stunning Suwannee River of northern Florida. They paddled about 45 miles of the river and explored the other scenery that Florida has to offer.
📍Timucua Land
Nantahala National Forest Spring Break 2023
These Hoofers hiked in North Carolina with a major portion of their trip following the Appalachian Trail. Along the way, they had the pleasure of meeting many thru-hikers who started their journey in Georgia and are making their way to Maine! This trip was a LIT trip that focused on teaching the elements and steps required in leading a successful trip.
📍Cherokee Land
Gila National Forest Spring Break 2023
Soaking up the sun, sand, and scenery of New Mexico! This group explored the amazing views of the Gila Wilderness for spring break!
They spent four days hiking and exploring the grand valleys, stunning mesas, and immense sand dunes of the region. Everyone on this trip experienced amazing opportunities, including sand sledding!
📍Chiricahua Apache Land
2023 Elections
Elections for Commodore, Vice-Commodore, or Rear Commodore will be held between Tuesday, March 21 and Monday, March 27. Information about the canidates will be posted on the website. Be sure to check the Elections page for updates.
Weekly Fat Tire Biking Trips to Quarry Park!
Outing club members have been taking weekly trips to Quarry Park here in Madison to enjoy some all-weather biking on fat tire bikes!
WFR Certification Course
Members of our clubs worked to earn their Wilderness First Responder certification, learning how to perform emergency medicine and how to best take care of their fellow outing members when out in the wilderness!
Winter 2023 Scuba Trip!
This year, the SCUBA club decided to head down to Key Largo, Florida for our first trip since the pandemic. We had an amazing time diving the reefs and wrecks in the area!
Don't Miss the Winter Sailing Seminars!
Our Winter Sailing Seminars are a great way to expand your horizons during the winter months. The seminars are open to the community and no prior sailing experience is required; you do not need to be a current member of the sailing club to attend. Feel free to invite your landlubber friends!
See more here!
Red River Gorge - Sport Climbing
HMC's annual Halloween trip to Red River Gorge! This trip was focused on sport climbing. The Red River Gorge in Kentucky has some of the best sport climbing in all of the US, there are routes for all types of climbers! And camping at Miguels, a classic climber camp spot for RRG!
Pumpkin Dive 2022
We had our annual pumpkin carving dive! Six brave divers endured the 52° to make some amazing pumpkins! We dove directly off the Memorial Union Terrace. In addition to carving some incredible pumpkins, we also picked up some trash from the lake that was near us!
End of 2022 Season Dates
Hello Hoofer Sailors,
Thanks for a great season of sailing with you all! Below are the dates for the end of season. If you are able, please volunteer for liftouts on Rechub.
- Light Keelboat fleet lift-out: 10/14
- Keelboat lift-out: 10/21(fri) & 29(sat)
- Last day for moorings: 10/30
- Pull Marina Docks: 10/31-11/7 *all hands*
- Last Day for Rentals: 10/23
- Last day for Sailing: 10/30
- Remove Moorings: Week of 10/31-11/4
- Move T-dock: week of 11/7
43rd Annual Commodore's Cup
No Sailing Experience Required!
This year's Commodore's Cup is a 6-day activity taking place during the last full week of August and culminates with a formal ball at the end. This event celebrates both the sailing and social aspects of the club and stems from delightfully wacky traditions formed during the typical doldrums due to lack of wind we experience in July.
Sailing Season has Started!
With a long winter and a wet start to the summer, the sailing season is finally here! Be sure to stop by the lake front to sail, be social, or hop on a lesson.
Backpacking South Carolina
Scenic views, blue skies, and great times abounded on this 4-day trek in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains!
Everglades Spring Break Trip
An adventurous, sun-seeking group of 11 Hoofers drove down to the southernmost tip of Florida for a week of canoeing through the Everglades National Park! We paddled two canoe trails: Hell's Bay, a winding path through dense mangroves slightly inland, and Clubhouse Beach, a shallow paddle in the Florida Bay along the coast. We saw dolphins, many cool birds, and a crocodile. We did morning yoga on the chickee, acquired a real coconut from a real coconut tree, observed exciting low-tide critters, and made lots of memories. We indeed got our fair share of sun, including the prettiest sunrises and sunsets. It was a very exciting trip and nobody got eaten by an alligator... that's what I would call a success!
Pool Certification Class
We had our first pool certification class of the semester! New members, old members, members of the exec board all learned how to SCUBA in the pool at the Nic right on campus. The soon to be certified divers will be completing their open water certification this weekend in a lake Up North!
Red Granite Dive
We had our first successful dive of the year at Red Granite led by our Divemaster, James, and planned by our VP of Local Trips, Anna! The surface was warm, but it was quite cold below ~25 feet. Everyone enjoyed the trip, and the divers had an added bonus of a beautiful sunset drive back to Madison with all the trees changing color.
Sailing Club Job Opportunity
Are you interested in working for the Sailing Club? We have a job opportunity for someone looking to become more involved in the oversight of the club and the club's infrastructure. We're hiring a Hoofer Sailing Club Advisor and Sailing Infrastructure Manager.
Updated Mask Policy (August 5th, 2021)
In summary, effective tomorrow (Thursday, August 5th), regardless of vaccination status, all individuals will be required to wear masks while in campus buildings. As it pertains to the Sailing Club, this means that whenever one is inside the building (checking out a boat, getting a lifejacket, etc.), they will be required to wear a face covering. Mask will still not be required outdoors.
42nd Annual Commodore's Cup
No Sailing Experience Required!
This year's Commodore's Cup is a 6-day activity taking place during the last full week of August and culminates with a formal ball at the end. This event celebrates both the sailing and social aspects of the club and stems from delightfully wacky traditions formed during the typical doldrums due to lack of wind we experience in July.
Hoofers Sailing Season is Opening this Summer!
The Hoofers sailing season is starting up on July 1st! We know you all have been missing sailing with us and we are so glad to see you again for sailing and socials!
Tenney Park
We are excited to partner with Badger Branch Out for some weekly outing recommendations!
Whether you are looking for a place to have a picnic, play volleyball, watch birds, take a stroll, or kayak, Tenney Park is the place to go. When it's too cold for many of these activities, ice skaters delight in the frozen lagoon during the winter months. Tenney Park has a unique location in Madison. Not only is it on the shore of Lake Mendota, but there you will also find the Yahara River that connects Lake Mendota to Lake Monona. Tenney Park rests between Sherman Avenue and E. Johnson Street and takes about 45 minutes by foot or 15-minutes by bike to get there from the Memorial Union.
Update from Outdoor UW Director - Joe Webb
We are currently navigating unchartered waters, for an update regarding the impact of Covid-19 on Hoofers, the Director of Outdoor UW, Joe Webb has put together the following message.
Ice Climbing in Winona, MN
Hoofer Outing teamed up with Hoofer Mountaineering to climb the 200 foot ice park in Winona, MN!
Cross-Country Skiing in Winona, MN
Hoofers journeyed to Winona, MN for some gorgeous late winter XC skiing featuring a hard-packed ski jump!
Hoofers against Climate Change!
Don Faith took a nice climate photo on the Lake Columbia trip of member and instructor Carl holding a climate protest sign on a freakishly warm solstice day.
Pheasant Branch Conservancy Hike
A couple of Hoofers headed over to Pheasant Branch Conservancy last week for an early winter hike!
Washington AORE-AEE Conference
Our Club Advisor, Adam, and members of the exec board, Evan, Laura, and Ansley, flew out to Washington just over a week ago to attend the AORE-AEE conference. They learned about leadership, equity in the outdoors, risk management, and a variety of other things that they will bring back to the club in the coming months!
Get to know your BOC - Olivia Staruck
Olivia Staruck is this year's 420 Fleet co-Captain and Sailing Team co-Captain. She is a senior and 4 year member of the the Wisco Sailing Team. To learn more about her, see this post!
Get to know your BOC - Kaitlyn Hamers
Kaitlyn Hamers is this year's Laser & Byte Fleet co-Captain. She has been part of the club for 12 years, including time spent as a youth program where she learned to sail! To learn more about her, see this post!
Get to Know your BOC - Hallie Heuser
This week we are featuring, Hallie, our who is our Marketing Chair. See this post to learn more!
Chequamegon-Nicolet Backpacking
"Last weekend, we had 16 Hoofer backpackers ready to drive down to the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois. An hour before departure, we decided a weekend forecast of rain and storms didn't sound so fun. So we changed plans and headed up to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest to hike the Hidden Lakes loop! There was night-hiking, pancakes, sunshine, old-growth hemlock, missing tents, swamp crossings, a fabulous dog and lots of pretty lakes! On the drive back, we were looking forward to home-made donuts from Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty, but they were closed for the season, so we settled for a very dog-enthusiastic cafe."- Jacob Ng, Trip Leader
Sylvania Wilderness Canoe Trip
"Our crew went up to Sylvania Wilderness for the weekend and were just in time to see some gorgeous fall colors! We experimented with some new food, saw tons of swans, and started a fire in the rain against all odds making this an awesome way to end the paddling season"- Forrest Ahrens, Trip Leader
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Backpacking
Participants drove 5 hours up to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Munising, MI! They did a key swap hike, enjoying the beautiful colors of the lakeshore in this time of year. The tarps deterred most of the rain, and the backcountry cooking was awesome (the burritos were voted best meal of the trip, closely followed by s'mores for breakfast). Overall it was an awesome weekend for a lake superior hike!
Ice Age Trail Backpacking
Participants drove 3 hours up the Ice Age Trail - Harrison Hills Segment stopping along the way for Belt's Ice Cream (a foot tall of ice cream in a cone!). Total mileage was about 15mi, trekking through spectacular fall colors and around many small, reflective lakes. It was a cold, rainy day on Saturday but an absolutely gorgeous fall morning on Sunday!
First Trail Run!
A beautiful run on a 65-degree fall day in Madison! Participants jogged out to picnic point and back, the first Trail Run of many more!
Day at the Lake
Even though participants got a little wet, the day at Devil's Lake was a blast! With a reserved shelter and miles of beautiful hiking around Devil's Lake State Park, there was a multitude of activities to do including a grill-out and lawn games after the hike. On the way back there was a stop at Ski-Hi Fruit Farm for some fresh apples!
Get to Know your BOC - Noah Janssen
The snow and cold weather might not make for great sailing weather but it's a perfect time to start preparing for next summer! To help you meet your BOC, we will be posting weekly throughout the winter about one of our BOC members. If you ever see them around Hoofers, make sure to say hi, everyone on the board loves to meet our amazing and wonderful members. Our first post features Noah Janssen, who is this year's Rear Commodore. He is a lifelong sailor, current graduate student in the MAcc program and alumnus of the Wisco Sailing Team. To learn more about him, see this post, and stay tuned for next week's post!
Results - All Fleets Race
Thank you to everyone who came out last Friday to celebrate the club's 80th Anniversary and the grand opening of our new Tong Family Marina by participating in the All-Fleets Race!
This was our first true All Fleets (meaning every single fleet was represented on the water) in 6 years!
Congratulations to Sloop skipper Sergey and his two brand new members for winning the race. They won a gift card donated by Vintage Spirits and Grill!
Wisco Sailing Team Dominates Events
This past weekend, the Hoofer Sailing Club hosted the both the MCSA Women's & Men's Singlehanded Qualifiers. Wisco sailors took home the win for both the men and women. Jonathan Bailey, Rebekah Janssen, and Patrick Schmidt have all qualified to compete at the national championships in November.
On the road, our keelboat teams impressed at GLIOR (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta). For the second year, we are Tartan 10 Collegiate Champions! Under heavy breeze on Lake Michigan, our sailors finished the regatta with a series of wins to secure first place. A big shoutout to our Heavy Keelboat Fleet for providing them Tartan 10s to practice on, this experience was invaluable!
Fall Fury - 2019
Congratulations to the Wisconsin Sailing Team - who represents the Hoofer Sailing Club in the MSCA and ICSA - for hosting the very successful Fall Fury Regatta this past weekend, the very first collegiate regatta run our of our new Tong Family Marina. Our very own Wisco teams took 2nd and 3rd! Congratulations to The University of Notre Dame for the victory!
80th Anniversary - All Fleets Race
All-Fleets Race
Attention all sailors, it's time to commemorate a historic summer season with an All-Fleets Race! To celebrate the club's 80th birthday and the completion of the brand new Tong Family Marina, we will be hosting an All-Fleets Race on Friday, September 20th, 2019.
Don't miss out on the action during our last big event of the 2019 season. We hope everyone can come celebrate. Are you a new member and don't have a rating on a boat yet, come down anyways, there will definitely be spots on some of the larger boats to grab a ride on - the more the merrier!
Social
After the All-Fleets Race, we will be having our weekly Friday Night Social. If you can't make it down for the race, make sure to swing by for free food and ice cream!
New Commodore & Board of Captains
Alongside the 2019-2020 Board of Captains, our new Commodore, Charlie Kutschenreuter, began his 1-year term on On September 1st. Charlie is an undergraduate in Civil Engineering and alumnus of the Wisco Sailing Team. In addition to his countless accomplishments on the water, he has served as the sailing club's treasurer for 2016-2017 and as the sailing team co-captain in 2017-2018. He will be taking his years of experience to lead this year's Board of Captains (BOC).
Joining Charlie will be a diverse group of students and community members who will help run, organize and guide the club over the next 12 months. Noah Janssen, a MAcc, graduate student will be serving as Rear Commodore and building off his experience as the sailing team's practice captain. Familiar faces will be returning, including Whitney Johnson and Peter Killien as the Heavy Keelboat Captains. Greg Stroupe, our dedicated Tech Fleet Captain from the last term will transition to be our Sloop Fleet Captain. For a complete list of the new BOC, click here.
Over the next few months, we will be highlighting your BOC members in weekly posts, so make sure to check back over the fall and winter months!
Pirate's Day is Almost Here!
Join us on Saturday, August 24th, for an afternoon of swashbuckling fun! Dress in your favorite pirate attire and meet us on the lake front for music, food, and an on the water scavenger hunt. Beware though, with so many pirates in the same harbor, a water battle is sure to break out!
Commodore's Cup 2019
2019 Commodore's Cup is finally here and we cannot be more excited!
Sign-up now online at https://lessons.hoofersailing.org/event/70635, Or stop into the Outdoor UW office in the Memorial Union Terrace.
Tonight we hold the opening ceremonies. Come join the fun as our previous Commodore passes the ceremonial torch and receives their traditional send off.
Meet our New HOI, Mills Botham!
We are happy to announce our new Summer 2019 Head of Instruction, former Commodore, Mills Botham.
Mills had this to say about his new position in the club:
"I am deeply honored to accept the Head of Instruction Position for Summer 2019. The Hoofer Sailing Club has been my home for more than half my life; I'm overjoyed to be able to continue to serve the Club in this new capacity, and to get to be a part of this incredibly exciting period in our history. I have high hopes for a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing all of you around the lakefront!"
Update (September 2019) - The Board of Captains have hired Mills to be our club's permanent HOI.
Construction is underway!
Hey everyone! We have been getting a lot of questions about the current progress of the pier construction and we are super excited to let you all know that we finally have an approved update to send you all. Don't let the tone of the update fool you. While the language may be dry, we are excited for the splash these new piers will make when they are open next summer!!!
Big Mountains: Aconcagua
Hey Hoofers! Come join Isabel Rojas-Viada and your fellow Hoofers in sparking a dialouge about big mountain climbing. She will be showing photos and telling stories of her climbing experiences on Aconcagua - the highest summit in South America! Bring your most adventurous self!
Meet Our New Advisor!
This year we have gotten a new advisor to help oversee all that is going on at SnS. A familiar face if you have ever made your way into Fontana Sports on Henry St. and State St. Meet Adam Remus, our new advisor and mentor to help guide us through this 2018-2019 school year.