It is a warm summer day. The sun is glistening on the water as the waves splash against the shore. The wind blows through your hair while the sails flap above you, carrying your boat smoothly across the lake. Lake activities are always a highlight of the summer. For physics teacher Brian Yueill, sailing at Lake Manawa is one of his favorites.

Yueill was introduced to sailing as a kid by his grandfather, who had a sailboat out on Lake Michigan. Yueill has continued this passion and sails at Lake Manawa in Council Bluffs, Iowa, as a member of the Lake Manawa Sailing Association. The association was founded in 1986 and has around 150 members, sailing from late April to the end of October.

“It’s a group of people ranging from 12 to their 80s that have a passion for sailing. Many people do a lot of racing, but there is also a social aspect where we’ll get together and have a cookout. People are out cruising on boats sharing that common love for sailing,” Yueill said.

Yueill is very involved in the association and has become a sailing instructor. He has been teaching how to sail for the last two years.

“I want to help other people fall in love with sailing. I also learn a lot. I have done it enough where I see something and I just react, but teaching forces me to rethink all those little whys that, over time, you just forget. Every time I go out, I am learning something, and I just wanted them to be excited and passionate about sailing,” Yueill said.

The association runs an all-volunteer sailing school. Several club members contribute their time and experience to help others learn to sail.

“It was especially helpful that Brian jumped right into on-the-water coaching, which requires patience, good communication skills, and the ability to meet students where they are. For students who are struggling or who lack confidence, one-on-one coaching can make all the difference in their sailing experience,” Lake Manawa Sailing Association President Teresa Silence said.

Sophomore Julian Wrubel is one of the students learning from this program. Wrubel began sailing in the spring of last year and is also part of the Lake Manawa Sailing Association.

“My family wanted to learn to sail in the Caribbean and the Bahamas, so we got into it that way. We also saw there were sailing lessons at Lake Manawa, so that is how we got into the program,” Wrubel said.

The Lake Manawa Sailing Association offers a variety of classes, whether you are a beginner exploring sailing for the first time or want to improve your skills.

“Sailing can be a hobby, a sport, a form of relaxation, a life experience, or a way of life. Whether someone is interested in sailing at the local lake or sailing to the Bahamas, it all begins with one sailing lesson. We feel it’s important to offer people that opportunity,” Silence said.

The introduction classes teach beginners the key skills needed to sail.

“You have to learn how the wind works and the waves in the water and how that actually affects how your boat is traveling. Then they teach you how to prepare the boat and how things work. Then you actually learn to sail on the water so you gain experience controlling the boat,” Wrubel said.

After mastering sailing, some may participate in sail racing like Yueill. While Yueill did sail race from time to time with his grandfather, he recently became a dedicated sail racer in the last few years after a series of injuries. In the summer, he usually races around three times per week.

“I am very competitive. I can’t compete on the bike. I can’t compete in swimming. I can’t run, so I wanted to go back to sailing,” Yueill said.

Through the association, he met his crew member, Jörg, from Germany. The two have been racing together for almost two years.

“He was brand new to sailing, and I was his instructor, so I taught him, and he wanted to get into the type of boat I race on called a Snipe,” Yueill said.

The racecourse for sail racing is usually set up as a triangle. The first leg of the race is going into the wind. Because you are sailing directly into the wind, you have to keep turning your boat to get to the next checkpoint, called the wind marker. This is where you turn around to get to the second leg, which is called a broad reach. The wind is now on your side. After turning around the wind marker again to get to the third leg, the wind is blowing behind you. Whoever crosses the finish line first wins.

“Sometimes you do that loop once, sometimes it’s twice. They’ve got all kinds of different patterns that you can do, but the basic idea is a triangle,” Yueill said.

Whether it is a competitive race or a relaxing ride, sailing has always been enjoyable for Yueill.

“Every time I go out on the water, I always remember my grandpa. He was a big part of my life. From the beginning, it has always fascinated me, and maybe that’s also why I teach physics, but how am I taking wind and making it move a boat just by wind? No two times that you go out on the water are the same. It might be on the same lake, same boat, but the wind is different. It’s always different,” Yueill said.

Wrubel also shares the same enjoyment and hopes to try sail racing for the first time this summer.

“It’s just really fun to control a boat. You have so much control, and you can go wherever you want. I also enjoy flying airplanes, so it’s all kind of the same,” Wrubel said.

With the season approaching, Yueill and Wrubel hope to continue spending many days on the water. Whether it is competing in races or enjoying a relaxing ride with their families, there are many fun experiences to look forward to.