The sailing team has always flown under the radar.

Many students assume that it’s simply a club and forget about it. “Not many kids know we even have a competitive sailing team,” Robert Gordon ’16 said.

Students compete mostly on C420s in a team race that features three boats in the water at a time. Since sailing starts the same time as all other spring sports, the water is cold – very cold.

In fact, in May, temperatures are no higher than the 50s. Each student has to buy or rent a wetsuit in order to avoid frostbite while out on the water.

High school sailing presents a big challenge to coaches and the team as a whole.

“Every year we have to work on the team dynamic because the sport depends so highly on our ability to work together and communicate,” senior captain Suki Hyman ’14 said.

Losing five seniors in last year’s graduation, the team this year especially missed captain Henry Dumke ’13. Dumke moved on to sail at Boston College this spring after leading Staples to a second place finish in the Gold Cup last year. The regatta featured 20 schools with eight coming out of Fairfield County.

This year’s team is made up of many underclassmen, which bodes well for the future but could prove costly in the short-run.

According to their coach, however, the team has done well for itself despite its lack of experience.

“The team still has a lot of talent and is beating some of the best teams in our league,” head coach Dylan Abel said.

It’s Abel’s third year as coach, and he said he’s a firm believer in the current crew.

“This team has a lot of drive,” Abel said.