According to Max Bublik ’25, MSx’26, June is when things heat up. He’s not just talking literally about Madison temperatures — he’s the commodore of the Wisconsin Union’s Hoofers Sailing Club, and so he means, figuratively, that interest in boating is on the rise.
Bublik has been sailing since he was a 10-year-old at camp in Sayner among the lakes of Wisconsin’s far north. As commodore, he’s responsible for overseeing one of the Hoofers’ largest clubs, with more than 900 current members: UW students, faculty, staff, and community members.
If you’re interested in learning to sail, Bublik suggests that you learn these words:
Port: left, and always the left side of the boat as you’re facing forward. “Left and right can change meanings with the perspective of the person,” Bublik says. “So we use port and starboard, which are constant to the boat.”
Starboard: right. See port above. “Whenever two boats are headed directly toward each other, they should turn to starboard,” says Bublik. “This is essential for understanding right of way.”
Bow: the front of the boat.
Stern: the back of the boat.
Dinghy: the Hoofers’ most common sailboat, which seats one or two.
Scow: the Hoofers’ racing boats, which seat two or three. “A scow is a class of high-performance dinghy which are designed to maximize speed by planing on top of the water,” says Bublik. Hoofers has three varieties of scow: MC (which seats one or two), C (which seats two or three), and E (which seats three or four).
Badger Sloop: a larger sailboat that seats up to eight but requires at least two. Badger Sloops are “a custom fleet,” says Bublik. “They’re made as instructional cruisers to show the technicalities involved with sailing sloop-rigged boats.”
Keelboats: the Hoofers’ largest craft, which seats between five and 12.
Daggerboard: a vertical board underneath the boat. “The daggerboard helps keep the boat moving in the right direction,” Bublik says. “If it wasn’t there, you wouldn’t have any resistance to the wind, and the boat would go in whatever direction the wind blows.”
Mainsheet: a rope — not a sail. “The mainsheet and the rudder control the direction you sail in,” says Bublik. “The mainsheet is connected to the mainsail, and so it can help you control your boat’s speed.”
Mainsail: exactly what it sounds like. See mainsheet above.
Commodore: president of the Hoofers Sailing Club. “We could say president,” Bublik says, “but this just sounds cooler.”
