By GINA TALAMO
Staff Writer
There was hardly any breeze at the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club one afternoon in 2008, a condition that freshman and sailor Charlotte List of Fair Haven dreaded. She knew that smaller kids typically go faster, and that she would most likely float slowly in the lake since there was no wind.
The whistle blew and the race began, with List slowly rounding the first mark in tenth place. Unsatisfied, List pulled ahead through the conditions, reaching second place with only ten feet between her boat and the finish line. Keeping her boat calm, still but moving as fast as possible, List closed the distance, earning her first place in the regatta.
List is a sailor for her home high school, Rumson-Fair Haven High School. She is also a member of the Garden State Optimist Club, a youth sailing club. List began sailing at the age of eight, when a yacht club in Cape May caught her interest.
“My parents signed me up just to try it, but I ended up really liking it,” List said. “I’m a very competitive person, and I love the water.”
Rumson-Fair Haven’s sailing team consists of about 10 players who compete during the fall and spring. Different yacht clubs host their sailing competitions called regattas. Smaller regattas are hosted at Toms River Yacht Club.
List also noted that she likes the strategy behind sailing.
“You are always thinking about wind direction and how you can gain leverage on the other boats around you,” she said.
In 2010, List raced in Texas, qualifying her for placement in the United States National Team. In July, she raced in the Optimist National Championship in England. List placed 64th out of 164 participants, and she was pleased with the outcome.
“I like how you’re able to meet people from all over the country,” she said. “You also get to compete against people from other countries, which is also really cool.”
List’s team has also competed at Atlantic Coast Championships in Norfolk, Virginia, where schools from all along the coast competed.
“You learn a lot. I was sailing with a senior, and he taught me a lot of stuff I didn’t know. Just being in the boat more gives you more opportunities.”