Students may not know their next great adventure is one fathom away. Aside from clarifying the measurement of a fathom, the BYU Sailing Club has been providing nautical excursions to the student body for 10 years. The biggest misconception is that you need to know something about sailing before joining the club or even participating in a race.

“I had only sailed three minutes of my life before I joined the club,” said Eric Jones, 2007-08 commodore.

Students entirely new to sailing can learn in record time through “Crew to Captains,” the club’s direct mentoring program.

“It’s magnifying our calling as sailors,” Jones said. “We’ve taught more than a thousand students how to sail during the past 10 years and that’s a conservative number. You can go to the bank on that one.”

A few of those students will be headed to the indoor facilities at Utah Lake State Park today to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the club’s inception and nautical success “in the middle of the desert, no less,” Jones said.

The club has exceptional legitimacy on campus for teaching the Recreation Management and Youth Leadership Department’s sailing class. The Sailing Club has also been a mainstay in the Homecoming parade with its ship-on-wheels.

“One year we were a tall sailing ship, another year a pirate ship,” said Marc Oliphant, 2005-06 commodore. “We had a guy dressed up exactly like Johnny Depp and he was behind the boat skiing.”

In the community, the club has a good relationship with the Utah Lake State Park where they do two service projects a year. In return, the park has given them a slip for their biggest boat and free admission for all classes and activities. The club also gets calls from local sailboat captains who need a crew for a race or excursion.

“Skipper Steve Morris is the kingpin that has kept the sailing club together through the years,” Jones said. “It was ultimately Steve’s efforts and selflessness that helped the club survive. The longevity of the club is ultimately the show of Steve’s love and passion for sailing and his desire to share and teach this experience to others.”

Oliphant echoed the sentiment.

“He’s the lifeblood of the club and keeps it going and makes it fun,” he said. “I’m in his debt, as are all members of the club.”