ODUSports.com feature story on ODU fresman sailor, Augie Dale.
Old Dominion sailing adds a top prospect to their roster this year in the form of Augie Dale. A freshman from Peewaukee, Wisc., Dale brings a wealth of sailing knowledge that he has been gathering since he was five years old. Dale got started in sailing while at his grandparent’s in Wisconsin.
“My grandfather sailed and I would spend time at my grandparents house when I was younger. My grandpa got me into sailing. My mom sailed a lot too. So I sailed with my mother up until I was about five and then I got my own boat. I have been sailing ever since,” said Dale.
Dale was hooked on sailing and has been competing at various competitions around the world trying to become better at his sport. He has been practicing and fine tuning his skills for many years.
“Mostly we just go out and do a lot of speed testing. You go upwind together and you sail. If one person is slower then you work together to try and find out why they are slower and fix the problem,” said Dale. “Then competing in a lot of races helps to build your knowledge of the sport. You also learn why the wind is going to shift, where it is going to shift and how it can affect your racing.”
For someone who has been sailing for as long as Dale has, he has built up the knowledge of the different boats and how they operate in different situations.
“I know usually when the sail is not trimmed properly. I can feel it and how the boat reacts to it through the waves and the wind. That helps me a lot to the point that I don’t have to focus on that,” Dale said. “It is more of a subconscious thought process of, ‘Oh I’m slowing down so I need to trim in my sail.’ Other people who have to focus on that it takes up part of their thinking process. People who are doing that subconsciously can focus more on the sailing and racing aspect.”
Sailing has taken Dale all over the world, including the British Virgin Islands and Hungary to compete against the best in the world.
“Last summer I went to the Laser 4.7 World Championships in Hungary. I placed around 100th of about 400 boats,” said Dale. “This summer I was sailing in the North American Championships for Club 420’s and I placed third overall. I also raced in the the double-handed nationals competition. I got second place in that. Had I not screwed up in the first race I would have won that. I got eighth place at youth champs, which was right before I came here. “
It was through all of these competitions that led him to Old Dominion. He also met and befriended fellow ODU sailor Esteban Forrer over his years of sailing.
“I knew Esteban Forrer from previous competitions and he definitely talked me into it a little bit. Also my dad was a college sailor; he went to Saint Mary’s. He really wanted me to do college sailing, and so did my mom,” Dale said. “So I picked one that had mechanical engineering, a varsity sailing program, which I thought was a pretty big deal, and then also relatively warm.”
Dale has sailed both single and double-handed boats. He primarily prefers to sail in double-handed boats.
“I prefer a double-handed boat. I did the single-handed before but I like having someone there to share the workload.”