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Siblings Carter and Macey Hood stand on a boat while sailing and admire the view.

For those considering sailing the seven seas, one might also consider learning the ins and outs from two talented sailors at North.

Senior Carter Hood is the president of the robotics club at FHN. In his free time he sails at Carlyle Sailing Association, a not-for-profit organization about an hour east of St. Louis in Illinois. Sailing is one of his passions, and he enjoys doing it frequently.

“[I love] the way it feels on the water, on the boat,” Carter said. “There’s a rhythm to it, going through the waves, and you can feel the wind and everything when your boat’s just gliding through it.”

Carter is not alone in loving sailing. In fact, his twin sister Macey also enjoys sailing during the season, which occurs throughout the summer. Along with this, Macey also participates in marching band, robotics club and dance. The twins really enjoy being on the water, and share a similar perspective about being on the water.

“I like feeling the wind go past you as you’re speeding on the water,” Macey said.

The twins both enjoy the feeling of sailing and do it frequently throughout the summer, and most weekends. Usually they will sail together as a family or individually, since not only do the kids enjoy the activity but the parents as well.

“My dad started with it as a teenager and he’s carried it with him his whole life,” Carter said.

Both Carter and Macey have been sailing since their dad started teaching them when they were young. Now, as a senior in high school, Carter teaches others about sailing, too.

“There’s a lot of different factors to take in about wind speed, direction, waves, all kinds of stuff,” Carter said.

Carter is a small boat sailing instructor at Carlyle Lake, teaching about dinghy boats and other small boats. Macey is also a counselor there over the summer to help with people aged 9-17.

“It may not look like it, but it actually does require some strength, especially in high winds while having to keep a firm grip on the mainsheet,” Macey said.

While sailing can be demanding, overall, the twins both love it, from the way that it makes them feel to the experiences they gain. They look forward to doing it in the future, and Macey encourages others to try it out if they want to.

“I wish people knew that it can be whatever you make out of it,” Macey said. “So, even if you don’t have the time to dedicate to competitive sailing, you could still do it for fun.”