If adventure on the water is what you’re looking for, there’s a place on campus just for that. Tucked away in the Caples campus is the New College Waterfront, a scenic little spot for students to enjoy the water.
They are welcome to explore Sarasota Bay by checking out one of the Waterfront’s sailboats, kayaks or paddleboards. It’s one of the best ways to get to know the area’s breathtaking landscape.
The Waterfront is also home to the New College sailing team, the College’s longest running club sport. Its members are always happy to take a fellow student out on the water or teach them how to pilot their own sailboat.
The team hosted a Learn How to Sail Day this January to introduce students to the Waterfront’s resources. Another event that makes a big splash is the Cardboard Regatta, where students combine their ingenuity and creativity to stay afloat on vessels made out of cardboard and tape.
Many students have fond memories of the Waterfront as the place where they first learned how to rig a sailboat or learned how to windsurf.
Apart from being a hub for fun on the water, the Waterfront is also a place for academic endeavors. It’s an idyllic location for learning about the many other organisms that call Sarasota Bay home, and on any given day, you may spot a manatee or dolphin from the shore.
This past spring semester, students engaged in a boat-building tutorial entitled “Maritime Construction Independent Reading Project.” In this class, three students constructed a Glen L 14 sailboat from scratch. Through the process, they learned the principles of design and documented their project through a photo journal.
Like many other aspects of New College, the Waterfront offers boundless opportunities, especially for water-loving enthusiasts. But for students not ready to take the dive, the Waterfront is still worth the visit.
– Shane Donglasan is the marketing writer/project coordinator at New College of Florida.