Mutiny on Manawa draws nearly 100 to Lake Manawa Aug. 23
Nearly 100 people took part in the Lake Manawa Sailing Association’s annual Mutiny on Manawa on Sunday, Aug. 23, filling the lake with sailboats, pirate costumes, water battles and a series of challenges that put sailing skills to use in a much less traditional setting.
Dozens of boats participated as crews worked their way toward six different challenges placed around Lake Manawa. Sailors maneuvered toward floating objects and other targets while keeping track of nearby boats and preparing for attacks from squirt guns, buckets and other water weapons. Ali Scanlon, Sailing School Director for the Lake Manawa Sailing Association, spent much of the event directing one of the crews as it moved from challenge to challenge.
Weather conditions provided a relatively comfortable day on the lake, with cooler temperatures and enough wind to keep the boats moving. Scanlon said sailors would have welcomed slightly stronger wind, although more wind also makes everything aboard the boat happen more quickly. “The higher the winds, the faster everything happens, the controlling of the sails and watching out for the obstacles on the water,” Scanlon said.
The course required crews to work together while constantly adjusting to wind direction and the position of other boats. Unlike operating a motorboat, sailors cannot simply point toward a destination and accelerate. The sails must be adjusted to use the available wind while crew members communicate about direction, obstacles and what is happening around them. “You definitely have to have control of your boat,” Scanlon explained. “You’re trying to harness the wind to make the boat go where you want it to go instead of using a motor.”
Those skills were tested as crews tried to retrieve floating objects, approach different markers and maneuver close enough to complete the challenges without interfering with another sailboat. The water battles added another element, with crews occasionally abandoning what they were doing long enough to launch an attack on another boat or defend themselves from one coming the other direction.
Despite the pirate theme and competitive atmosphere, safety remained the priority. Carol Horner, a Lake Manawa Sailing Association member who has now participated in four Mutiny on Manawa events, said boats were expected to give one another room when approaching the same challenge. The event is not a race, so a crew can circle around and make another attempt rather than competing for position. “It’s about the only rule we have on mutiny day, is safety,” Horner said. “Whoever’s closest to the mark gets to go there first.”
Horner said the combination of competition and cooperation has helped make Mutiny on Manawa one of the association’s better attended events. Nearly 100 people participated this year, with sailors of different ages and experience levels taking part in the activities.
The event also gives newer sailors an opportunity to use many of the skills taught through the association’s sailing school. Horner had sailed with friends while living in Texas but said she did not understand how to operate the boats herself. She initially joined the Lake Manawa Sailing Association because it gave her convenient access to the lake for kayaking, but after meeting other members she decided to take sailing classes.
Scanlon became her instructor, and Horner eventually began volunteering with the sailing school herself. She said being around the classes continues to help her learn, although actual time controlling a boat remains one of the most important parts of becoming a better sailor. Horner also credited Scanlon with knowing when a student needs help and when to allow that person to work through a situation independently. “She is incredibly patient,” Horner noted. “She always knows when to step in or when to let somebody just handle it.”
Beginning students learn on smaller boats, but Horner said the basic principles carry over as sailors move into larger vessels. Reading the wind, controlling the sails and changing direction remain much the same, although larger boats require additional knowledge and experience.
The Lake Manawa Sailing Association typically begins announcing sailing school opportunities in the spring, with classes beginning around June. Horner said those sessions frequently fill as people look for an opportunity to learn the sport locally.
Mutiny on Manawa gives those same sailing skills a very different workout. Instead of a traditional lesson or race, sailors spend the day navigating obstacles, collecting items, dodging water and occasionally launching an attack of their own while working their way around Lake Manawa.
