When Tatiana Misares, an engineering major at California State University, Long Beach, registered for the beginner sailing class two years ago, she thought it would be a cake walk of a class.
But, this introduction course was more than just a breeze. It was the beginning of a new journey.
“I took that [class] honestly because I thought it was going to be an easy ‘A,’” Misares said. “But when you take the class you’re automatically enrolled in the [sailing] club. And then I just started sailing with them on the weekends.”
After her first semester of sailing with the CSULB Sailing Association, Misares’ hobby quickly began to develop into a passion. Misares now sails against world-class sailors who have been navigating through the water their entire lives.
Over the summer, Misares made the transition from recreational sailing to competitive sailing. She said the difference between recreational and competitive sailing is like night and day.
“When we go out sailing recreationally, half the time we didn’t even care [about] our point of sail, or not doing the things we’re not supposed to do,” Misares said. “But sailing competitively, even over the summer were pretty chill races. But you have to make sure you do everything to your best.”
Being part of a sailing crew is very similar to the crews you see in NASCAR. Everyone has their roles and must perform quickly and accurately.
After sailing with a privately owned yacht named Paranoia over the summer, Misares joined another ship, the Temptress.
As a floater on the Temptress, Misares got the chance to compete in the 2015 Farr 40 Worlds; one of the biggest regattas sailing has to offer. A floater is much like the utility infielder in baseball. Misares had help wherever help was needed.
“It was beyond competitive,” Misares said. “We’ve done races with the Long Beach Yacht club, but this was beyond competitive. Everyone there is there to win.”
Even though the Temptress finished fifth out of nine boats in the final cumulative results, Misares left feeling like a winner.
“I think the biggest thing about doing the world [race] was we subtlety increased every day,” Misares said. “When we had practice races, it didn’t go so well. We messed up and really steepened the stakes. But at least we got all of that out before the actual race.”
With the experience of sailing competitively and at the highest level, Misares’ love for sailing sharply increased.
“I really lucked out being on that boat,” Misares admitted.
Captain Charlie Abbott, the sailing and keelboat instructor for the CSULB Sailing Association, doesn’t credit luck. Instead, he chalks Misares’ accomplishments up to the 24-year-old’s grit.
Once her first semester of sailing with the club was over, Misares was hooked and continued going out to the water at least once a week. The following semester she became the club commodore. Abbot said that Misares showed a lot of guts becoming the commodore because she was responsible for any damages to the boat.
“A typical collision can cost $10,000 and here you have a student who signed for her life,” Abbott said. “And she understood [that] and she was afraid but it didn’t stop her.”
Abbot said that at first, Misares was similar to a toddler riding a tricycle. But, she quickly made the jump to a Harley Davidson in a matter of months.
“In the beginning everyone is going to be a bit timid,” Abbot said. “She went from timid to assertive and confident.”
In accordance with her aerospace-engineering major, Misares has an internship with the Boeing factory in Long Beach. Abbott credits Misares’ engineering background for making her tenacious and a problem solver.
“Nothing gets by her, she doesn’t give up,” Abbott said. “She doesn’t accept failure. [Any] failure she does have, she uses every bit of that info from that failure to help her for the next time.”
Although she is an engineering major, Misares has an open-minded personality. She credits the water for making her that way.
“It totally gets you away from everything else,” Misares said. “Like I don’t think about anything else when I’m sailing. Other than being out there in the water.”
