Like any sport, sailing has its naturals and those who struggle. An instinct for how to play the wind is the difference, Dunphy said. "The difficult thing about sailing is going into the wind. You can't point directly upwind. Some kids take a long time to realize that, some understand it right away."

But all the students improved. And the week when Gull turned into the Dead Sea, sailing was tough. But the Youth Regatta had 30 boats and was competitive.

Optimist dinghys are the smallest boats at the Gull Lake Sailing School and are used to teach young sailors. But during the week of Aug. 4-8 the lack of wind made practice difficult for the students. (Dispatch Photos by Vince Meyer)

A basic sailing course, such as was set for this race, has two marks (buoys) that racers go around. One is reached by sailing upwind and the other by sailing downwind. A three-whistle sequence starts the race. Timing is important at the start, for sailors who cross the line before the third whistle must do a penalty lap, which often knocks them from contention. First boat to cross the finish line wins.

Dunphy sailed competitively for four years at Bowdoin College in Maine. In addition to an education in the wind he earned a degree in neuro-science. On a summer day on Gull, however, wind is the more relevant topic.

"It goes back to instincts," Dunphy said when asked what makes a good racer. "The wind is never constant no matter what it looks like. It's always shifting five or 10 degrees one way or the other. It's always a slightly different velocity depending on where on the lake you are. All of that plays into how you run a course, how you start, how you sail relative to other boats, how your sails are trimmed. How you do all that is what makes your boat go faster or slower than other boats."

When the regatta ended Friday the students listed below had won trophies. Those who didn't appeared to be just as happy. An education in the wind will do that.

Gull Lake Youth Regatta

Aug. 8, 2003

Optimist class (boats 6 feet centerline)

1. Luke Surma, Cushing; 2. Ellie Arvesen, Pine Springs; 3. Alex Driessen, Edina; 4. (tie) Nick Carter, Brainerd, Nick Driessen, St. Louis Park, 6. Alec Anderson, New Hope.

420 class (13 feet centerline)

1. Andrew Cote, Snowmass, Colo., (crew Kimber Amweg, Baxter), 2. Natalie Dunphy, East Gull Lake, (crew Becky Rauth, Excelsior).

X-Boat class (16 feet centerline)

1. Alex Cote, Snowmass, Colo., (crew Sam Anderson, Edina), 2. Robert Fisher, Dallas, Tex., (crew Sarah Fisher, Dallas, Tex.), 3. Ian Arvesen, Pine Springs, (crew Tom Arvesen, Pine Springs), 4. Gabriela Driessen, Edina (crew Natalia Driessen, Edina), 5. Brian Anderson, Nisswa, (crew Ryan Ruttger, Brainerd).