Initial looks can be deceiving. The small 8.5″ x 11″ flyers for the Oswego Sailing Club may have seemed mildly intriguing at first.

Tropical music greeted a line of students signing in, a turnout much larger than club president and commodore Brandon Tyrell expected. Tyrell brought his own oar to wield as he gave his presentation on what he hopes will be “the best dang sailing club in the world.”

 “I want to bring the sport of sailing back into Oswego,” Tyrell said. “I came to Oswego for the body of water. I grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, so I’ve always loved water.”

With there being a lack of sailing opportunity in Oswego, one would wonder if Tyrell has had any experience, perhaps back home, tending to the sails. To that question, his simple answer is: None.

“I never learned how to sail,” Tyrell laughed. “And yet I started a sailing club.”

Sailing was once a prominent sport at Oswego. Three decades ago, Claire Wyngaard was commodore for the former sailing club. Wyngaard later moved on to the National Women’s Sailing Association.

The reformed sailing club inherited the inventory of the former club, which included an assortment of small crafts seating one or two people, or medium-sized ships seating four to five.

Tyrell has tried to rope the greater community into supporting the launch of the reformed sailing club. He announced a limited run of Sailing Club merchandise in collaboration with Wonzones Calzones and a cocktail named in their honor from The Rooftop Lounge. 

He has even talked over lunch to Robert Corradino, mayor of Oswego, about his new venture. Corradino approved of the club, Tyrell recalled, mentioning his time sailing as a youth.

From working at the H. Lee White Maritime Museum, Tyrell says he learned about Cahill Pier discouraging local sailing, saying the sport “fizzled out.”

Tyrell wants to change that.

“We will host seminars every single Friday, with experienced captains and certified instructors, teaching people how to sail,” he said.

Photo by Robert Finger