Caught in heavy winds on a dinghy boat, Senior George Chen prepares to perform a downwind turn, a risky but necessary maneuver if he hopes to win this race. In lighter wind conditions, he could have taken his time passing the mainsail across the center of the boat. With no such favorable situations however, George braces himself against the rougher conditions and steels his resolve, fully aware that he could easily capsize if he loses control of the sails. Charging into the howling gales, he grips the wheel tightly, threading the needle to maintain a tricky balance. A few tense moments pass — success! From here, the rest of the course is smooth sailing.

“For a while I struggled a lot with a specific sailing technique and trying to complete that maneuver,” George said. “Then one day, in the middle of a race, I tried it, I got it and then I finally managed to get the hang of it. My favorite moment was finally being able to figure that out after trying for a while — that was pretty satisfying.”

A Shoreline Lake boat course in the summer of his freshman year kicked off George’s sailing career. During the class with his younger sister, sophomore Jennifer Chen, George was introduced to the basic maneuvers and knowledge of sailing.  

“We both started in the summer in this one boating course, and he said he wanted to continue,” Jennifer said. “It’s fun, feeling fast and being able to do whatever you want to do.” 

Later joining the Peninsular Youth Sailing Foundation, George continued to pursue the sport, beginning to participate in races. However, his experiences were initially difficult due to the array of challenges sailing provided. At George’s first regatta, he recalls flipping his boat, landing the mast into the mud. But George’s composure was not affected by these starting struggles, and he viewed the event as a learning opportunity.

“That was my first regatta, so I did learn what to expect at future regattas, like how big the course might be, how the conditions might look, what the wind might be, and also to try not to flip the boat in the mud next time,” George said. 

George’s composure is also reflected in how he traverses his day to day life when presented with challenges at school. History teacher James Tate, George’s AP US History teacher, admires such a mindset in the classroom. 

“He very much, from what I can tell, keeps his cool, relaxed demeanor,” Tate said. “He does not catastrophize the way a lot of students do; he keeps things in perspective.” 

As for sailing, it was that level-headed approach which allowed George to overcome any initial difficulties. That same dedication and perseverance transfer to George’s other interests as well. Close friend senior Aaron Chen noticed George’s level of effort right away, with the two quickly becoming friends in sixth grade, as they bonded over their shared interests in games and modeling. Aaron admires George’s commitment to all his interests, from sailing to robot design.

“He showed me how far dedication could go,” Aaron said. “When I introduced him to robot design he got really deep into it. For example, I didn’t really force him to do CAD modeling, I showed him this was there, and I could help him once in a while if he wanted. I hadn’t really seen that dedication before.” 

Not only does George give his interests his all, but he also brings his own unique energy and spontaneity. He pursues hobbies that he genuinely enjoys, striving to push further into the area to learn more. 

“He’s really passionate about the things he likes — if he’s doing something he likes, he’s very energetic, very goofy,” Jennifer said.

Jennifer recalls fun and spontaneous experiences sailing recreationally with George, albeit capsizing a few times for the sake of speed and free sailing. Nonetheless, she appreciates the memories and bonds she formed with George. 

“He took me out on the water, and there were these huge five to ten feet tall waves and we capsized a few times, and at the same time it was fun,” Jennifer said.

Be it exploring new interests with friends, or being out on the open waters with his family, George sails through life with joy. As he looks towards the future, George knows that in whatever hobbies might pique his interest, sailing or otherwise, he’ll always put forth his full effort. 

“The main thing I took away from sailing is just being able to sail because that in itself is worth enough,” George said.” Sailing is one of the few hobbies that I’ve been able to do, a relatively recent one that I have been able to keep up pretty consistently, so this is definitely something I want to come away from and keep with me later on.”