Strong winds forced the Penn State Sailing Club to cancel the Nittany Lion Open at Prince Gallitzin State Park on Saturday.

The event, an intrasquad sailing race, was supposed to allow club members to gain race experience against each other, but it was called off because of unforeseen weather conditions.

Sean Hannan, club president, urged members to sail conservatively and stay safe.

"It's just club members, not a collegiate race; there's no need to sail balls out," he said.

The club originally intended to race a windward/leeward course but abandoned the plan after a few minutes on the water.

"Because these are light boats in such heavy winds, weight balance is crucial," Bob Reeves (junior-economics) said. "There's no room for error."

Raphael Zeldin (junior-accounting), was hit in the head with a bar on the bottom of the sail and left early. He was not seriously hurt.

Three of the boats flipped over, and one had to be towed back to shore by a park ranger.

'Boats flip over all the time," Hannan said. "It's still nice to be out."

The race was the last event of the sailing season, which starts in mid-March and ends in late October.

During the off-season, the club continues to teach sailing techniques and schedules social events to keep members interested.

Although a relaxed atmosphere prevailed throughout the day -- with team names such as "Malted Beverage" and "Chuck Norris" -- the club is competitive in intercollegiate sailing and looks to improve.

"We'd like to get boats closer to campus," Hannan said. "Instead of one and a half hours, we'd be a half hour from campus."

Despite the lack of racing, participants said the day was still fun.

"An adventure is an adventure," Tony Hemming (freshman-economics) said.