Elizabeth Skardon's efforts at starting her school's sailing team could reap a championship title.

Last year, Skardon and fellow St. Andrew's Priory student Kristina Donathan approached athletic director Missy Kilbey about starting a sailing team at their all-girls school. The Pride had several sailors compete in Interscholastic League of Honolulu competition last year, but after their coach moved on, there were doubts about having their own team this year.

"Last year, we had our own sailing team, we had more people come out," Skardon explained. "We wanted that this year and we joined up with ASSETS."

St. Andrew's and ASSETS are both coached by Todd Wyrick, but Skardon and fellow junior Cragan Smith are able to compete under their school's name. They are the only members on St. Andrew's sailing team and were the league's top Division II team during the regular season. This week, they can wrap up an ILH championship in the league finals, which will be held this afternoon and Thursday afternoon in waters off Magic Island.

The varsity Division I , Division II and junior varsity teams with the best point totals will be awarded championship titles. This week's regattas account for 70 percent of the final point total, while points from the regular season account for the remaining 30 percent. Punahou was the top DI team in the regular season.

The ILH is the only league in the state and nation that sponsors sailing as an interscholastic sport, though there are schools on the Mainland which sponsor sailing. The ILH started sailing in 2003, and it is a coed sport.

"The two girls, because of their connection, work together very well," Wyrick said. "They anticipate each other's moves, they know tactically where to be on the race course, and are always a step ahead of the competition in terms of hitting wind shifts. Their boat handling is superior."

The sport is as much teamwork as it is tactics and knowledge about traversing through wind, water and geometric angles. Each team has two members — a skipper and a crew — on the boat. Varsity squads compete on a double-handed 420 boat, which is 14 feet long and six feet wide and has a main sail and jib. The junior varsity teams compete on a more stable topper, which is 12 feet long and four feet wide and has a main sail. At each regatta, teams compete in four to five races, with points awarded based on their finishes (the lowest score wins).

Skardon (skipper) and Smith (crew) said putting up with each other has helped them on the water.

"We're friends; we can tolerate each other," Smith said.

Added Skardon: "We're friends; we pick up on each other's cues."

Wyrick said Skardon and Smith have trust and chemistry, and are able to anticipate each other's moves. He's never coached or seen a better team with their type of crew work.

"Their starts are probably not the best, they're not the first boat off the starting line, but they get to the mark in front, don't get down on themselves, sail smart and recover from any mistakes at the start line or down the course," Wyrick said. "That intellectual sense of where to be on the course, confidence and having fun, keeps them moving froward in time."

The involvement of local yacht clubs has been integral to the sport. Since only a handful of boats are owned by ILH schools, most of the boats used belong to Hawaii Yacht Club, Waikiki Yacht Club and Kaneohe Yacht Club, as well as the University of Hawai'i's sailing program. When the proposal was first made to the league's athletic directors to sponsor sailing, yacht club representatives were present.

"They think it's a great way to bring up new sailors," said Guy Fleming, the sailing director at Waikiki Yacht Club. "The mission of our club is to promote sailing as sport in Hawai'i. They've been on board and are happy to do that for a long time."

ILH sailors come from a mixed background, with some like Skardon and Smith having previous sailing experience, while others are competing in their first-ever sport.

"I have kids that 1 1/2 months ago, didn't know how to sail," Wyrick said. "Now they're doing JV or varsity II, doing it confidently and having fun in the water."