Last week I was slightly bemused when an eight-year-old and his older sister came by the CSC and wanted to rent out two of the boats we usually only use in our classes. As someone who started sailing young, I was definitely not surprised that he knew what he was doing, but I was completely shocked when he passed our written rental test with flying colors. Not only was he boat savvy in terminology and maneuvering through the wind, but he also knew right-of-way rules--something that quite a few people find difficult when they come to the center to rent a boat. He took his time on the test not because he wasn't sure of the answers, but because he wasn't sure of the spelling, and hadn't written anything since the end of school in June (so his handwriting was a little rusty).
Both young sailors ended up going out and spending a few hours on the water while their dad watched from the dock. It was encouraging to see two young people be independent, confident, and comfortable on the water. I hope to see more of them (maybe CSC alumni?) come through in the coming weeks.
Well, everything is starting to wind down at the sailing center...just as the weather is getting good. The wind and water and weather are actually quite decent! It has been a while since that last happened. And we love it!! But as I said it's the last week of kids camps. I'm going to miss them. There are always the times that the kids start to wear on you but its going to be weird not having a bunch of crazy bundles of energy running around trying to throw the instructors in or get their hands on a bailer. This week at camp has been repeat week. There are a ton of kids here who have already come this summer. It's been fun to hang with all of them again. I'm getting to know a lot of other kids that I didn't get to know the first time around. Its been fun. As the next week of the Sailing center rolls around it will be interesting to see how it goes not having anyone around...we might get bored...we might need some people to come down and go sailing with us. All in all it has been a great summer with lots of fun stories to reminisce about. I made some great friends and hope to see all of them come back down next season.
So, the season is coming to a close but the good news is our fall season is upon us. Starting September 2nd we will be kicking off our fall season which means now is your chance to get a fall season pass if you didn't get your summer pass. From what I hear the fall is a great time to be down on the waterfront. I had a great experience the other day as I saw just what the Community Sailing Center can do for people. Two very nice women came in the other morning and had reserved a keelboat. I didn't realize it at first but these two women had just met that morning. They had arranged their sailing adventure over the Internet through our e-mail list on our bulletin board. One of them had just finished one of our sailing courses and was eager to get back out on the water to test her skills. When they came back to the dock after a great sail I didn't see two strangers anymore but two friends. They had such a good time out there together sailing and teaching each other new skills that they reserved the same boat for the next week. The transformation I saw was amazing. These two people had the love for sailing in common and it showed. When they returned to the dock they were changed. It is a great thing to see the way to strangers can become friends with just one nice sail. This was my first year working at the Community Sailing Center and I have seen some great moments and I am sure there will be plenty more to come. So, If you haven't made it down to the Sailing Center this Year make sure to stop in and get you fall passes for unlimited sailing until October 13th .
I'm lucky to have a part time instructor's job at the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center. The full-time employees really earn their pay, taking out dozens of kids, many in sail boats for the first time, and supervising them in all kinds of weather. Fair winds mean fun; slow winds, rain, or, worse of all, no winds, mean hard work. Try corralling a dozen youngsters eight hours a day for five days in a row and you'll get a taste of things.
I'm also lucky because I've had the chance to introduce sailing in 23-foot Sonars to people from all walks of life, some not the least bit handicapped by their serious disabilities, such as blindness. Juliana and her father and brother were one memorable threesome. I don't think I've ever met a more polite young lady than Juliana. She felt a sense of power and control at the special wheel at the stern of adaptive Sonar. Another fine CSC sailor, Kevin, who came all the way from Texas, used almost exactly the same words: he said, "I feel power."
Today, we sailed with John and Allen of the Howard Center. We enjoyed a mostly stiff wind, blowing off the edge of a storm tracking southwest to northeast, and passing through Shelburne and Charlotte. Just a little spitting rain came down, hardly enough to matter, and both John and Allen seemed to enjoy the trip. Another pleasure was instructing first-time sailors, Gail and Harold Kieling of Lyme, New Hampshire. They hope to return soon, when winds are more consistent.
I am grateful for assistance I've received from the CSC staff and volunteers. Pete Hogg has introduced me to the intricacies of rigging and sailing the sleek Martin 16, and Lars has been an especially helpful and regular volunteer crewmember.
In all, it's been a good summer so far, a nice match for me. Never sailed much as a child, always wanted to. Now that dream is fulfilled in a meaningful way, every week.
Olympics Day 10 Tunnicliffe locks up Olympic Medal
Monday, August 18, 2008
After today's three races USA Laser Radial representative Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.) has ensured herself a medal at the 2008 Olympic Games. Usually reserved after a day of racing, Tunnicliffe let herself enjoy today's accomplishment as she hit the dock. After a 15, 2, 2 today, she sits in first and is 21 points over fourth place to just squeak by with a medal.
Wearing her anti-seasickness patch, she said of her position, 'It's a huge relief, but it's still a big race tomorrow.' Tunnicliffe has consistently been in mix of the top of the event, but her lead has always been within striking distance of her competitors.
The same is true for tomorrow's medal race, as the double-points format chops her lead in half. Tunnicliffe is seven points ahead of second and eleven points ahead of third. She says tonight she will sit down with her coaches and work out the final approach. 'We'll discuss strategies and best-case and worst-case scenarios. We'll plan an attack in case I have to do any of that.'
Tomorrow's Laser Radial medal race is to take place at 1:00 p.m. in winds forecasted for 4-6 knots. World #1 ranked Tunnicliffe has performed in all conditions at this event. She was happy to have one windy race yesterday to flex her big breeze muscles, but she's just as quick in the light winds.
RS:X Men's boardsailor Ben Barger (St. Petersburg, Fla.) had his best finish of the regatta today with an 18th place in his 35-board class. He was in 11th in the race, but caught a plastic bag and had to clear it from his board. Barger said, 'In the beginning of the regatta I tried to enjoy the Olympic experience and take it in and to do well but it was too much. Now that we're further into the event I feel like I've learned a lot from my first Olympics and now I just have to do what I can.' After today's better finish he said, 'I feel like I'm racing again.'
RS:X Men and Women were the only two fleets unable to complete three races today, so Barger and Nancy Rios (Miami, Fla.) will go back for one more race tomorrow before Wednesday's medal race.
In the Star and Tornado classes, today's medium-strength breezes proved incompatible with the USA's light air equipment selections. In the Tornado, John Lovell (New Orleans, La.) and Charlie Ogletree (Kemah, Texas.) have been using their small gennaker designed for very light winds. In the Star, John Dane III (Gulfport, Miss.) and Austin Sperry (Gulfport, Miss.) had chosen a hull designed for Qingdao's predicted light winds. Dane said, 'We used the light air equipment, but we haven't sailed in any light air.' Tomorrow's forecast may be good for these teams. USA's light air equipment selections. In the Tornado, John Lovell (New Orleans, La.) and Charlie Ogletree (Kemah, Texas.) have been using their small gennaker designed for very light winds. In the Star, John Dane III (Gulfport, Miss.) and Austin Sperry (Gulfport, Miss.) had chosen a hull designed for Qingdao's predicted light winds. Dane said, 'We used the light air equipment, but we haven't sailed in any light air.' Tomorrow's forecast may be good for these teams.
In the Laser class, Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.) started off strong but was unable to achieve the points needed to make the medal race. He ends his regatta short of his goal, but can be proud of his August 13 Olympic race win and that he was a part of the USA's six-win day.
This week I got to teach the little guppies for the second time this year.Unlike last time(in which I was a little apprehensive), I came into this week full of energy and really excited.
Looking at my class roster I noticed that four of my students were from the first little guppies class, in which I had taught.Seeing these kids coming back for another week really made me happy.Knowing that these little kids enjoyed the experience so much that they wanted to come for another week.
Once again I find myself revitalized by their enthusiasm and hyper activity.All of my students were so ready to do whatever was available even if there was bad weather.Always wanting to go sailing but were ok with sitting inside to draw our sailing flags or our dream boats.They took pride in what they did no matter what it was, despite their age.You could just tell that they were just happy to be here at camp.That in itself made me happy that I had the opportunity to get to know these special young people and give them a good experience on the water.
Also, seeing them say they didn't want to leave at the end of the day makes everything worth while.
A few days ago, one of my friends commented that while he appreciated the sailing center in its efforts to reach out to children and under-privileged communities, he thought we could do more to connect the average young and old adult to the lake. So, I took a few minutes then, and I'll repeat the conversation now, to explain the awesome flexibility and availability of options of which not enough people take advantage.
For whatever reason, most people think "rental" more than anything else when they consider visiting us. The idea of having to pass a test, pay a not-insignificant chunk of change (which is comparably cheap, when you're talking about boating), and then be unceremoniously shipped out onto the lake might not appeal to someone who is just barely comfortable in a boat.
I would agree - "rental" is definitely not the way to go if that's how you feel about being alone in a boat. But, in reality, most of what we do is teach classes, and a fair number of the classes we teach are for adults. These are arranged to fit around almost anyone's schedule: we have weekday classes that run from 5 pm – 8 pm, as well as weekend classes that are either two weekends for a half day or one weekend from 9 to 4. Additionally, we offer private lessons that can be scheduled in whatever time period works for you. As we're open every day from 9 to 8, it is rare that someone can't find a free hour to come down.
Most importantly, a lot of people don't realize that we have scholarships available for everyone—not just for kids. Our number one goal is to get everyone out on the water and we do our best to overcome every obstacle along the way.
Great Britain's three shoo-ins for Gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Regatta are in fine form after two days of racing. In the 49er and Yngling classes, the 2012 Olympic Hosts are leading their class, and five times World Champion, Ben Ainslie is lying in second place in the Finn class.
Today was pretty much a slow action replay of yesterday, with the Qingdao Doctor shifting five degrees to the south and flicking the anemometer at 4-8 knots.
Many believe the wind strengths are being enthusiastically reported. Certainly we would have expected to see the crews working a little harder on Course E today, the outermost of the five courses, had there been a consistent eight knots. The 49ers sailing in Course A, outside the Media Centre were treated to a six knot breeze in the official records, but more like 3-4kts according to observers.
Whatever, the racing today was as close and exasperating as it was yesterday.
One who will certainly be exasperated is Greek Finn sailor Emilious Papathanasiou, who picked up his second "go-home" from the International Jury for infringing Rule 42(a), which for those not entirely familiar with the nuances of the Racing Rules of sailing, means that he pulled a little too often on his mainsheet in the light conditions, and was considered by the on the water jury to have infringed.
Lest some consider that a particular judge has a vendetta against the 15 ISAF ranked sailor, the on the water judges are being rotated, and there is a fair chance that Papathanasiou has been yellow flagged by two different judges and possible three. So it is a fair cop.
No doubt to his chagrin, Papathanasiou has a first and a fifth placing, which without the two DNF's, he would probably be in the top three overall. Certainly the 35yr old who finished in 5th place in the 2004 Olympics has shown a remarkable comeback ability in this regatta. His most stellar performance was recovering from a 25th place around the first mark in the first race of the regatta, to take the winner's hooter three legs later.
Similarly today recovering from 25th to finish 5th overall.
New Zealand's Dan Slater, who just seven months ago was presented with the silver medal at the Finn Gold Cup in Melbourne broke a dreadful run of late teens placings, to finish fourth in today's Race 4.
Kiwi sailors are known for their Gallows Humour in times of adversity, and their Olympic Director, Rod Davis, was running true to form when he quipped after Slater had returned to the Olympic Harbour, "I think it will be all right now, we've taken the belt and shoelaces out of his room!"
The surprise packet of this regatta, so far has been the performance of US Finn sailor Zach Railey who leads Ben Ainslie (GBR) by a healthy five point margin. Railey has three second places to his score from four races (his other score being a fifth) - a remarkably consistent record in these conditions which have ankle tapped many of the more fancied competitors.
In the Yngling class, the British crew of Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson hold a seven point lead over Finland, with the Netherlands in third overall. The Canadian crew who held second place overnight, dropped back to 12th overall after placing 10th and 15th in the 15 strong fleet today.
The advent of the 49er class provided some much needed spectacle to the Olympic regatta with their sail plan designed to reflect the graphics of their national flag. However the fickleness of Qingdao was underlined on the class points table with the British crew of Ben Rhodes and Stevie Morrison, who hold a narrow one point lead after three races, having finished in the top three only once today.
The two points of contention in the event so far continued apace today. There was no change to the stand-off between on the water media and the event organisation over camera boat positioning, with photographers having to work over 100 metres away from the competition, and often being expected to take images of what is supposed to the the leading event in world sailing from behind a line of coach boats.
Where this one will end is anyone's guess, however tempers were very frayed again today.
As Bob Fisher 'The Fish ' writes today, deciding which spinnaker to measure has turned into game of Cold War proportions in the Tornado class. with several electing to measure in the revolutionary small spinnaker, now with the moniker of "Code Zero" after its equivalent in the America's Cup.
Use of the sail will allow crews to fly a spinnaker to windward, greatly increasing power, as reported by some on the water observers - with one Tornado crew twin wiring upwind in the 6-8kt breeze while three-sailing, while a conventionally rigged Tornado in two-sail configuration was struggling to get one crewmember on the trapeze.
With the first race in the Tornado event not due to get underway until next Saturday, there are plenty of mind games to come on this particular innovation.
Last week was one of my most enjoyable and enriching experiences working here at the sailing center so far this season. I had the opportunity to teach one of our partnership camps for at-risk youth through the New North End Youth Center, which offers programs to middle school and high school age youth in Burlington. My campers consisted of eight 11 to 15 year old boys from all over the world, who now live in Burlington. Their sailing experience and abilities ranged from no experience to some participation in a Level 3 sailing camp. One of the boys had even been on a sailboat in the Congo!
My group of boys had a ton of energy from Day 1 and were never shy about making their opinions known ("I want to go swimming!," "I want to go in the sailboat now!," "I don’t want to wear my lifejacket or shoes!"). There were like fish in the water, constantly swimming and wanting to jump out of their boats, but if it was possible, they were even more enthusiastic about sailing. They wanted to go out in the sailboats on the first day with no fear, regardless of not knowing a thing about sailing!
One of the more difficult obstacles to overcome when teaching this group about sailing was that several of the boys had learned English as a second language and therefore sometimes did not fully comprehend some of the sailing terms or chalk talks. After a very windy day of sailing, including a couple of near crashes, I decided to incorporate a directly hands-on approach to learning how to sail without going on the water. I had them all pull out a dinghy on land and rig it up completely with no help at all (they are excellent at rigging boats and figuring out what parts go where), and then I let them get in the boat on land, one at a time, and practice steering, tacking and jibing. I talked them through the whole maneuver, and when they steered the boat, I physically picked the boat up and turned it according to which way they were steering, so that they could understand how their actions inside the boat affected the movements of the boat itself.
This whole drill took less than an hour, and when they all went sailing on their own afterwards, they were tacking and jibing perfectly! It made me very proud to see these boys confidently skipper their way across the lake, come back, de-rig their boats, and then, of course, jump into the water and swim until it was time to leave.
Mornings at the sailing center are the best, when some go and grab a cup of joe I wake myself up by getting the sailing center ready for business. First thing is getting the gates open by unlocking the padlocks which wakes up the mind. Getting the motor boats ready and putting them in the water is a great way to warm up the body in preparation for the children.
Usually we have a few staff members there in the morning for these preparations and it's a good time to figure out a plan of attack for the day. Whose taking what motor boat and whose class is meeting where. During the weeks where I had group sails in the morning, I would find another staff member that also had a group sail. Then as a team bring keel boats in and rig them so there was not a rush right before the group gets there.
These times are good for clearing the mind, as the wind blows into my face, standing at the bow of the boat, attaching the straps on the jib sail to the forestay. When there is no one else on the lake that you can see that is when you can really enjoy nature and not have to worry about the day ahead for just a second, even though the day will go just fine.
These are the little things about the sailing center that makes me love coming in every morning and putting in my work towards the goal of sharing sailing with the community.
Weather in Vermont is quite possibly one of the weirdest things in the state...after the people, the politicians, food, cultures, and well just about everything the state has to offer is kind of strange one might say. But the weather is up there on the list.
There is the old saying "in Vermont just wait fifteen minuets and the weather will change." Last Friday was one of the greatest examples of that I have ever seen. There were a few of us who were going to go climb Lone Rock Point after work. We were all sitting on the dock waiting for Mike to get back with the Jet Skito ferry us out there. We had checked the radar and it looked like there might be a few sprinkles of rain on the New York side of the lake but no big deal.
Then out of no where we see this storm starting to form on the lake. But we weren't too worried because there wasn't really any wind and you could see both sides of it, it wasn't covering the whole sky. Then we heard thunder....the 420 racing was going on so they all started to come in. We keep all sitting on the dock watching. The rain started coming down inthe middle of the lake. There still was no real wind and we were still dry. As all the 420's came in those of us who were suppose to go climbing started to help pull the boats out. All of a sudden I was holding a 420 on the finger dock and a gust of wind came out of nowhere and ripped it out of my hands. That was when the storm hit.
It was the craziest storm I have ever seen. The waves grew to the point where they were easily splashing over the Atlas Dock. And it was raining so hard you could hardlysee the end of the docks. Everyone at the center rushed down there and we all starting doing a speed de-rig of all the boats. There were some keelboats out on the water that needed to be sailed in.
Legend has it that Colin simply took one of the bowlines in his teeth and swam the boat into the dock. (According to Robert). The waves were HUGE! The rain was POOOORING and the wind was well....WINDY! But in literally fifteen minuets it was gone. All that was left was a couple big puddles and some waves that soon died down. After the storm passed some of us took a boat out to look for Mike (who had rode it out on Lone Rock) when we looked back there were two of the biggest rainbows over Burlington I had ever seen. And the sun was beaming down on the city. Just goes to show how the weather is just as crazy as the rest of us up here.
Imagine a stately yacht club with a wrap-around porch and a manicured lawn that slopes into Lake Champlain. Now picture the polar opposite. If that's proving tricky, walk down to the Burlington waterfront and head north about a hundred yards, until you reach the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center.
Headquartered in the basement of the decrepit Moran Plant, a former coal-fired power station that was decommissioned in 1986, the sailing center has ratty brick digs and an electric-blue paint job that give it the feel of an edgy contemporary art museum in some post-industrial Scandinavian building. But, lo and behold, on a recent Thursday morning the place is crawling with life-jacketed children, fresh from a cornucopia of affordable local summer camps.
As Vermont's only community waterfront center, the CSC strives to make sailing, kayaking and canoeing accessible not just to adults, but to at-risk youth, as well as people with disabilities. By learning how to operate watercraft on Lake Champlain, aspiring boaters cultivate self-confidence and a spirit of environmental stewardship. Along the way, they have boatloads of fun.
Launched in 1995, the sailing center has always worked with local nonprofits to serve the needs of the region's most vulnerable populations. It has offered programming for Burlington's King Street Youth Center and the Killington-based nonprofit Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports since the late 1990s. After Executive Director Kate Neubauer grabbed the tiller in 2004, the sailing center significantly expanded its list of community partners to include Spectrum Youth & Family Services, the Greater Burlington YMCA, the Howard Center, the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington and the DREAM Program, a Winooski-based nonprofit that facilitates mentoring relationships between at-risk youth and area undergraduates. User visits to the sailing center have increased from 5000 in 2003 to an anticipated 13,000 this summer.
"Sailing seems to be something that poor kids don't even think they can do," says Kathy Olwell, director of the New North End Youth Center. In the summers, Olwell runs a program that sends kids from Hunt and Edmunds Middle Schools down to the waterfront for 50-hour sailing courses. About half of the kids receive subsidized lunches.
The sailing center was created thanks to a 1993 Burlington City Council resolution authorizing the city's Waterfront Commission to approve a launch site for non-motorized boats. "We have this old thing that we're not using, and you're welcome to use it," city administrators noted of the Moran Plant, according to Neubauer. That location worked with the city's "Harbor Management Plan," she says, which restricts engine-powered craft in the northern reaches of town.
The center's first 12 sailboats were purchased in 1997. Now the fleet has grown to the point where, on a recent Thursday morning, a visitor has trouble counting the number of white sails fluttering in teal-colored Lake Champlain against an Adirondack backdrop. And that's not including the dozens of other sailboats, kayaks and canoes waiting patiently in the shadow of the Moran Plant's rusted-out metal scaffolding.
Neubauer, a dynamic 30-year-old with brown hair, emerges from the office wearing jeans, black sunglasses and a red life vest. She came to the sailing center in 2004 fresh from a year working as an AmeriCorps VISTA community organizer for Burlington's Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO). Government work was nice, recalls the Rhode Island native, but it left her curious to understand how nonprofits worked with cities to solve problems.
Neubauer's VISTA experience helped her deduce that the center wasn't adequately serving Burlington's most vulnerable communities; she started making contacts and raising money with an eye toward expanding programming. "I didn't come to the sailing center because of sailing," she says, gazing out at the lake. "I came because it was a program giving an opportunity to people who otherwise wouldn't have it."
Around noon, Gabriel Diaz and a crew of elementary-school-age sailors tie their sailboats to the docks and head ashore. The students, six of them refugees, have been participating in the sailing center's 1-year-old LeaderSHIP program, a youth-development initiative that links sailing with confidence building. If these kids weren't sailing, says Diaz, a paraeducator at Hunt Middle School, "they'd have nothing else to do but hang out on the street."
As Diaz leads the children to the nearby ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center for lunch, Neubauer greets Evan LeCompte, director of the YMCA's "Y's Guys" summer program. The YMCA began sending campers to the sailing center two years ago, supplementing trips to such places as Centennial Field and a local bowling alley, LeCompte explains. He says he's not surprised that his charges have a blast on the water, considering that "99.9 percent" of their parents don't own boats.
Christopher Brown, who directs the Winooski-based DREAM program, is similarly enthusiastic about the sailing center. Founded in 1999, DREAM connects at-risk children with mentors from seven colleges in Vermont and New Hampshire. The sailing center has enabled mentors and mentees to hang out on the lake together. "For a nonprofit organization such as ours that thrives on the generosity of others," Brown wrote in a recent letter, "the ability to be part of this program at no cost has been truly invaluable."
That assessment would resonate with Kathy Olwell. She says parents are "ecstatic" to learn that their kids are sailing; if kids weren't engaged in structured activities, they'd be at greater risk for drug use and teen pregnancy. "I'd never heard of such a thing until they opened up down there!" Olwell continues. "I always thought of sailing as being for someone who has a sailboat and who's upper-middle-class to wealthy."
Olwell's praise underscores two challenges facing the sailing center: location and image. With facilities that aren't immediately visible from the Burlington Bike Path, the place doesn't have "walk-up exposure," according to a recent strategic plan. What's more, its sailing-heavy name can evoke "images of elitism." (Neubauer says a forthcoming name change will better reflect the full scope of the center's mission.)
Those challenges may soon be distant memories. In March, Burlington voters approved a resolution that lays out an "adaptive reuse" plan for turning the Moran Plant into a mixed-use recreational space. In addition to a renovated sailing center that includes year-round classrooms and a new boat-storage facility, the plan includes a restaurant, a children's museum and an indoor ice- and rock-climbing facility. A revitalized Moran Plant will mean a permanent home for the sailing center, Neubauer says. And not a moment too soon: She's tired of working in an office that doesn't have running water or heat.
With more visibility and year-round programming, Neubauer predicts, the sailing center could expand to include whatever programming works, given Vermont weather and the needs of the Burlington community. A member of the Community Sailing Council of the Rhode-Island-based United States Sailing Association, Neubauer says that other community waterfront centers around the country offer water-based art and therapy classes. In other words, the sky's — or the horizon's — the limit.
Construction of the revamped sailing center is tentatively expected to wrap by 2010. As part of the Moran redevelopment project, officials at the center, which had assets valued at $215,134 in 2006, hope to raise $3 million. "That's the next challenge," Neubauer says with a laugh. "We're ready, but it's a challenge."
In the meantime, there's plenty of fun to be had. As Neubauer strolls out onto the docks, Diaz leads his aspiring sailors to the ECHO Center for a lunch of hot dogs and potato chips. The kids, Diaz explains, are here with "Barnes World Academy," a joint project of the Sarah Holbrook Community Center and Burlington's Department of Parks and Recreation. Parents pay $25 per week for the camp, and sailing instruction is free. A camp administrator says the sailing center gives most of these campers a chance to see their own city from the waves for the very first time.
While waiting for their food in the bright, noisy ECHO cafeteria, Diaz's campers wax nostalgic about their first adventures on Lake Champlain. "It was so fun because you get to see stuff!" one says over the racket. They're quick to specify which stuff: double-bodied dragonflies, seaweed and fish, other boats . . .
"It was scary at first!" a smiling African boy with a shaved head chimes in from the end of the table.
"It was somewhat scary and somewhat fun," notes the oldest boy in the bunch, an Old North End native who graduated from Barnes Elementary in June.
Why was it somewhat scary? "I've never been in a sailboat before, and I didn't know they tipped." Why somewhat fun? "It’s fun when you tip over!"
Weather has definitely been a challenge this summer and proved once more to be challenging last week. My class was great, which was surprising considering it was filled with eight 11-15 boys and one girl. I pictured the problems before we started, rowdy boys and the single girl being left out. However, to my surprise, it was one of the best classes I've had yet this summer.
Noa, my single girl, wasn't shy in the least bit and all the boys in my class made sure that she, and no one else, was left out. As I mentioned, weather was difficult. The wind was either so light sailing became drifting, or so heavy my kids would be too scared to go out. During the light wind periods I would get different games going and swimming off the boats.
Keeping everyone entertained was getting difficult as the week progressed. Long sails were by far the favorite and I would let them slowing make their way to Lone Rock Point and back in just in time for lunch. During heavy air I would have them practice control drills...which was very difficult. Their willingness to do drills was very low to say the least. They complained about it a lot, but they kept doing the drills and improvement was progressively showing with each tack or jibe they were doing.
A lot of my previous campers have had difficulty catching on to the basics of sailing, and easily forgot wind direction, points of sail, etc. but this class was filled with some natural born sailors, which made my job so much easier. This week was definitely full of surprises (all good) and in the end I was beyond proud of every single sailor. A lot of friendships were made that camp and I hope to see them again eventually as Level 2 or 3 sailors.
Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. These "Three R's" are taught to many of us at a very young age. Most of us Vermonters recycle out of habit, and many of our households generate an equal amount of garbage and recycling. This habit is especially apparent after returning from places that don't recycle on a regular basis, as I noted during my vacation last week.
What is it about Vermonters and recycling? Well, as I look out at the lake from the sailing center desk, I can answer this question. Even though it is raining, and clouds have set in over the Adirondacks, I am looking out at a very beautiful landscape. Green trees, green grass, blue water...I can see exactly why we recycle, to help keep our landscape free of debris, clean, and to reduce our waste and our impact on our planet in general. It's because we care that we recycle, so what is the sailing center doing to help?
As I type, two of our instructors are organizing new recycling bins, and labeling them with the symbol above. We also have a giant trash can that gets filled weekly with bottles and cans to be returned. And, most recently we have asked kids to bring refillable water bottles to reduce waste in the sailing center.
By promoting recycling and reduction of waste within our sailing center we hope that our customers will take home the same idea to continue in their own homes. As any visitor to our sailing center will notice, we have an incredible landscape to take care of, and recycling is a positive step towards doing so.
Working down at the Community sailing center this summer has been a blast so far and we are only half way through the summer. It's my first summer working at the sailing center but my third spent as a sailing instructor, I spent the last two summers in my hometown of Washington, DC teaching sailing on the Potomac. Working in D.C was a lot of fun but a very different from what I have experienced so far this summer in Burlington.
I loved working for KIDS Set Sail. The program partnered with inner-city youth groups who never had the opportunity to enjoy the river that runs through their city. I enjoyed showing those kids the Potomac but the water quality and over all environmental damage made it hard to enjoy the surrounding water. Moving to beautiful Lake Champlain was a welcome change.
One of the best aspects I really enjoy about the Sailing Center is the staff members, we all seem to get along very well and are able to have a good time either rain or shine. With the summer in full swing and children running around everywhere there is always something to do whether it be helping the level one instructor with his group of 8 to 10 year olds or manual labor done in the name of benefiting the sailing center. All and All I am happy with my move up to Burlington and look forward to what the rest of the summer has in store for me at the Community Sailing Center.
Regatta for Lake Champlain and the Lake Lovers' Dance Party
Friday, July 25, 2008
The Regatta for Lake Champlain, presented by Rock Point Advisors is an annual sailing race and fundraiser to promote the health, well-being and sustainable use of Lake Champlain.
The Regatta weekend begins this Friday, July 25th with our "Lake Lovers Dance Party" and Lewmar Grind-off - a competition using low-resistance machine simulating tacking on an America's Cup boat. There will be many door prizes, and a silent auction featuring 2 Lewmar self-tailing alloy winches. Tickets will be sold at the door and may be purchased in advance from regattaforlakechamplain.org; $15/person, or $25/pair for this 21+ benefit.
The Regatta for Lake Champlain will be held on Saturday, July 26, starting at 11:30am just outside Burlington Harbor. We expect nearly 50 boats participating this year. Awards for this family-friendly pursuit-style race are given for the Largest All-Family Crew, Last Boat, Youngest Crew, All Female Crew, Oldest Boat, and Middle of the Fleet. Skippers and crew who raise the most sponsorship money win dinner at Leunigs Bistro in Burlington.
Register your boat, or sponsor your favorite at regattaforlakechamplain.org. Since 2004 the Regatta has raised $28,000 for organizations working on behalf of our Lake.
The 1st Annual Rock the Dock Event was a huge success! We were able to raise $2000 for the Mike McConnell Scholarship Fund. Thank you to all who supported and attended this event!
Sailing has always been a big interest in my family since I was young.
My brother Mike first got into sailing when he was a freshman at South Burlington High School. He joined the Northern Vermont High School Sailing Team, and continued to sail all through high school. His senior year in high school was also my freshman year at SBHS, so as you probably guessed he was a big influence in my decision to join the NVTHSST. After Mike graduated, I followed in the family footsteps as I too sailed all through high school.
2 years after graduating, Mike was again the first in the family to be employed here at the Community Sailing Center. Last year was his first year here, where Mike worked as one of the Waterfront Coordinators. Now Mike has his Level 1 Certification, and now teaches many of the camps throughout the summer.
Earlier this spring I had no idea where I wanted to work this summer. I had already worked at a bagel shop, and a restaurant the year before that. This year I wanted to do something different. I wanted the opportunity to give back to the community and have fun at the same time. The Sailing Center instantly came to mind. The only thing I was skeptic of at first was the fact that my older brother worked here. Of course I instantly pictured the worst; my brother bossing me around every single day, forcing me to clean all the boats or pick up trash all day. But then I thought, "nah, working with my brother couldn't be that bad" (So I hoped). Now looking back, I'm glad I didn't let that scare me away.
Working this year as a Waterfront Coordinator along side my brother has turned out to be nothing like I feared. It's always helpful to have someone show you the ropes at a new job, and I have to admit it's a lot better when that person is your brother. That way you can skip the awkward "get-to-know-you" stage and just get down to business. Things have been going smoothly ever since. It's strange sometimes to think how our life's plans unfold the way they do, that I'm planning to get my Level 1 Sailing Certification next year after being a Waterfront Coordinator this year, just as my brother did.
Maybe it was fate that pulled me here. Maybe it was our destiny for the Collins brothers had to leave their mark on the Sailing Center for years to come. Or maybe it was just coincidence. We may never know.
