The breeze came on!
Today’s forecast called for gusty SW winds at 10 to 20 knots. There was a Small Craft Advisory in effect, but it didn’t stop us from sailing!
Intermediate Sailors - Morning Session
The wind conditions were perfect for continued learning. Not so windy so that everyone would capsize immediately, but windy enough to be challenging to keep the boat upright. We had nine students and two coaches, so we decided on double-handed sailing using four RS Fevas. Teams were established and then sent off to prepare the boats. We had a short skippers’ meeting just before leaving the dock. The plan was to sail upwind and downwind around two markers. One whistle - safety position (stop the boat) and two whistles - trim in and keep sailing. The group has never looked so good. They get better every time we go out. When considering that the kids only sail for a couple of hours per week, they are doing remarkably well!
The more you sail, the better sailor you become. Time in the boat is where it’s at! For those who want to excel in sailing, once per week is not enough. This is why we offer Wednesday After School Sailing. Schedule online using promo code SAIL-FAST. It’s free for those sailing in the Intermediate group.
Homework
In order to speed up the learning process, I’m encouraging the kids to visit www.teamparadise.org/classroom in order to prepare for their next lesson!
Beginner Sailors - Afternoon Session
Today was the final visit for our sailors from Camillus House for the 2021- 2022 youth sailing season. Most of our regular kids were here as well. The first 30-minutes were spent on knot-making and tracking skills on the Skills-Up App.
There was a lot more wind expected for the afternoon, so adjustments had to be made in order to keep everyone safe. We limited ourselves to two RS Fevas, one RS Venture, the Castoldi Safety boat (propeller-less), and the Boston Whaler coach boat.
Yours truly was skippering the RS Venture and we were the first boat out. It was pretty windy to say the least. It was about all we could handle. We sailed a screaming reach and then tack and sailed to #Paradiseisland305 and anchored up. Check out the pictures above!
We made it back on time. Everyone was smiling. I say this was about as much fun as we ever had!