The more we do it, the better we get! Today was the second of eight lessons in our fall session of Youth Sailing. Each Saturday will look the same. We are divided into two groups: the beginner sailors, ages 9-12, who attend our STEM class, the SYSTEM, and the intermediate sailors, ages 12-17, who attend our NEXT LEVEL program. Both groups began at 10 AM and finished at 3 PM. The SYSTEM classroom is indoors, and the NEXT LEVEL meets in the second-floor breezeway. The SYSTEM is based on REACH (US Sailing's STEM education series), while the NEXT LEVEL is based on US Sailing's Intermediate curriculum.
The weather in Miami, and many other places, follows a pattern: one day looks like the next. The weatherman calls for southeasterly winds of 5-10 knots, but it's calm in the morning. Then, as it gets warmer throughout the day, the land heats up, and the sea breeze kicks in. The wind on the water is affected by local topography, where land, buildings, and other structures block the wind and create turbulence. Also, there is usually a big difference between the highest and lowest wind speeds. We refer to this as puff and lull. Today, the puffs (gusts) were much stronger than 10 knots. In reality, after the fact, when we all know what happened,….
Today was a big Fleet Week celebration next door at the Coral Reef Yacht Club (CRYC). Hundreds of young sailors were invited for fishing, sailing, and boating. The first busload showed up at 0645 hours for a lovely breakfast buffet. As luck has it, the day coincided with our regular Thursday Veterans Sailing. Two uniquely named veterans, who had never sailed with us, arrived at about 1000 hours. The weather and wind were perfect for sailing across the Bay and joining the festivities at Stiltsviille. We tied the boat next to an anchored sailboat in what can best be described as a small lagoon behind the building. The CRYC dockmaster was on hand to ferry us to the lapidated building. We mingled with the sailors for a while and had some snacks and refreshments before heading back to the US Sailing Center. We had to leave before the current started ripping. The sail home was smooth and very relaxing. It was …
Perhaps I might be getting forgetful, but today felt like the best Veterans Sail ever! We had two boats, six veterans, one veteran family member, plus me. Two of the veterans had never sailed with us before. Today was a perfect day on the Bay. The weather conditions were ideal, with just the "right" amount of wind speed. We aimed for the Biscayne Bay channel as we left the Seaplane channel behind, spotting some Dolphins along the way, then tacking through Stiltsville, we turned around and headed back home with the flooding tide pushing us along Bill Baggs State Park, Nixons Beach,..,
Old friends meet new friends. Today, a young man who had just returned from active duty in Syria was visiting. It was super rewarding to offer him and his significant other a soothing and relaxing experience sailing on Biscayne Bay. As always, thank you guys for serving our country.
Nice to have our regular Veterans Sailing Program back up and running again! Nine Veterans, two Veteran’s family members, and three fantastic volunteers participated. One of the volunteers is a ret. Coastguard Captain and also our senior sailing instructor. Do you know who that is? Anyway, he was busy giving the final on-the-water test for the sailing instructor certification course. The student is one of our local Veterans!
The week of November 16, 2021, was not just another week that just blew by for Team Paradise. While it did "blow-by" both figuratively and actual, it also put exclamation points behind our programming. It was a week when all the training and diligent work produced results, a week when preparations met the opportunity. It was a significant success for us!
Wednesday, November 17, 2021. This time we had 7-kids from Curtis Park visiting the US Sailing Center to go sailing. The program is offered by the US Sailing Center and we commonly refer to it as “City Sailing”. Team Paradise facilitates the sailing portion of the program. It is a lot of fun and kids love it!
The bus carrying the children arrived at the Sailing Center at 3.49 PM. The sails were being hoisted as the kids approached the docks. We had four awesome youth sailors show up to command the two RS Feva sailboats. Basically, we had the skippers and the crews! I’m glad we did because it was a windy afternoon with a median velocity of about 15 kts, gusting up to 25 kts, from ENE.
Out of the seven kids, there were 4 boys (3 siblings and a cousin). The youngest one was only five-years-old. The 3 girls were a bit older ranging from 10-14 years of age. It was a disappointment to see that none of the kids were dressed properly to go sailing. Nevertheless, they were excited to head out on the bay for a sail.
Yours truly was driving the coach-boat, taking pictures and cheering them on. We intended to reach the Sister Banks, but the boys were shivering by now and we had to cut the sail short and head back to shore. Boats were tied up at about 5.10 PM.
Thank you US Sailing Center for trusting in us to carry out your program!
Check out the video and the pictures below. Let’s go sailing again, soon!
Wednesday, November 10, 2021. Another 10-kids from Peacock Park arrived at the Sailing Center at 3.55 PM. This was the first City Sail with the clock dial back one-hour. Boats were ready to go. We had three awesome youth sailors show up to lead the way on the water. I didn’t think we would be able to reach the Sister Banks (a.k.a. Viscaya Sandbar), but we did. Some of the kids took the opportunity to go for a swim.
It rained north and south of us, but we were rather lucky to avoid it all. We sailed back and docked the boats at 5.30 PM sharp. I was pleasantly surprised by how far we sailed and the amount of fun we had in such a short time.
Thank you everyone for participating!
There was another beautiful late afternoon on Biscayne Bay on October 20th, 2021. This time we had kids from Coral Gate Park visiting. Two RS Venture sailboats and a coach boat were launched, rigged, and ready to sail. We had three coaches lined up and ready to serve as the kids arrived. I must admit that we were a bit disappointed when only four kids plus a counselor showed up! Especially, since we can handle 12-14 kids, and considering the existing huge need for an after-school sailing program for the children of Miami, it’s a head-scratcher! We take out kids on a regular basis and there are always a few who really love it (sailing/swimming) and want to return for more fun and play on the Bay.
Kids from Shenandoah Park came to sail with us on On Wednesday, October 13th for the fourth and final time in 2021. The conditions were near perfect and the kids had a lot of fun. This time It was Marite and me who were the only coaches. We each sailed an RS Venture. Marite with the girls and me with the boys…….
Team Paradise and the Siebel Sailors Program provide increased opportunity and diversity in the sport of sailing to youth sailors from all backgrounds. Sailors from Breakthrough Miami, CARE Elementary and Camillus House learned about the “Five Habit of Excellence”: Fun, Effort, Respect, Student Voice, and Inclusion. They then helped rig the boats and sailed out for some sailing, swimming, and lots and lots of smiling!
The Crew consisted of Duane Smith, Lanita Soleil, and Nehemiah Cook, all disabled Veterans. Also onboard was Charles Nethersole, a veteran of the British Navy and a world-class sailor. Duane has been sailing with us for several years and he has come a long way. Duane is a certified Basic Keelboat instructor. He helps Team Paradise by teaching sailing, not only to Veterans but to all students. He also heads up our Thursday Veterans Sailing, which has solid attendance.
New Siebel Sailors took the tiller and learned to skipper their own boats this past weekend at Team Paradise Sailing in Miami during the 1st Spring 2021 Clinic. With the sun shining and 8-12 knots both days, sailors were able to quickly learn about the Siebel values (fun, effort, respect, student voice, and inclusivity), the environment, how to sail, and how to be their best selves.
On Saturday, our new sailors, ranging between 10 and 16 years old, arrived not exactly sure what to expect for the weekend. However, the unexplored territory did not scare any one of them away from the new opportunity to learn how to sail. Saturday started off strong with building the Siebel Team's Crew Code or set of guidelines for everyone to follow within the Siebel Values that the sailors construct together. They then learned the parts of the boat and how to rig the boat up (set up the boat) for sailing. A quick boat ride, discussion about wind awareness, anemometers, and lunch at the sandbar - sailors then launched in sailboats with a friend and learned how to steer our RS Feva sailboats around the mooring field. To wrap up the day, we did a "Keep, Stop, Start" activity where sailors were able to tell us what they wanted to keep doing, stop doing, and start doing going into day two of our clinic weekend.
When sailors arrived on Sunday, they were eager to have some more fun! The morning kicked off with a STEM and career connection to Marine Engineering with a clay boat activity where sailors had to build a boat out of clay and see who could hold the most washers inside the boat without sinking it. We discussed Archimedes principle, water displacement, density, and surface area. After a tight competition of washer holding, all sailors participated in a scavenger hunt within the boat park picking up specific items but also collecting as much trash as they could find. A land demo of tacking (turning the boat) and a trip to the sandbar then lead to lunch, everyone going sailing, and some sailors even trying it on their own!
As we debriefed prior to everyone leaving I asked two questions...the first question was "Do you all want to come back?" and without any hesitation, each one of the sailors raised their hand eagerly and said, "I do!". The second question was..."What are you all?" and their reply was "I am a sailor!".
As a parent or guardian, or even an organizational leader who was involved in getting these new sailors to Team Paradise this weekend, I sincerely thank you. These kids were able to try something new, step out of their comfort zone, and learn life skills. They pushed themselves and each other to be the best they can be. They supported, helped, and learned from one another. They learned how to sail in just 2 short days and want to come back for more. These kids can do whatever they set their minds to and each one of them should be very proud of themselves.
Fair Winds and Following Seas,
MacKenzie
Unstoppable Tracy welcomes Magnus Liljedahl, who is the founder and Executive Director of Team Paradise, a non-profit organization dedicated to changing lives by inspiring and empowering disabled and underserved communities”. Team Paradise makes sailing Accessible for ALL!
To listen, please click the arrow above!
The theme of this week’s episode is support and kindness. Earning independence comes from rallying the support of many people. Having a circle of people that stand behind you and beside you through thick and thin exponentially boosts your chances of success. Additionally, when you dedicate time to help others, you gain a sense of fulfillment that is unmatched. Magnus shares his journey and affirms the importance of relationships to our development.
You’ll hear Magnus and Unstoppable Tracy talk about:
Taking action even in the face of uncertainty.
What fueled Magnus’ drive to start Team Paradise.
The importance of focus and self-care.
How support can be just as effective as criticism.
How to emulate Magnus’ success in your own life.
