Youth Sailing, STEM
Magnus Liljedahl
SYSTEM S7-E2

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.

SYSTEM S7-E2
Youth Sailing
Magnus Liljedahl
Saturday Youth Sailing S6-E7

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,….

Saturday Youth Sailing S6-E7
Veterans Sailing
Magnus Liljedahl
Veterans Sailing S2-E10

Miami Fleet week

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 …

Veterans Sailing S2-E10
Veterans Sailing
Magnus Liljedahl
Veterans Sailing S2-E9

PERFECT DAY ON THE BAY!

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,..,

Veterans Sailing S2-E9
Veterans Sailing
Magnus Liljedahl
Veterans Sailing S2-E8

Home, sweet home!

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.

Veterans Sailing S2-E8

SUMMER CAMP WEEK 3

SUMMER CAMP WEEK 3

Another day in paradise! We towed the RS Venture and RS Feva heading for Key Biscayne. Dolphins greeted us along the way. The shifty wind started to fill in, and the campers began sailing. Then we had a shower or two. We anchored up at the sandbar and had our picnic. Campers could not wait to hop in and explore. The sandbar became a classroom as Ed reached scouting skills. Then the skies turned dark over the mainland and to the south. Soon realized the two options we had, seek shelter in Hurricane Harbor….

SUMMER CAMP WEEK 1

SUMMER CAMP WEEK 1

The first week of summer camp is in the books. I trust that everyone had fun sailing with us. We had nine campers, and most of them had never sailed before. Impressive is how much they liked sailing and being on the water. They were brave, and most everyone had some tiller-time, steering the boat, trimming the sails, hiking off the boats, or with the trapeze. We managed to sail daily despite a challenging weather pattern, typical for this time of the year.

Our adventure was a shared experience! I can’t say enough about our volunteer staff, who helped make it happen. Valentina, Carolina, Mo, Ed, Dante, Josh, and Ed, thank you for making the week a success!

While we were on the water having fun, Susan diligently held down the fort. She monitored the radar and made us aware of anything coming our way. Thank you, Susan!

Season Finale

Season Finale

Saturday Youth Sailing is completed for the 2022-2023 school year. It began on October 1st. of last year. Since then, we have sailed on 24 Saturdays. It’s been an amazing experience, not only for the kids but for the coaching staff as well. I’m thrilled to have witnessed the transformation the kids have gone through. What began with a water comfort check ended up with the majority of the kids enjoying sailing and everyone loving Biscayne Bay.

Saturday Youth Sailing S3-E4

Saturday Youth Sailing S3-E4

It was perhaps our best-ever Saturday Sailing day, and here is why. Kids are awesome and get along with one-and-other. Our team is well-rehearsed. Boats and equipment were prepared well in advance, which is necessary for a quick departure. The sailing was purposeful, and everyone seemed eager to learn. The beginner group sailed the RS Venture all by themselves. The intermediate group caught on to it and sailed another RS Venture. What a sight! If sailing is music, we have begun to sound pretty good!

A great big Thank You to our volunteers and parents/guardians. Our program would not exist without you!

Saturday Youth Sailing S3-E3

Saturday Youth Sailing S3-E3

It doesn’t get much better than that. Add boats and great kids learning how to sail. That’s a perfect day! Running our Intermediate and Beginner programs at the same time works great. Our awesome volunteers make it all happen. Kids from diverse backgrounds share this healthy experience and play well together. Our focus is FUN and LEARNING in a SAFE environment. Check out the pictures below and see for yourselves.

blew-byou

Sailing excursion with Kerry Gruson

It was great to be out sailing with Kerry Gruson again. It’s been too long, Kerry used to own a Sonar named Blew Byou, and we sailed a lot together on Biscayne Bay. For the most part, it was aboard our competing boats…….

More about Kerry Gruson

Kerry is the co-founder of ThumbsUp International.org

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/vitality/202109/near-death-thriving-case-history-hope

Orange Bowl 2022

Orange Bowl 2022

Eleanor was nominated for her perseverance and toughness in her first regatta since suffering an injury at the Atlantic Coast Championship in October. Lara Dallman-Weiss selected Eleanor and presented her with the award during the Tuuci OBIYR award ceremony on December 30th.

During the award ceremony, Lara remarked, "It was an absolute honor to announce the 2022 Magnus Liljedahl Sportsmanship Award recipient. Eleanor Moore exemplified courage in many ways: after breaking her arm while helping a parent at the boat ramp, she gave her boat to another competitor with a damaged boat. Thinking of others while injured shows sacrifice, inclusiveness, and bravery. The sport of sailing must encourage our community to be happy for others'’ success; it is completely possible to teach and lift each other up and still be the fastest boat on the race course!" Congratulations Eleanor!

Give Miami Day 2022

Give Miami Day 2022

Team Paradise did well at the Give Miami Day this year! When bonus pools are added, we will likely exceed our expectations by an estimated 7%. This is not the only good news, we had 56 unique donations, which puts us in 8th place in the Health & Wellness category for ‘Small Business’. All numbers are new highs for Team Paradise.

The Siebel Sailors Program S3-Ep5

Intermediate Sailors

Beginner Sailors

Speed-up Learning!

For both beginners and intermediates, please visit our online classroom and learn more. Our time together is so limited together. Parents, please encourage your kid(s) to visit our classroom.

The Siebel Sailors Program S3-Ep4

Intermediate Sailors

Beginner Sailors

Speed-up Learning!

For both beginners and intermediates, please visit our online classroom and learn more. Our time together is so limited together. Parents, please encourage your kid(s) to visit our classroom.

The Siebel Sailors Program S3-Ep3

Intermediate Sailors

Beginner Sailors

Speed-up Learning!

For both beginners and intermediates, please visit our online classroom and learn more. Our time together is so limited together. Parents, please encourage your kid(s) to visit our classroom.

The Siebel Sailors Program S3-Ep2

The Siebel Sailors Program S3-Ep2

What’s different this fall session is that our sailors are the same kids each and every Saturday Afternoon. It’s nice to get to know one other better and build comradery. Today we made sure to learn everyone’s nickname (as you can see in the picture). Thirteen kids came sailing with us. Our coaching staff consisted of Marite, Mo, Aryan, Natasha, and yours truly. We used two RS Ventures, and 1 RS Feva, The Castoldi safety boat, and the Boston Whaler coach boat.

The Siebel Sailors Program: S3-Ep1

The Siebel Sailors Program: S3-Ep1

Welcome to another school year of the Siebel Sailors Program! It marks our third year in the program. Eight Saturdays are scheduled between now and mid-November. Our focus on teaching kids how to sail is the main goal. In order to continue, we expect each and every one who joined to be present every Saturday. During the afternoon beginner class, we will be following US Sailing’s Small Boat Beginner Curriculum, and during the morning intermediate class, we will adhere to US Sailing’s Small Boat Intermediate Curriculum. We will be tracking each sailor’s skills development accordingly. It is not expected that everyone will pass the skill requirements in eight weeks, but we do hope that all skills will be introduced, in progress, and about 30% completed.

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THE MURAL AT USSC

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THE MURAL AT USSC

The final week of Summer camp belonged to the US Sailing Center - City of Miami Parks Sailing Program. Coach Lauren was new on our volunteer staff, but no stranger to our community. She grew up sailing on Biscayne Bay and fell in love with our sport. It was no wonder that I jumped on her offer to help us for the final week of Summer Camp before heading back to college in Main.

As normal when kids arrive at the US Sailing Center (USSC), we gather on the second-floor breeze-way for an introduction and a float plan of the day. Yours truly prepared a whiteboard and handed it to Lauren saying “if you can improve on this, please go ahead”……