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.
Great big thank you to everyone involved with putting the summer camp together. The US Sailing Center - Miami Parks Sailing for the worthwhile and rewarding initiative. Our volunteers worked diligently and put up a big effort on a daily basis. Ed, Mo, Josh, Jian, Maryna, Frankie, and Pickel, you are the best!
Our 2023 Summer Camp is completed! Each of the four weeks was great, but it’s fair to say that we saved the best for last. This group became smaller as a couple of siblings tested positive for Covid before the week began. Some of the campers attended all 4-weeks. Newbies to our program had never sailed, but they caught on quickly and blended in with our team in a big way. It’s rewarding when the campers develop friendships with each other, and based on how my life turned out, it could last forever.
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….
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!
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.
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!
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.
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…….
Kerry is the co-founder of ThumbsUp International.org
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/vitality/202109/near-death-thriving-case-history-hope
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!
Halloween is a special day, and this year was no different. It occurred on a Monday. Despite being our day off work, I rode my commuter bicycle to Office Depot to buy printer ink so that we could complete our Annual Appeal Letter. Several items were on my to-do list for that day, so I was in a self-proclaimed rush mode.
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.
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.
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.
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.
