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

ROCK STAR Corporate Regatta

ROCK STAR Corporate Regatta

Team Paradise was honored to host the ROCK STAR Corporate Regatta! It was a great day for what we set out to accomplish: light wind, sunny with a bit of overcast. Twenty guests sailed aboard five boats with an expert sailor on each vessel. The event took four hours from start to finish. The ROCK STAR group arrived in a timely fashion. We met at the US Sailing Center at 10.30 AM for a short meet and greet activity, followed by an introduction to sailing and a skipper's meeting, including the safety briefing….

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E5

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E5

Today was extra special! Bill Johns, the University of Miami sailing coach, sent us a couple of members of the UM Sailing Team to come and tutor our sailors. How about that? It has been a dream of mine for a long time. Like all of our relationships, it’s a win-win situation. Our students get to sail one-on-one with these incredible athletes and learn from them. For the UM students, it creates an opportunity to give back to the community and gain valuable real-life experience. Let’s hope we can keep this going because it makes perfect sense!

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E3

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E3

Today was super encouraging! Everyone sailed, and no kids were riding in the safety boat. The sea breeze came up just in time for going sailing. There were lots of boats out there. We lined up sailing and taking pictures. Then we sailed closer to the shore and set a windward and a leeward mark. The safety boat anchored up in the middle of the short course. The object was to practice tight mark roundings while quickly trimming in or easing the sails. Time is of the essence when making these maneuvers……

FUN DAY ON THE BAY S1-E4

FUN DAY ON THE BAY S1-E4

It was a perfect day for what we always do: have fun and teach sailing while keeping everything safe. It was a breeze day blowing from N-N-W. We stayed close to the shore and sailed to the Vizcaya Museum. Then, we circumnavigated the "Stone-ship" island multiple times while visitors took our picture, probably wishing they were aboard with us.

Our route back to port took us through the Deering channel into the Bay. The breeze was a lot fresher, and the sail home was breathtaking. One of the students (with zero prior experience) tried his hand at the tiller. We have reason to believe that a new sailor was born….

BLIND SAILING ON BISCAYNE BAY

BLIND SAILING ON BISCAYNE BAY

Sailing is easy, and it does not require all five senses to do. Boats don't know if a limb is missing or the skipper is blind. The only sense that is indeed required is touch. The boat and the elements feed all the information needed. If one can feel the boat, the tiller, and the amount of heel it has, her motion through the water, where the wind is blowing from, then you can sail. According to Kris, the most challenging point of sail is downwind. The apparent wind is gone, and there is not much pressure on the rudder.

THURSDAY SAILING S1-E2

THURSDAY SAILING S1-E2

It was an exhilarating two-hour sailing experience. It was a windy day, somewhere between 17 and 23 knots. We covered a great distance but only spotted a couple of other boats out there. Our voyage took us across the Bay toward the West Point of Key Biscayne, onward into Hurricane Harbour, around Nixon’s Beach, and finally, an awesome reach back to the US Sailing Center in Coconut Grove. Throughout the sail, we chatted away, getting to know each other. Sailing is perfect for expanding comradery!

FUN DAY ON THE BAY S1-E3

FUN DAY ON THE BAY S1-E3

Today, we had a low turnout for our Fun Day Sailing event from the Miami Learning Experience. Only five students and two teachers joined us, even though we had room for twice as many. It's possible that some parents are hesitant to let their kids try sailing and be on the water because it's a new experience for them. However, I want to reassure everyone that our activity is completely safe. In fact, the real danger might be coming to the venue itself. To address parents' concerns, we should consider inviting them to sail with us on a separate day so they can experience it for themselves and see how safe and enjoyable it is. Call it “Fun Day for Parents”.

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E2

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E2

It was a challenging day, but in the end, it was just another safe, fun learning experience for all of us. Like in other sports, key players are not always available to play. That doesn't mean that the match will be canceled, oh no. Instead, the game plan is adjusted, and the next player is up.

On Saturday, we faced 250 kids competing in a major sailing competition hosted by the Coral Reef Yacht Club, our next-door neighbor. Most boats sailed out of the US Sailing Center, where we are located. It was beyond crowded! We were somewhat under-staffed as well. How do we do this?

FUN DAY ON THE BAY S1-E2

FUN DAY ON THE BAY S1-E2

It was time for another episode of “Fun Day Sailing”. Team Paradise welcomed eleven new students and two counselors from the amazing school, the Miami Learning Experience. Some were familiar faces who had sailed with us a few years ago. We sailed across the Bay towards Key Biscayne, then turned around and headed for the Viscaya Musem. All along, we had Brickell and downtown Miami as the backdrop. It was scenic, for sure! We continued through the Deering Channel and made it around the Viscay waterfront driveway. Our journey continued along the Mercy Hospital waterfront, and we exited close to Grove Isle….

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USSC-City of Miami Parks Sailing 2023 Week 2

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USSC-City of Miami Parks Sailing 2023 Week 2

Serving 113 Campers in 10 Days

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!

SUMMER CAMP WEEK 4

SUMMER CAMP WEEK 4

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.

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.