Juniors

By Mischa van Berkel Started in 2013 with a group of Optimist sailors who could not get enough of sailing during the summer, MudRatz has developed into an organization that offers a full learn-to-race program for junior sailors in eastern Connecticut. Complementary to the local youth sailing programs, MudRatz provides the opportunity to extend the sailing season with racing practice sessions in both spring and fall. We strive to provide a positive and fun environment where sailors…

Strict protocols and grateful sailors Larchmont Yacht Club Mainsheet     Larchmont Yacht Club in Larchmont, NY hosted the Optimist Atlantic Coast Championship October 2-4, the first USODA championship regatta of this size since March. Regatta chairs, Ned and Dorsey Roseberry and Senet Bischoff, began their thoughtful preparations three years ago and adapted those plans with each shifting wind of the COVID storm. Normally drawing hundreds of Optis from across the country, this year’s ACC was capped…

By Todd Vorenkamp, NESS Communications & Public Relations Director   Despite the global COVID pandemic the New England Science and Sailing Foundation (NESS), with proper precautions and an emphasis on mask wearing and social distancing, was able to pull off a successful 9th Annual Catch-A-Curl Youth Surf competition at Westerly Town Beach in Westerly, RI on Saturday, September 19 with a record 53 young surfers competing for glory. As the event nears a decade as a local…

Editor’s note: This article, from the JibeTalk blog and reprinted with the kind permission of our friends at the Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound, evokes great memories of our own junior sailing days. The summer of 2020 has been both a challenge and a different experience for our junior sailors. COVID-19 has brought with it the need for “social distancing,” masks, buffs, curtailment of some very large regatta experiences and a lot more. On the…

By Caroline Conzatti, CBC Assistant Director “CBC has been a huge confidence boost for me in the past four years. Sailing makes me feel more free and like I can overcome obstacles. I love to share this feeling with others.” – Carlyn, CBC Junior Instructor     Community Boating Center, Inc. in New Bedford, MA is a youth mentorship and outreach organization that uses boating and the marine environment to involve kids in safe, fun learning experiences….

In these tempestuous times, our friends Julianna Barbieri & Hugh Piggin and their team at Manuka Sports Event Management in Newport, RI have had to cancel this year’s edition of America’s Class40 Grand Prix, The Atlantic Cup. As we noted in our April edition, however, they’ve shifted their Atlantic Cup Kids Program from hands-on learning in the host cities to online, at-home education. Helming this popular program is Dave Rearick, the winner of the 2013 Atlantic Cup, a…

By Todd Vorenkamp, NESS Director of Communications As NESS – the New England Science & Sailing Foundation – approaches its 20th year serving the community, it continues to expand its reach through the region as well as broaden its educational, adaptive sailing, and adult ocean adventure programs from its base in Stonington, CT. Personal Growth “Sailing Summer Camp” brings to mind a stereotype of kids messing around on boats and avoiding sunburns. NESS’s summer camp program certainly…

The organizers of The Atlantic Cup, our friends at Manuka Sports Event Management in Newport, RI, are once again presenting their popular Atlantic Cup Kids Program in conjunction with this year’s edition of the race, which is scheduled (tentatively as this issue went to press!) to start in Charleston, SC on June 5. With sailing events all over the world being cancelled, they’ve shifted the focus of this year’s Atlantic Cup Kids Program from hands-on learning at the docks…

By Ben Cesare I can’t recall a time when the focus on big boat sailing for kids was so top of mind as it is currently. It’s very refreshing in that success so obviously provides exposure to many of the core values of enjoying a life on the water. At WindCheck, our view is pretty narrow geographically, by design. That means we are watching and listening to what’s happening from New Jersey to the Cape. And what…

By Michael Parente The same students who could barely use a tape measure or screwdriver when they enrolled in the Community College of Rhode Island’s Youth Summer Boatbuilding Program successfully launched their finished products into the saltwater pond at Ninigret Park in Charlestown in August, wrapping up a fun, but informative, five-week workshop learning skills often overlooked on today’s education landscape.   At a time in which career and technical education (CTE) training – otherwise referred to…