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.
Today marked the grand finale of Season 9—Session 8—and what a way to close out the season! We welcomed 25 enthusiastic kids, supported by nine dedicated coaches, for one last unforgettable day on the water. With rain and thunderstorms in the forecast, we made the smart call to sail early, giving us plenty of time to wrap up on shore and prepare for our much-anticipated closing ceremony.
Today was ideal for our group—the forecast called for south winds, 5 to 10 knots with a light chop. Our coaching staff, Ella, Marite, Justine, David, and Mo, made everything a breeze. Congratulations to Ella for becoming an L-3 certified youth coach. That’s what’s needed to run the show. Ella is adjusting quickly! Coach David noticed and commented as I passed the clipboard to Ella. My act is a milestone in our evolution. We are what our name says, we are….
Our harbor is under remodeling. A massive barge with a gigantic crane partially blocks the entrance, and all the docks are being replaced. What used to be our welcoming waterfront is now a jagged edge of rocks and murky water. Our facility is bustling with activity, but without a control tower or central coordinator, boats come and go, and everyone is doing their best to stay out of each other’s way. The wind was gusting hard out of the southeast at about 20 knots…
Corporate Regatta: Team Building on Biscayne Bay with Fitch Solutions
Team Paradise hosted an unforgettable corporate team-building event for Fitch Solutions on Biscayne Bay. Five teams competed in a high-energy regatta, guided by professional sailors. Team Gary dominated the course with a clean hat trick—three wins in a row. From strategic teamwork on the water to a relaxed debrief at Coral Reef Yacht Club, this regatta proved that leadership and collaboration thrive best when the sails are up.
Despite a lengthy weather delay, we delivered on Fun-Safe-Learnin. Here is why: Our two-in-one STEM teacher, coach JD, taught a lesson in knot tying. She had prepared for the lesson by making a device for each student to practice their new skills. The student engagement was 99%.
Marshall McCann, the UofM sailing coach, filled in for coach Josh ….
We followed our protocol, sailing together towards the Sister Banks by the Viscaya museum. Our fleet naturally stretched out as we sailed, with three different types of RS boats in action. With its larger sail area and crew capacity, the RS Venture pulled ahead and was the first to reach our destination. The RS Feva followed it, and finally the RS Tera, with the smallest sail area, brought up the rear. The spread offered a perfect opportunity to observe how sail design and boat size affect performance—a real-life extension of our STEM lessons…
As usual, we do sailing for Veterans and First Responders on Thursdays. For many years, Team Paradise has participated in Coral Reef Yacht Club’s (CRYC) celebration of Fleet Week. Fleet Week Miami is a vibrant maritime celebration that brings U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard ships to the Port of Miami and Fort Lauderdale for a week of public engagement, ship tours, and community events. CRYC offers a big breakfast in the early morning, followed by activities such as fishing, boating, e-foiling, and sailing for our men and women in uniform. Most everyone visits one of the historic homes in Stiltsville, which a member of the CRYC club owns. I had the pleasure of taking a group of three extraordinary individuals on a sail aboard one of our Sonar to Stiltsville….
It was another windy day on the Bay. The weather forecast called for Easterly wind, 20-25 knots, diminishing in the afternoon, but then picking up again in the evening. We decided to use both our RS Tera and RS Venture. The teams were divided up and assigned to our various vessels. Coach Josh did a rigging demo of the RS Tera for everyone to see. TJ and Ale were the first students to sail the new boats. I made them reef the sails by simply wrapping the sails around the mast a few times. At first, they objected to the idea, but they agreed that it might be a good idea. The reefing process took under 60 seconds to complete..
As you will see, today was a picture-perfect day. With northerly wind of 5 to 10 knots, clear skies, and even clearer water, we didn’t have to sail very far. We dropped the anchor a stone's throw away from Mercy Hospital. The sea state was flat, the wind puffy, sometimes calm, and other times windy. From here, we would try out our different equipment and enjoy one another’s company. As I was hoping, our new RS Tera was a hit! Check out Kenny, Jonathan, TJ, and Coach Josh sailing it. I bet that others will surely follow! Today qualifies as one of the best days ever! How about that?
Tight racing on Biscayne Bay saw fierce competition, with just one point separating the winner from the runner-up. During our four-hour corporate team-building regatta, Siemens teams embraced the challenge, enjoying an exhilarating and unforgettable sailboat racing experience. We had seven boats, 23 corporate guests, and a team of 11 staff members facilitating the event. As most often, the weather conditions were favorable. The wind was at an ideal velocity, allowing maximum guest engagement. We aim to promote teamwork….
After a month-long break, we were thrilled to welcome our students back today. Almost everyone returned for the spring session—and while we lost one student, we gained four new ones. The program is growing, and that’s always exciting.
Taking a month off might sound like a good idea, but I’m not so sure. Skills get rusty when we don’t practice regularly. Twice a week would be ideal, but for now, we’ve settled on once a week.
We are stoked about the latest addition to our fleet inventory. We bought two of the RS Tera charter boats. They were brand new at the beginning of this event. The RS Tera will complement our RS Venture and RS Feva significantly. Some of the features work perfectly for us. When done sailing, or hanging out at the sandbar, wrap the sail around the mast, and it could sit there all day. If the wind picks up more than desired, leave a few wraps before hooking up the outhaul and sailing back to port. If you like, take the shortcut; the Tera draft is only 0.8m. How about that?
As usual, the day started on the second-floor breezeway and in the classroom. We then filled up our boats and headed out sailing on Biscayne Bay. Once again, we return to the Sister Banks next to the Vizcaya Museum. The NEXT LEVEL kids kept sailing the entire time, and several SYSTEM kids joined them. To sum it up, we have been saving our best for last. The picture and video below will tell the whole story.
Tight racing on Biscayne Bay saw fierce competition, with just one point separating the winner from the runner-up. During our four-hour corporate team-building regatta, Siemens teams embraced the challenge, enjoying an exhilarating and unforgettable sailboat racing experience. We had seven boats, 23 corporate guests, and a team of 11 staff members facilitating the event. As most often, the weather conditions were favorable. The wind was at an ideal velocity, allowing maximum guest engagement. We aim to promote teamwork….
US SAILING recently announced their new tiered pathway to the US SAILING team with the Olympic development programs. We welcome the path to the podium, but let’s not forget the impact community sailing programs have on introducing learn-to-sail programs within their communities, such as Team Paradise Sailing, located in Miami, Florida.
One highlight of the day was watching Jian step into the role of mentor for Kenny as they sailed together for the first time. They looked fantastic out on the water, and their teamwork was impressive! The excitement grew when other kids noticed Kenny was set to sail in the RS Feva; everyone wanted to join in! This group is filled with extraordinary, talented, and genuinely gifted individuals!
We captured some fantastic moments, like when Kairi hiked out on the trap for the first time—check out that video….
Today, we had another small craft warning about boating on Biscayne Bay. The wind was forecasted to blow out of the Southeast 10 to 15 kn with gusts up to 20 kn, which is a little bit more than we need, but it is doable. We had a new coach joining us today. Her name is Ella, and she is an L-2 certified youth coach. Today’s STEM class was the second day of module five, water quality, testing part B. The kids were pretty excited about it. First, they were in the classroom on the second floor, then collected water samples in three different locations and tested the water in the first-floor breezeway.
Who does not want to make this a better world and place? Today, we added to our protocol. One of our coaches, who also studies marine biology, encouraged the students to pick up seagrass on her boat. She's an expert in the area and would tell them what type of seagrass it was. A minor problem was that the student didn't pick up the seagrass alone. There was also a Portuguese Man o' War in there. The student got stung badly….
Team Paradise has equipment and other components that make us unique and set us apart from similar organizations. Our Castoldi jet tender 21' is one example. It has an inboard diesel jet engine, water jet propulsion (propellerless), and a capacity of 12 people. It is our flagship! She is a workhorse that we utilize about 60 days per year. Picture us down by the docks….
Despite a challenging day, we delivered on our promises of fun and safe learning! We had thirty-four people on the water fifteen kids in the SYSTEM group, ten kids in the NEXT LEVEL, and nine volunteers participating. The weather forecast called for small craft should exercise caution. South winds, 10 to 15 kn with guts up to 20 kn a chance of showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning high tide was 12:23 PM.
