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…

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…

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?

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.

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.

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.

The US Sailing Center is a busy place this time of the year. The US SAILING team has a training camp; there was an Etchells and Viper regatta this weekend. Add a bunch of coach boats and coaches. The good news is that our kids see all these hot, looking boats and the tremendous athletes who sail them. They act as role models for our students!

There wasn't much boat traffic today, and the wind direction and strength were perfect for sailing over to Key Biscayne. I realized we could lay Hurricane Harbor on a long port tack. The wind was supposed to increase throughout the day, making a fast reach sailing back to Coconut Grove possible. The last time we sailed to Key Biscayne was before summer camp. We always stay close because of weather, wind, and safety. When we sail across the Bay, our safety protocol includes a coach boat and the group staying close together, representing a bigger picture to alert oncoming boat traffic.