ciena (RC video) by Team Paradise Sailing

Corporate Sailing, an immersive experience

“Mastery takes years, but unity happens in a moment of necessity. By placing your team in an alien environment with immediate physical stakes, we compress months of workplace 'getting to know you' into a single afternoon of radical accountability." Consider the "10,000-hour rule" below.

Welcome J-70

Today marks our first corporate regatta, with J-70s participating. It was a hit! We had three Sonars and three J-70s on the starting line. They are very similar in speed, and they should be. Both have displacement hulls (keel boats), and their length overall is almost identical, seven meters. The J-70 has more draught and runs aground sooner than the Sonar, which has a draught of 3’-11". The adjustment we made was to stay in the channel, sailing out and back, and our racecourse was moved further away from shore, where the water depth is anywhere from 6’-12’.

Photos By Ella Simmons - Event by Team Paradise Sailing

The sailing conditions were about as good as it gets. SE 10-15 mph. That is the prevailing wind condition on Biscayne Bay and is often referred to as “chamber of commerce conditions”.We had three short races scheduled, but managed to run a fourth in one hour. The corporate participants from ciena arrived shortly before noon. The team members for each boat were selected in advance, which was a great time-saver. They had all read up on the most basic sailing knowledge, so all we had to do was the introductions, a safety briefing, and then we were off to the races. The scoresheet is included in the Sailing Instructions below. The Sonars finished second, third, and fifth, beating the J-70s, which finished first, fourth, and sixth. We returned to the dock on time, and our corporate guests left as scheduled at 4 PM.

Thank you, Ciena, for choosing Team Paradise Sailing for your Corporate Regatta. A great big thank you to our volunteers, you sure made a difference, and we appreciate you very much. Thank you!

ciena by Patricia Amaducci

ciena by Team Paradise Sailing

Consider the distinction between mastery and the value of immersive experiences. The "10,000-hour rule" applies to deep expertise, but our corporate sailing experience isn't about making expert sailors; it's about putting people in an unfamiliar environment where they must adapt, communicate, and work together under real, immediate pressure.
That's what makes it a powerful team-building exercise. Participants aren't expected to sail like pros in just four hours, but they are expected to engage, problem-solve, and collaborate in ways they wouldn't in an office or conference room. The unpredictability of sailing, where conditions constantly change, mirrors the unpredictability of business, making it a great way to reveal leadership, teamwork, and resilience.