Almost to the Finish Line
Saturday, May 23rd, 2026
Seven Saturdays down, one to go! Week Seven of the 2026 Spring Season was another huge step for our sailors, and we are super proud of how much they’ve accomplished.
NEXT LEVEL TEAM
Lesson of the Day: Tack, Stop, Go!
Next Level has really stepped up their game when it comes to lining up and staying together as a group. We introduced a tack-on-the-whistle drill, with succeeding whistles for stopping their boat and starting back up again. This drill guides them to properly overlap with each other and learn the basics needed for a successful race start. The plan is for the team to build upon this drill and add more whistle actions like gybing. We kept the boat pairings and rotations fluid throughout the day so that each sailor could get time skippering, crewing, and have a debrief-water break on the coach boat.
One boat with two of our older sailors - Paz and Tristan - even had a chance to practice roll tacking! Their biggest lesson learned from the day was the necessity to stay in sync with one another on the roll, using the “big wave vs. little waves” concept. The concept is that it’s a lot more fun to surf a big, exciting wave than it is to surf two smaller, choppy waves. We follow this idea with how an in-sync roll operates in a roll tack.
See how well they kept overlap in the video below:
S.Y.S.T.E.M.
Lesson of the Day: Conquering fears with Coach Justine
S.Y.S.T.E.M. had a blast being able to stay cool and swim at Sister Banks! The benefit of taking our swim breaks at a sandbar is being able to touch the bottom of the Bay. With the different elements of tides and currents considered before heading out on the water, having the peace of mind for sailors to have shallow water to swim in adds an extra layer of safety while out on the water.
For those who want extra sailing time, Coach Justine takes out a Venture to give students one-on-one time trapezing and captaining the Venture. The trapeze can be daunting for many, but our coaches and teammates are always there to cheer each other on to give it our best shot, even if it’s not perfect the first time. Dayelin hung out on the trapeze with lots of smiles, and Abril hopped in from Next Level to take over both the tiller and mainsheet. Both sailors did a fantastic job!
Take a look at how Abril has grown in our program with Coach Justine:
Team Assignments, Float Plan, & Volunteer Checklist
