AnOTHER SEASON COMES TO AN END
Saturday, May 30th, 2026
Twelve seasons in, and our Saturday youth sailors continue to amaze us. This past weekend marked the end of another unforgettable chapter, capping off a school year filled with immense growth, new friendships, and endless breakthroughs on the water. We captured so many joyful moments from our final day, and celebrated even more wins with our talented sailors!
NEXT LEVEL TEAM
Lesson of the Day: Sail Tag
Next Level finished their season facing a major challenge: very little wind. This tested their boat-handling skills and ability to find pressure on the water.
Despite the light air, we had the perfect drill ready. Sail tag is always a favorite for low-wind days! Each boat must avoid being "tagged" by a tennis ball using their boat speed, maneuvering, and situational awareness. To keep things clear and safe, a tag only counts if the ball hits the mainsail, which also prevents any accidental head hits.
We wrapped up the season with a friendly round of Sailing Trivia. Three teams of three worked together to test their knowledge from the past few months, tackling questions on control lines, the difference between a daggerboard and a centerboard, and even identifying the local birds we see hanging around Biscayne Bay every day.
S.Y.S.T.E.M.
Lesson of the Day: Burgee Designing
S.Y.S.T.E.M. continued to show how much they’ve grown over their years in our program, with plenty of opportunities for students to step up in leadership and teamwork. One student helped his crew by acting as a human tugboat to help them through the final stretch to the Castoldi for swim time. Two others jumped into a Feva entirely unassisted, doing an outstanding job following the leader and executing multiple tacks.
Coach Justine also took out a Venture to give students one-on-one captaining experience. Joey was our captain of the day and learned to tack all on his own. Great job to all our students!
Graduation Ceremony
For this year’s graduation, SYSTEM presented an original burgee flag that represents who they are and what they learned this season. Giving students the opportunity to speak in front of their peers is crucial for building public speaking skills. Introducing these skills now puts them miles ahead for future formal presentations in school and their professional careers.
Keeping with the burgee theme, Next Level and SYSTEM received a brand new Team Paradise burgee. We hope that they cherish this awesome piece of Team Paradise for years to come. We sang for Coach Justine’s birthday, and SYSTEM performed a group rap showing their gratitude for Magnus and Susan giving them the opportunity to learn and sail. What a day it was!
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