Today was the first lesson of the Spring session. Except for a couple of the kids, none had sailed since the end of the Winter session on February 21 st. That is way too long. We all become “rusty” if we don’t sail on a regular basis. Once a week is not enough, but that is all we have, so we make the most of it. A small craft advisory was in effect, and we estimated the wind at about 15-20 mph. Coach Ella was prepared with various land drills, but we decided to go sailing instead and headed out through the Seaplane Channel.
With the Olympic opréning ceremony taking place in Italy last night, hosting our own Olympic Day was a great idea. The classroom was decorated with Olympic memorabilia. Olympian Nikki Barnes and her crew, Ryan, and coach Pat Downey were in attendance. giving motivational speeches to all of us.
Another cold front was supposed to descend on us today. It would bring rain, thunderstoms and windy conditions. It was suggested that we may need to cancel the day before. Looking at the weather radar this morning, it didn’t look good. The SYSTEM sailors stayed inside the classroom doing lab work, while our Next Level sailors did chalk talks and some land drills.
Today was a very good day, perhaps the best day we ever had in our youth sailing program. I know, it's a big statement. We have had many good days before, and I can't remember ever having a really bad day. What made today so extra special was, in no particular order: watching kids who had never skippered a boat before now wanting to sail singlehanded or with any number of crew; and the camaraderie between the kids and the coaches: By now, the coaches are basically our best friends. Susan, our Executive Director, called for a debrief at the end of the day. We all need to stay on top of our certifications, such as Red Cross, SafeSport, and US Sailing; Team Paradise is the only Accredited Community Sailing Program on Biscayne Bay. We are honored to be in the position we are in, and we care about protecting….
Despite the lack of wind and cooler temperatures both in the air and water, Team Paradise delivered on a safe and fun-filled day, both on land and on the water. While waiting for the wind to pick up, Coach Ella and Coach Justine had the Next Level sailors teach the SYSTEM kids about the Thin Ice Challenge while the volunteers prepared and launched the sailboats. Eventually, we towed out behind our Boston Whaler and our propeller-less safety boat….
My Olympic dream took 29 years to become a reality. It likely would never have happened without finding the right partner to team up with. Mark Reynolds had a proven record and had already earned Olympic gold and silver medals. Together, we embraced the motto “Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together.” In the end, that shared belief carried us to the top of the podium at the Millennium Games in Sydney.
With the recent news that Sail Newport was upgrading their J/22 fleet to J/7s, and the immediate and growing demand from other community sailing programs and yacht clubs to replace their aging keelboats, it’s timely to make people aware of successful funding strategies that have helped cash-strapped organizations fulfill their missions.
