Siebel Sailors Program Premier in Florida

~ By Siebel Coach MacKenzie McGuckin

 Clinic 1, Spring 2021

Sailing has NEVER looked so good!

It was a fabulous weekend kicking off the start of the 2021 Spring season for the Siebel Sailors at Team Paradise!

New Siebel Sailors took the tiller and learned to skipper their own boats this past weekend at Team Paradise Sailing in Miami during the 1st Spring 2021 Clinic.  With the sun shining and 8-12 knots both days, sailors were able to quickly learn about the Siebel values (fun, effort, respect, student voice, and inclusivity), the environment, how to sail, and how to be their best selves.

On Saturday, our new sailors, ranging between 10 and 16 years old, arrived not exactly sure what to expect for the weekend.  However, the unexplored territory did not scare any one of them away from the new opportunity to learn how to sail. Saturday started off strong with building the Siebel Team's Crew Code or set of guidelines for everyone to follow within the Siebel Values that the sailors construct together.  They then learned the parts of the boat and how to rig the boat up (set up the boat) for sailing.  A quick boat ride, discussion about wind awareness, anemometers, and lunch at the sandbar - sailors then launched in sailboats with a friend and learned how to steer our RS Feva sailboats around the mooring field.  To wrap up the day, we did a "Keep, Stop, Start" activity where sailors were able to tell us what they wanted to keep doing, stop doing, and start doing going into day two of our clinic weekend.

When sailors arrived on Sunday, they were eager to have some more fun!  The morning kicked off with a STEM and career connection to Marine Engineering with a clay boat activity where sailors had to build a boat out of clay and see who could hold the most washers inside the boat without sinking it.  We discussed Archimedes principle, water displacement, density, and surface area.  After a tight competition of washer holding, all sailors participated in a scavenger hunt within the boat park picking up specific items but also collecting as much trash as they could find.  A land demo of tacking (turning the boat) and a trip to the sandbar then lead to lunch, everyone going sailing, and some sailors even trying it on their own! 

As we debriefed prior to everyone leaving I asked two questions...the first question was "Do you all want to come back?" and without any hesitation, each one of the sailors raised their hand eagerly and said, "I do!".  The second question was..."What are you all?" and their reply was "I am a sailor!".  

As a parent or guardian, or even an organizational leader who was involved in getting these new sailors to Team Paradise this weekend, I sincerely thank you.  These kids were able to try something new, step out of their comfort zone, and learn life skills.  They pushed themselves and each other to be the best they can be.  They supported, helped, and learned from one another.  They learned how to sail in just 2 short days and want to come back for more.  These kids can do whatever they set their minds to and each one of them should be very proud of themselves.

Fair Winds and Following Seas,
MacKenzie

Success is Not Smooth Sailing!

Unstoppable Tracy welcomes Magnus Liljedahl, who is the founder and Executive Director of Team Paradise, a non-profit organization dedicated to changing lives by inspiring and empowering disabled and underserved communities”. Team Paradise makes sailing Accessible for ALL!

To listen, please click the arrow above!

The theme of this week’s episode is support and kindness. Earning independence comes from rallying the support of many people. Having a circle of people that stand behind you and beside you through thick and thin exponentially boosts your chances of success. Additionally, when you dedicate time to help others, you gain a sense of fulfillment that is unmatched. Magnus shares his journey and affirms the importance of relationships to our development. 

You’ll hear Magnus and Unstoppable Tracy talk about:

1. Taking action even in the face of uncertainty.

2. What fueled Magnus’ drive to start Team Paradise.

3. The importance of focus and self-care.

4. How support can be just as effective as criticism.

5. How to emulate Magnus’ success in your own life.

Boaters Beware!

Something very unusual happened to me last week while on a Sailing Excursion with my new friends from Chicago. We were sailing along the shore between markers Red 4 and Green 3 just NE of Mercy Hospital. It was high tide and we were on familiar waters when all of a sudden we hit something very hard. I was stunned at first thinking, “What the heck was that?” Then we hit a second time! At first I thought that I had veered off course, but no, we were in the middle of the channel. It must have been a sunken boat but how could that be? This is where boats from Grove Isle come and go and someone else would likely have run into it before us. It was mind-boggling! We quickly checked the bilge and verified that no water was coming in then continued our sail, eventually making it back to port.  I couldn’t wait to lift the boat and check out the damage.

Whatever we hit caused damage to the bow at the water line and the leading edge of the keel about 2′ up from the bottom.

This is when the Canadian coach, Larry Lemieux, offered to take me back to where the incident took place to see what we could find. We hopped in his coach boat and off we went. It was about sunset and it was cloudy, which are bad conditions for finding something submerged. We looked and looked, but there was nothing that we could find. What could it have been?

We had just about given up when I decided to show my friend the Viscaya Harbor. He’s been sailing in Miami since the seventies but has never been to this part of the Bay. The harbor can best be described as a driveway with an island in the middle.

I immediately spotted a black concrete piling floating in the water, hung up on a couple of wood pilings by the island. The piling was about 16″ in diameter and 20′ long, covered with a black rubber-like material that had barnacles growing on it. The damage to the boat was consistent with hitting an object of this configuration, which lead me to conclude that this was without a doubt what we had run into earlier in the day.

The incident was reported to the US Coast Guard and I sure hope they located and removed it. If a power boat would have hit this piling at high speed, it could have been fatal.

The lesson learned for me is to be more aware of what might be in front of my vessel as I navigate the Bay, especially when on a powerboat. I sure hope that you do the same.

Let’s go sailing again soon!

Magnus | Team Paradise Executive Director