Veterans Sailing
Magnus Liljedahl
Veterans Sailing 10/30, 2025

Our Thursday Sailing program offers a vital therapeutic experience for our veterans and first responders. The proverb, "You can’t control the wind, but you can adjust your sails," could not be truer. For our participants, the destination matters, but the journey—finding a smooth, soothing course—matters just as much…..

Veterans Sailing 10/30, 2025
Veterans Sailing
Magnus Liljedahl
Veterans Sailing 10/23, 2025

Our scenic float plan included a long port tack towards Stiltsville, then Nixon’s Beach and Hurricane Harbor. On our way back, we sailed past Nixon’s Helicopter platform and other landmarks, such as the home featured in the movie Scarface and the Key Biscayne West Point. The sail home across the Bay was beautiful. We docked as scheduled at 2 PM. We continued our event on the second-floor breezeway of the US Sailing Center with some healthy snacks and refreshments. Time flies when having fun!

Veterans Sailing 10/23, 2025
Veterans Sailing
Magnus Liljedahl
Veterans Sailing 10/16, 2025

Veterans Sailing is back, and the enthusiasm is infectious! After a long stretch, we're finally seeing a spark of excitement that hasn't been this bright since before COVID.

We originally had six veterans signed up for this week's outing, planning to use two boats. As it turned out, we had a perfect four-person crew make it out onto the water in one boat, and what a session it was!

Veterans Sailing 10/16, 2025
Youth Sailing, STEM
Magnus Liljedahl
SYSTEM S10-E2

In progress

SYSTEM S10-E2
Youth Sailing, STEM
Magnus Liljedahl
SYSTEM S7-E2

The more we do it, the better we get! Today was the second of eight lessons in our fall session of Youth Sailing. Each Saturday will look the same. We are divided into two groups: the beginner sailors, ages 9-12, who attend our STEM class, the SYSTEM, and the intermediate sailors, ages 12-17, who attend our NEXT LEVEL program. Both groups began at 10 AM and finished at 3 PM. The SYSTEM classroom is indoors, and the NEXT LEVEL meets in the second-floor breezeway. The SYSTEM is based on REACH (US Sailing's STEM education series), while the NEXT LEVEL is based on US Sailing's Intermediate curriculum.

SYSTEM S7-E2

Saturday Youth Sailing S5-E1

Saturday Youth Sailing S5-E1

Today was our season premiere for Saturday Youth Sailing. We have three sessions scheduled for 2024: winter, spring, and fall. Each session has eight lessons on Saturdays between 11 AM and 3 PM. Our motto is Safe, Fun, and Learning.

Following professional sports in the media teaches a lot about attitude, effort, and what it takes to win. We are not competing, but internally we aim to improve and do better each and every time we sail. It amazes me how professional sports teams often do not have their top players healthy, but they must play, and they still win. How is that possible? The answer is that they have an identity imprinted; it’s about the next man up, adjusting the game plan, and never giving up. At Team Paradise, we have copied tour his attitude. Today wasn’t easy; we were short of coaches, it was pretty windy, and we expected a record number of participants. No problem……

Veterans Sailing S2-E1

Veterans Sailing S2-E1

Our first Thursday Sail in 2024 had four veterans from the Miami VA. Sailing on Biscayne Bay aboard one of our Sonar. The vessel was commanded by Captain Ed, who is also a veteran. Yours truly had another Sonar sailing with students from our adult sailing school. We eventually meet in the Biscayne Channel, which connects Biscayne Bay to the Atlantic Ocean. We ended up there mainly because of the scenic experience that Stilltsville provides. Another reason was the wind conditions. The brisk, northerly wind provided good boat speed and a favorable point of sail. Both boats covered a lot of distance within the allotted three-hour timeline…

2021-2023 Statistics

2021-2023 Statistics

Another year is in the books! Our Team moved onwards and upwards, as you will learn in this blog. Like other sports teams, we strive to improve every time we play. A new day is another opportunity to improve and do better! As the head coach, my job is to lead by example. Our relationship has to be a win-win for everyone who comes here to sail, including our students and volunteers. We learn from one another! I value talent/skill and likeability equally. Our motto is Safe-Fun-Learning. Every time we check those three boxes, we win!

Orange Bowl 2023

Orange Bowl 2023

About 800 kids came to race in the Orange Bowl Youth Regatta this year. The Coral Reef Yacht Club did an excellent job hosting the event. The Opti was by far the largest class. They were divided into two circles: The Opti Green (beginners) sailed closer to home, while the Opti Red, Opti White, and Opti Blue sailed further east. Also competing were the Club 420 on a circle a bit further south and then the ILCA class on the southernmost circle. The ILCA was divided into ILCA 4, ILCA 6, and ILCA 7……

Veterans Sailing S1-E4

Veterans Sailing S1-E4

To me, every day is special. Today, we had four veterans and one volunteer sailing in one of our Sonars. We noticed a Pelican sitting next to the boat as we approached it. Something was wrong because the bird did not move. My first thought was to call somebody. Suddenly, one of the veterans said, “No worries, I’m a veterinarian!” She asked me to run and get some big towels, and I did. When I returned, the bird was gone. Our veterinarian veteran had realized that one of its legs had an old fishing line wrapped around it. As soon as she had cut her loose, the pelican jumped into the water and swam away.

Our team for the day went sailing, and everyone had a go at the helm. After returning to port, they all lowered and rolled up the sails, washed the boat, retrieved it, and put it back on the trailer. The debriefing that followed lasted over an hour. The group bonded exceptionally well in a very short time.

Divine Academy S1-E2

Divine Academy S1-E2

Today, we had our second visit with students from the Divine Academy. Another cold front had arrived with chilly temperatures and windy conditions. We sailed close to shore to avoid splashing waives that would make everyone wet. The excursion turned into a harbor cruise. We started out sailing through the Sea Plane Channel but eventually turned around. Our journey continued past City Hall, through Dinner Key Marina, towards Regatta Park, the Seminole boat ramp, and the Coconut Grove Sailing Club’s mooring field. Yours truly was taking pictures from our coach boat. I had a “can’t miss” meeting and had to return to base sooner than usual. Ed Marreo replaced me at the dock to welcome the sailors back.

Saturday Youth Sailing S4-E8

Saturday Youth Sailing S4-E8

Today was our final lesson of Saturday Youth Sailing in 2023. It was a make-up day for the event we had to cancel in October. The Verde Gardens kids did not attend, so we only had eight students.

The day began with coach Josh teaching in the classroom and reviewing pictures and videos. They proceeded to rig four RS Fevas and headed out sailing. We had many coaches for the day, so Marite, Mo, Joe, and I took this rare opportunity to check out some of the ongoing sailboat racing. First, we passed by the Melges 20 fleet, then the Star boat regatta. That’s the boat type that yours truly sailed for many years (four decades, to be exact). We had so much fun! On our way back to port, we checked in with Josh and the students, taking more pictures and cheering them on…

Veterans Sailing S1-E3

Veterans Sailing S1-E3

The Miami VA Hospital brings us new Veterans one Thursday per month. Today we made four new friends! In total, we had six veterans. Only a couple of them had sailed before. My “brother” Ed is one of them, and he is a good sailor. Ed and I divided the group into two teams. It was a windy day, so we went out with mainsails only. The bay was choppy, so we stayed close to shore to avoid splashing the crew too much. Our path took us around the sunken Bertram east of Grove Isle towards the Viscaya and the Little Island. We continued southward along the shore past Mercy Hospital to Grove Isle. The second part of our excursion took us through the mooring fields towards Coral Gables Waterway. We returned to port through the Brennan Channel and tacked through the Dinner Key Marina to the US Sailing Center….

Divine Academy S1-E1

Divine Academy S1-E1

At Team Paradise, we are excited to have welcomed a new group of kids to come sailing with us. Divine Academy is a private school in Pembroke Pines, FL, for students with neurodiversities. The eight students and two teachers were divided into two teams and boarded a couple of our Sonar sailboats. None of them had sailed before. We stayed close to shore on a very scenic route. We sailed towards Brickell, then made a left into the Deering Channel, circumnavigating the little island at Viscaya, continuing southward along the shore past Mercy Hospital to Grove Isle. We returned to port through the Sea Plane Channel and tacked our way back to the US Sailing Center…..

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E7

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E7

Today was another great day for sailing! The Camillus kids returned from Vera Gardens, but sadly, most of our intermediate sailors were absent. No worries, we adjusted our float plan accordingly and used both our RS Ventures and one RS Feva. Josh and Mo were coaching the RS Feva while coach Joe and I observed from the safety boat. Coach Marite and Sarajane (our guest coach for the day) taught aboard the RS Ventures. The offshore breeze was shifty and puffy….

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E6

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E6

Today, we began class with student voice. We checked in with every student on their desires for the day. The good news is that everyone wanted to sail. None wanted to make a stop at a sandbar. We rigged three Feavas and one RS Venture. Our goal became sailing to the Westpoint of Key Biscayne and back. The NE wind made it a long sail tacking upwind. By the time we got there, we turned around and sailed back.

ROCK STAR Corporate Regatta

ROCK STAR Corporate Regatta

Team Paradise was honored to host the ROCK STAR Corporate Regatta! It was a great day for what we set out to accomplish: light wind, sunny with a bit of overcast. Twenty guests sailed aboard five boats with an expert sailor on each vessel. The event took four hours from start to finish. The ROCK STAR group arrived in a timely fashion. We met at the US Sailing Center at 10.30 AM for a short meet and greet activity, followed by an introduction to sailing and a skipper's meeting, including the safety briefing….

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E5

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E5

Today was extra special! Bill Johns, the University of Miami sailing coach, sent us a couple of members of the UM Sailing Team to come and tutor our sailors. How about that? It has been a dream of mine for a long time. Like all of our relationships, it’s a win-win situation. Our students get to sail one-on-one with these incredible athletes and learn from them. For the UM students, it creates an opportunity to give back to the community and gain valuable real-life experience. Let’s hope we can keep this going because it makes perfect sense!

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E3

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E3

Today was super encouraging! Everyone sailed, and no kids were riding in the safety boat. The sea breeze came up just in time for going sailing. There were lots of boats out there. We lined up sailing and taking pictures. Then we sailed closer to the shore and set a windward and a leeward mark. The safety boat anchored up in the middle of the short course. The object was to practice tight mark roundings while quickly trimming in or easing the sails. Time is of the essence when making these maneuvers……

FUN DAY ON THE BAY S1-E4

FUN DAY ON THE BAY S1-E4

It was a perfect day for what we always do: have fun and teach sailing while keeping everything safe. It was a breeze day blowing from N-N-W. We stayed close to the shore and sailed to the Vizcaya Museum. Then, we circumnavigated the "Stone-ship" island multiple times while visitors took our picture, probably wishing they were aboard with us.

Our route back to port took us through the Deering channel into the Bay. The breeze was a lot fresher, and the sail home was breathtaking. One of the students (with zero prior experience) tried his hand at the tiller. We have reason to believe that a new sailor was born….

BLIND SAILING ON BISCAYNE BAY

BLIND SAILING ON BISCAYNE BAY

Sailing is easy, and it does not require all five senses to do. Boats don't know if a limb is missing or the skipper is blind. The only sense that is indeed required is touch. The boat and the elements feed all the information needed. If one can feel the boat, the tiller, and the amount of heel it has, her motion through the water, where the wind is blowing from, then you can sail. According to Kris, the most challenging point of sail is downwind. The apparent wind is gone, and there is not much pressure on the rudder.

THURSDAY SAILING S1-E2

THURSDAY SAILING S1-E2

It was an exhilarating two-hour sailing experience. It was a windy day, somewhere between 17 and 23 knots. We covered a great distance but only spotted a couple of other boats out there. Our voyage took us across the Bay toward the West Point of Key Biscayne, onward into Hurricane Harbour, around Nixon’s Beach, and finally, an awesome reach back to the US Sailing Center in Coconut Grove. Throughout the sail, we chatted away, getting to know each other. Sailing is perfect for expanding comradery!

FUN DAY ON THE BAY S1-E3

FUN DAY ON THE BAY S1-E3

Today, we had a low turnout for our Fun Day Sailing event from the Miami Learning Experience. Only five students and two teachers joined us, even though we had room for twice as many. It's possible that some parents are hesitant to let their kids try sailing and be on the water because it's a new experience for them. However, I want to reassure everyone that our activity is completely safe. In fact, the real danger might be coming to the venue itself. To address parents' concerns, we should consider inviting them to sail with us on a separate day so they can experience it for themselves and see how safe and enjoyable it is. Call it “Fun Day for Parents”.

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E2

SATURDAY YOUTH SAILING S4-E2

It was a challenging day, but in the end, it was just another safe, fun learning experience for all of us. Like in other sports, key players are not always available to play. That doesn't mean that the match will be canceled, oh no. Instead, the game plan is adjusted, and the next player is up.

On Saturday, we faced 250 kids competing in a major sailing competition hosted by the Coral Reef Yacht Club, our next-door neighbor. Most boats sailed out of the US Sailing Center, where we are located. It was beyond crowded! We were somewhat under-staffed as well. How do we do this?