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….
Team Paradise picked up where we left off at the King Mango Strut. Today, we cleaned Paradise Island 305 to prove a point. We are the Defenders of Biscayne Bay!
Before we began the cleanup, we lined up for a photo. It’s a valuable sailing skill that will eventually lead to a sailboat race. It’s all about awareness of time and distance, forward progress, and how your boat moves compared to other boats. Are you on a parallel course, merging, or diverging? Adjust your sails accordingly. Trim the jib to perfection….
Today, we had six veterans out on the water, sailing in two boats with Coach Ella and me.
The wind forecast called for northeasterly winds of 10 to 15 knots. We started the session by sailing on a long port tack towards the west point of Key Biscayne, then turned north towards downtown.
As it turned out, we ended up sailing directly underneath the Rickenbacker Causeway bridge. We made it all the way to Brickell without taking a single tack! I’m not a golfer, but this is precisely what a hole-in-one feels like when you’re sailing.
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…..
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!
Despite a lengthy weather delay, we delivered on Fun-Safe-Learnin. Here is why: Our two-in-one STEM teacher, coach JD, taught a lesson in knot tying. She had prepared for the lesson by making a device for each student to practice their new skills. The student engagement was 99%.
Marshall McCann, the UofM sailing coach, filled in for coach Josh ….
We followed our protocol, sailing together towards the Sister Banks by the Viscaya museum. Our fleet naturally stretched out as we sailed, with three different types of RS boats in action. With its larger sail area and crew capacity, the RS Venture pulled ahead and was the first to reach our destination. The RS Feva followed it, and finally the RS Tera, with the smallest sail area, brought up the rear. The spread offered a perfect opportunity to observe how sail design and boat size affect performance—a real-life extension of our STEM lessons…
As usual, we do sailing for Veterans and First Responders on Thursdays. For many years, Team Paradise has participated in Coral Reef Yacht Club’s (CRYC) celebration of Fleet Week. Fleet Week Miami is a vibrant maritime celebration that brings U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard ships to the Port of Miami and Fort Lauderdale for a week of public engagement, ship tours, and community events. CRYC offers a big breakfast in the early morning, followed by activities such as fishing, boating, e-foiling, and sailing for our men and women in uniform. Most everyone visits one of the historic homes in Stiltsville, which a member of the CRYC club owns. I had the pleasure of taking a group of three extraordinary individuals on a sail aboard one of our Sonar to Stiltsville….
It was another windy day on the Bay. The weather forecast called for Easterly wind, 20-25 knots, diminishing in the afternoon, but then picking up again in the evening. We decided to use both our RS Tera and RS Venture. The teams were divided up and assigned to our various vessels. Coach Josh did a rigging demo of the RS Tera for everyone to see. TJ and Ale were the first students to sail the new boats. I made them reef the sails by simply wrapping the sails around the mast a few times. At first, they objected to the idea, but they agreed that it might be a good idea. The reefing process took under 60 seconds to complete..
As you will see, today was a picture-perfect day. With northerly wind of 5 to 10 knots, clear skies, and even clearer water, we didn’t have to sail very far. We dropped the anchor a stone's throw away from Mercy Hospital. The sea state was flat, the wind puffy, sometimes calm, and other times windy. From here, we would try out our different equipment and enjoy one another’s company. As I was hoping, our new RS Tera was a hit! Check out Kenny, Jonathan, TJ, and Coach Josh sailing it. I bet that others will surely follow! Today qualifies as one of the best days ever! How about that?
Tight racing on Biscayne Bay saw fierce competition, with just one point separating the winner from the runner-up. During our four-hour corporate team-building regatta, Siemens teams embraced the challenge, enjoying an exhilarating and unforgettable sailboat racing experience. We had seven boats, 23 corporate guests, and a team of 11 staff members facilitating the event. As most often, the weather conditions were favorable. The wind was at an ideal velocity, allowing maximum guest engagement. We aim to promote teamwork….
After a month-long break, we were thrilled to welcome our students back today. Almost everyone returned for the spring session—and while we lost one student, we gained four new ones. The program is growing, and that’s always exciting.
Taking a month off might sound like a good idea, but I’m not so sure. Skills get rusty when we don’t practice regularly. Twice a week would be ideal, but for now, we’ve settled on once a week.
We are stoked about the latest addition to our fleet inventory. We bought two of the RS Tera charter boats. They were brand new at the beginning of this event. The RS Tera will complement our RS Venture and RS Feva significantly. Some of the features work perfectly for us. When done sailing, or hanging out at the sandbar, wrap the sail around the mast, and it could sit there all day. If the wind picks up more than desired, leave a few wraps before hooking up the outhaul and sailing back to port. If you like, take the shortcut; the Tera draft is only 0.8m. How about that?
As usual, the day started on the second-floor breezeway and in the classroom. We then filled up our boats and headed out sailing on Biscayne Bay. Once again, we return to the Sister Banks next to the Vizcaya Museum. The NEXT LEVEL kids kept sailing the entire time, and several SYSTEM kids joined them. To sum it up, we have been saving our best for last. The picture and video below will tell the whole story.
Tight racing on Biscayne Bay saw fierce competition, with just one point separating the winner from the runner-up. During our four-hour corporate team-building regatta, Siemens teams embraced the challenge, enjoying an exhilarating and unforgettable sailboat racing experience. We had seven boats, 23 corporate guests, and a team of 11 staff members facilitating the event. As most often, the weather conditions were favorable. The wind was at an ideal velocity, allowing maximum guest engagement. We aim to promote teamwork….
US SAILING recently announced their new tiered pathway to the US SAILING team with the Olympic development programs. We welcome the path to the podium, but let’s not forget the impact community sailing programs have on introducing learn-to-sail programs within their communities, such as Team Paradise Sailing, located in Miami, Florida.
One highlight of the day was watching Jian step into the role of mentor for Kenny as they sailed together for the first time. They looked fantastic out on the water, and their teamwork was impressive! The excitement grew when other kids noticed Kenny was set to sail in the RS Feva; everyone wanted to join in! This group is filled with extraordinary, talented, and genuinely gifted individuals!
We captured some fantastic moments, like when Kairi hiked out on the trap for the first time—check out that video….
Today, we had another small craft warning about boating on Biscayne Bay. The wind was forecasted to blow out of the Southeast 10 to 15 kn with gusts up to 20 kn, which is a little bit more than we need, but it is doable. We had a new coach joining us today. Her name is Ella, and she is an L-2 certified youth coach. Today’s STEM class was the second day of module five, water quality, testing part B. The kids were pretty excited about it. First, they were in the classroom on the second floor, then collected water samples in three different locations and tested the water in the first-floor breezeway.
Who does not want to make this a better world and place? Today, we added to our protocol. One of our coaches, who also studies marine biology, encouraged the students to pick up seagrass on her boat. She's an expert in the area and would tell them what type of seagrass it was. A minor problem was that the student didn't pick up the seagrass alone. There was also a Portuguese Man o' War in there. The student got stung badly….
Team Paradise has equipment and other components that make us unique and set us apart from similar organizations. Our Castoldi jet tender 21' is one example. It has an inboard diesel jet engine, water jet propulsion (propellerless), and a capacity of 12 people. It is our flagship! She is a workhorse that we utilize about 60 days per year. Picture us down by the docks….
Despite a challenging day, we delivered on our promises of fun and safe learning! We had thirty-four people on the water fifteen kids in the SYSTEM group, ten kids in the NEXT LEVEL, and nine volunteers participating. The weather forecast called for small craft should exercise caution. South winds, 10 to 15 kn with guts up to 20 kn a chance of showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning high tide was 12:23 PM.
The US Sailing Center is a busy place this time of the year. The US SAILING team has a training camp; there was an Etchells and Viper regatta this weekend. Add a bunch of coach boats and coaches. The good news is that our kids see all these hot, looking boats and the tremendous athletes who sail them. They act as role models for our students!
The Tuuci Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta is the year's main event. Families, coaches, spectators, race committee members, judges, and vendors from twenty-one countries traveled to Miami for the world's largest youth sailing event. Seven hundred youth sailors from 21 countries competed in the Optis, Club 420…
This event was a milestone in many ways: it was the first time we staged the boats and sailed out of CRYC, the first time we had an event on Monday, the first time we attempted a corporate regatta with only a three-hour window to execute, and the first time only two points separated the winner from the fifth-place finisher. Talk about tight racing!
The weather was not the only concern leading up to this event. Our landlord, the US Sailing Center, has wanted to dredge out their harbor for several years. The permitting has taken a long time. They planned to do it in late August or early September when there was low traffic at the center, but they could not. Finally, dredging began last week. As a result, we had to think out of the box. If there is a will, there is a way! We turned a negative into a positive. Rugs will sometimes be pulled out from underneath…….
