2007 WPYC Youth Sail Camp Lasts Two Weekends Under Clear Carolina Skies

Several adult WPYC members volunteered to put on the WPYC 2007 Youth Sail Camp over two weekends in June. Seventeen boys and girls ranging in age from 5 to 15 participated, three of whom had such a wonderful experience the first weekend that they re-registered for the second session. Several young sailors, unsure of their small boat-handling skills when they arrived on Friday evening, came away Saturday afternoon with a love of wind-powered boating and a new-found confidence on the water. A few veteran campers, some returning for their sixth WPYC Sail Camp weekend, honed their already skillful techniques while helping teach their novice cohorts. Students (and some enthusiastic parent helpers) had a chance to try sailing a variety of small craft: 1 Soling 23’, 1 Sunfish, 4 Lasers, 1 Raider 15’, 1 Ultimate 20’ and 2 Hobie 16s. Two outboard-powered skiffs and a pontoon boat were provided and skippered by volunteers to ensure safety and close monitoring of all on-the-water activities. On-land activities Friday night included an instructional video and five practice stations: knot tying, coiling and throwing lines, sailing terminology, fitness exercises for sailors and safety rules. Saturday morning on-the-water activities included practice in rigging the small sailboats, starting and stopping, tacking and jibing, beating, reaching, and running, crew overboard drills (with a dummy lost seaman), capsize and righting. Late morning and early afternoon saw the young sailors whooping and hollering during games such as SAR (Search And Rescue) Ball, M&M candy pick-up (by sailing to selected handout stations), and a variety of races. Students and volunteer instructors not only received a booklet of sailing tips and exercises accomplished, and a T-shirt, but they also were fed supper Friday night, breakfast and lunch Saturday and ice cream sundaes with the closing ceremony that afternoon. Organizers Kristine Jensen and John and Bunny Sheffield got tremendous support from over a dozen other WPYC volunteers, many of whom expressed an interest in holding a similar weekend camp for adults. The WPYC Board of Stewards is looking into this possibility.