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AdventureSail®
is rewarding experience for the volunteers
as well as for the girls. We welcome
women with all levels of sailing skills and
experience to participate in this program.
If you are interested in volunteering,
contact the event organizer of one of the
events listed below. If you're interested in
organizing this special day in your area,
contact NWSA at
wsf@womensailing.org.
AdventureSail®
July 16, 2011 Portland, OR
Host: Oregon Women’s Sailing Association (OWSA)
Event Chair: Judi Davis,
Davisja1@comcast.net
On July 16th,
Oregon Women Sailing Association paired with
Girls Inc. of NW Oregon (a non-profit that
helps young at-risk girls) to bring this
exciting adventure to Portland, Oregon for
the first time.
The event was held at Rose City Yacht Club
on the Columbia River. The nine girls, ages
11-13, and first time sailors came with
Girls Inc. chaperones to pair with the OWSA
mentors to give each girl a 1:1 adult ratio.
There were five boats with experienced OWSA
women skippers at the helm. The skippers
also had OWSA members to serve as crew so
that the chaperones & mentors could focus on
giving the girls their full attention.
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The day started with dark clouds and a
constant drizzle but before any of the
outside activities got underway, a gentle
breeze arrived with a bright, warm, sun &
scattered clouds. This really helped to
ease the anxieties of Judi Davis, OWSA
Adventure Sail Chair, and all of the
chaperones and mentors.
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A brief gathering in the clubhouse started the day. The girls met their OWSA Mentors, Skippers & Crew. Next came some sailing basics & safety followed by learning a few sailor knots. Each girl received a folder with with hand outs from the Lower Columbia Estuary and learned a bit about the responsibility of Environmental Stewardship. Just before leaving for the On the Water activity the girls were fitted for
their lifejackets & given awesome sport bags donated by Nike & filled with goodies from OWSA |
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Out on the river, the sailors enjoyed a
variety of experiences from raising the
main, talking on the VHF, hoisting the jib,
learning a few knots & getting time at the
helm.
After returning to the RCYC dock, all were
treated to a delicious BBQ & picnic, a
wonderful "sailboat" cake and spent time
celebrating their successes!
During the picnic, everyone was entertained
by stories from two OWSA members who’ve
turned sailing into a part-time job & spend
time traveling the world delivering boats &
furthering their sailing education by
becoming licensed captains.
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As goodbyes were given, there were big
smiles on each face and the one question asked, over & over again, was "When do we
get to do this again?” |
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Judi Davis: OWSA AdventureSail® Chair
Photos: Dena Kent & Judi Davis
AdventureSail®
June 11, 2011 Charlestown, MA
Host club: Courageous Sailing Center
Event Chair: Susan Epstein, sjeppa@aol.com
Additional funding provided by Boston Private Bank & Trust Company
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It was a cool, damp and drizzly day in Charlestown when the 19 pairs of "sisters" - big and small - arrived from the Big Sister Organization of Greater Boston. AdventureSail® Chairwoman Susan Epstein - staying dry under Courageous Sailing's tent - started the day with a knot tying lesson. Demonstrating that knowledge shouldn't be compartmentalized, she showed that the basics for tying a square knot are the same as for perfectly tied bow ties, tying ones shoes, and
putting two lines of like diameter together for making a very long jump rope. If the shoelace bow does not lay flat and straight across on the shoe, it is not a square knot and probably will end up as a hard to untie "granny" knot.
Figure eights or "stopper" knots were mastered in short order, and then it was time to change activities. Having almost a dozen volunteer women sailors for one-on-one assistance increased confidence early and in short order the
little sisters were excitedly showing their newly acquired knot tying expertise.
The rain lifted and Susan assigned a set of
two sister pairs, each to a boat with skipper...10 boats in all. After being
fitted for life jackets, the girls listened intently to the safety instructions of Dave
DiLorenzo of Courageous Sailing, before heading out with their skipper for a
relatively dry sail around inner Boston Harbor. Adding to the excitement was the
myriad of other craft sailing in the harbor: a large tanker, several harbor ferries, lots
of sail boats, and tourist "buses".
Shortly before noon the boats returned to
the pier and were met by Kate Henderson and
others of the Courageous staff who put away
the boats while the newly minted "sailors"
headed for the barbecue grill and warmer
territory. Soft yellow AdventureSail®
t-shirts were a welcomed treat, adding a
little reminder of sunshine, as they fit
quite well over the girls' clothes. More
compliments were heard from the
AdventureSail® volunteer skippers on the
good work of the teams of big and little
sisters.
Again, the rains came bringing more dampness
into the tent. The day ended early, but not
before the traditional group photo. Smiles
all around indicated that the weather had
had no affect on the enjoyment the girls had
on the water...Might also be because the
girls knew that Courageous would welcome
back anyone who was interested in more
sailing!
For Tax-deductible contributions
Please make your check payable to the Women's Sailing Foundation. Please mail to:
Women's Sailing Foundation,
c/o Stacy Choti,
591 Bailey Pond Road,
Voluntown, CT 06384 |
