Stories and Scenes from 2006 AdventureSail® Events

Beyond AdventureSail®

MAKING CHANGES COME ABOUT

August 2006 Racine, WI.  Brandi Duckworth, age 12, and Tyla Tatum, age 10, enrolled at the Racine Yacht Club for one week of beginner sailing. Classes were held in Optimist Prams Monday-Friday 8:30- 11:30 a.m.

Tyla attended the AdventureSail® event at RYC last year where she sailed aboard a large boat on Lake Michigan.  "She loved it and was eager to learn to sail" says Amy Cermak, the event coordinator for the AdventureSail® event at RYC.
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Brandi had never been on a boat, yet expressed an interest in learning.  

Brandi, a natural for the sport

Tayla was chosen on the second day. Tyla was the most improved sailor.  She did an excellent job trimming her main sheet.  

July 2006 Salem, MA.  Four girls from the Girl Scouts of the Spar & Spindle Council in Eastern Massachusetts spent a week aboard the Schooner Fame as part of a week-long program, Camp Schooner.  The funding came from the Women's Sailing Foundation and a grant to the Foundation from the Corinthian Sailing Foundation.  

Neyat, age 11, said "My favorite part was when we had a timed contest to learn all the different parts of the boat. I think it was a good experience for me because not many people get to go sailing. I always liked boats and I really had fun."  

And Raquel, age 10, said "I learned how to make friends and get along with others.  My favorite part was going out on the water and getting to ride the boat. It was a good experience because I had fun."

July 8, 2006 Sag Harbor, NY
Host club:  Breakwater Yacht Club
Event Chair:  Charlene Kagel, ckagel@town.southampton.ny.us

Southampton West Newspaper, July 13, 2006, Sports & Outdoors

Testing Out Uncharted Waters

By Cailin Brophy

This past Saturday was far from a typical one for the more than 30 girls who took part in the Adventuresail program at the Breakwater Yacht Club in Sag Harbor.

Outfitted with life jackets and brimming with enthusiasm and curiosity, these young teens came from groups across Long Island such as the Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Little Flower—a children’s home in Wading River—to peer over the fence at a side of the world that has never been accessible to them.

Several members of the club volunteered their time, knowledge and vessels to give the girls a taste of sailing, participating in a race in the nearby waters while giving the teens a brief introduction to sailing terminology and operating a sailboat. But even if the girls don’t remember the difference between starboard and port or bow and stern, it was obvious by the expressions on their faces and the excited chatter on the docks after the race that it wasn’t an experience any of them would soon forget.

“My favorite part was crossing that finish line,” 15-year-old Nicole D’Agostino of Wantagh said after the race. Nicole and several other girls had the privilege of racing aboard Fred Stelle’s boat ACE, a perennial winner during the Wednesday night racing series at Breakwater. D’Agostino and the rest of the crew playfully taunted their peers on the sail back to the boat slips after the race, which ACE won in convincing fashion.

During the second leg of the race, with the wind dying down significantly, Stelle let crew mates Jack Reiser and Chris Dowling take the wheel while he spoke to the girls about sailing and his own personal experiences. D’Agostino said both she and her peers were particularly interested in hearing about Stelle’s recent participation in the Newport to Bermuda race, where both he, Dowling and several other crew members raced from Rhode Island to Bermuda over the course of four days.

A young girl named Talia, also on board ACE, said she was interested in hearing about the race as well. “It was cool that they went there nonstop,” she said. “At the beginning of the race, I was a little bored, but after we were talking, I got into it.”

Talia was given the all-important task of raising the mainsail, done with a simple push of a button, which she carried out flawlessly, a broad grin on her face the entire time.

Winning the race gave Talia a thrill as well, perhaps the most of all her fellow peers.

“I can’t believe we took first place!” she said breathlessly after the race. “We beat everybody. And I got to put my feet in the water.” Nicole excitedly mentioned her delight at the sights during the course of the race.

“We saw a seal sitting on the rock and lots of jellyfish.”

Knowing how big of a difference these simple pleasures—ones that most Sag Harbor and part-time summer residents take for granted—mean to these girls is what has kept director Charlene Kagel devoted to bringing Adventuresail to the Breakwater Yacht Club for the past seven years.

“It’s for at-risk girls, to introduce them to a non-traditional female sport,” she said. “Everyone always has a great time.”

Kagel, the Southampton Town Comptroller, became interested in the national program after seeing an article in Sailing Magazine. She then contacted president of National Women’s Sailing Association, Val Cook, who has coordinated Adventuresail programs in Wisconsin, Boston and other areas and shared her desire to offer the opportunity to underprivileged girls across Long Island.

The program received a big boost after the first year when it was offered a $1,000 human services grant from Southampton Town. Kagel said she wasn’t even aware that the program would qualify for such a grant until Town Supervisor Patrick “Skip” Heaney saw a photo from the event on her desk at work, asked her about it, and told her to apply for the grant.

“We receive the grant every year and it’s great because it covers the cost of food and the trophies,” Kagel said before Saturday’s race. “Before that, we really had to scramble for money and donations.”

Kagel added that the Bridgehampton National Bank has been a generous supporter, providing gift bags for all participants.

While for many of these girls, those few hours on Saturday will be their only experience with sailing, Kagel said that opportunities do exist for those who take a particular liking to the sport and would like to get out on the water more than just once a year, thanks to the open-minded mentality of the Breakwater Club. Kagel said the club is willing to extend its scholarship for weekly sailing programs to any of the girls. Those wishing to apply for the scholarships must submit a letter detailing why they are interested in sailing. The letter, combined with the specific financial needs of the applicants, determine who receives the scholarships.

In addition to possible scholarship opportunities, Stelle—the commodore of Breakwater—discussed the possibility of offering a week-long sailing program to several girls from Little Flower this summer. While details have not yet been worked out, Kagel said the girls from Little Flower would be good candidates, given the fact that the children’s home would provide transportation to and from the program each day, which is often the biggest hurdle in getting the girls out on the water.

With the numbers of the participants having grown every year, it certainly seems like a realistic possibility that one or perhaps several of these young girls could jump at the chance for such an opportunity. When asked if she’d ever be interested in sailing again, Nicole had a reaction that was not uncommon among her peers that day. She nodded her head up and down enthusiastically while saying, “I would love to go.”
 

	For most of the girls that took part in the Adventuresail program at the Breakwater Yacht Club in Sag Harbor on Saturday, it was the first time they had ever been on a sailboat. CAILIN BROPHY PHOTOS
Charlene Kagel,far right,brought the Adventuresail program to the Breakwater Yacht Club seven years ago.

Fred Stelle, captain of the boat ACE shared his sailing experiences with several girls participating in the AdventureSail program.

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June 17, 2006 Boston, MA
Host club:  Courageous Sailing Center
Event Chair:  Susan Epstein sjeppa@aol

The day couldn’t have been more perfect for 16 pairs of big and little sisters of the Greater Boston Association of Big Sisters who gathered at the Courageous Sailing Center as part of the AdventureSail® program to experience to joys of sailing in Boston harbor. Women volunteers came from various parts of the Boston area and the north and south shore to share their experiences and provide positive female role models for a sport that is still predominately male-oriented.

At registration, the girls were given AdventureSail® butter t-shirts, outfitted with life jackets with the assistance of the Courageous Sailing Center staff and then paired up with a volunteer female skipper. Each of the girls and their big sisters had an opportunity to steer the boat and trim the sails for the 90 minutes they had sailing in Rhodes 19 on Boston harbor. Upon their return to shore, the girls were ready for the hamburgers and hot dogs the shore team was cooking up. Following lunch, the instruction continued with learning several knots. Some girls were quick to learn and helped teach their big sisters. Unfortunately the wind was too much for some of the other land activities, so the girls tucked the word search game under their arms for another day. They arrived quiet and timid. They left with smiles of confidence.

Event Chair, Susan Epstein, of Sharon, MA, for the past three years said "We were delighted to be able to have this event at Courageous and were excited that the girls had such good weather for a first-time on the water. It was a fun day for all of us." Other women volunteers included Sue Corl, Ellie Doyle, Karen Peake and Joan Thayer of Marblehead; Michelle Tariverdian of Swampscott; Joanne Struzziery of Hull, Kathy Hogan Mullaney and Nancy Bilodeau of the south shore; Ai Leam Lim of Maynard and Pat Dieselman of Ipswich.

Courageous Sailing Center (CSC) is a non-profit sailing school in Boston. CSC provides free sailing instructions for Boston children. Visit its website at www.courageoussailing.org. Funding for the event was provided in part by Boston Private Bank & Trust Company.

 

NWSA CONNECTS WITH WOMEN UNDER SAIL

L to R: Sue Corl, NWSA; campers Sarah Faria, Becky Woodcock and Sharve Folds; Joan Thayer, NWSA; Andy Andrew Savage, Corinthian Sailing Foundation, greet the girls after leaving they disembark the Schooner Fame the "camp". Absent from photo is camper Natashly Elwel

SPAR & SPINDLE GIRLS ATTEND SCHOONER CAMP

July 16, 2005, Salem, MA. Thanks to the funding provided by the Corinthian Sailing Foundation and the Women’s Sailing Foundation, both of Marblehead, MA, four young girls from Girl Scouts of Spar & Spindle Council, spent a unique week at the Schooner Camp aboard the schooner FAME located in Salem at Derby Wharf. The girls are among the 19 campers between the ages of 8 and 12 who learned how to sail a traditional wooden vessel and experienced what life was like for the fisherman, traders, and privateers who built the North Shore. No previous sailing experience is required.

"Through the AdventureSail® program, a nation-wide program for young girls at risk, Women’s Sailing Foundation provides opportunities for young girls at risk to be engaged in the sport of sailing with women mentors," said Joan Thayer, board member of the National Women’s Sailing AssocationAssociation (NWSA).

"For the past six years, we have been involved locally with Girls Inc. of Lynn and the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston," explains Sue Corl, the national co-chair of the AdventureSail® program. Generally the programs are run by volunteers at a public facility where we can host 25-30 young girls and we provide the volunteer women sailors. We have wanted to expand the experience in the way of a camp scholarship, but our funds are limited. Our foundation applied for and received a grant from the Corinthian Sailing Foundation for this purpose. We are delighted that we have connected with the Spar and Spindle and have opened the doors to sailing for a new group of girls."

 "The Corinthian Sailing Foundation is pleased to be able to assist the Women’s Sailing Foundation with this worthy endeavor," said Foundation President, Andrew Savage. "Providing opportunities for local girls to participate in Schooner Camp is a wonderful way of furthering our Foundation’s mission to promote amateur sailing and maritime education among youths in the Commonwealth, and especially on the North Shore. We look forward to working with the Women’s Sailing Foundation and the Girl Scouts of Spar & Spindle Council on similar projects in the future."

 "We appreciate the benefits for our girls through this great collaboration," said Becky Riley, Girl Scout Program Specialist. "In Girl Scouting we want girls to grow strong. Through this collaboration, four girls had the chance to do just that. This was such a wonderful opportunity for them to gain confidence, learn new skills, and try sailing—an experience they may have never had otherwise." new FAME is a full-scale replica of this famous schooner. Framed and planked of white oak and

The Corinthian Sailing Foundation is a public, non-profit charitable foundation whose mission is to promote national and international amateur sailing, competition, and maritime education

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A UNIQUE CELESTIAL NAVIGATION COURSE

August 15, 2005. Mystic, CT. Six adventurous women recently completed a 3-day Celestial Navigation course led by NWSA board member, Julie Teetsov.  The well organized curriculum included a classroom session and planetarium program at the Mystic Seaport, followed by 2 days instruction aboard the Schooner The Mystic Whaler, with Capt. John Eginton.  (continued)

Left photo: Terri Jordan (standing) gets a fix for the noon sighting Saturday.

Bottom photo:  
L to R:  Terri Jordan, Elizabeth Murray, Dotty Wolski, Julie Teetsov, Rosmarie Marzello and Mariann Wise..

AUSTRALIA 2005  A sailing week to be repeated according to the participants.

Stories and Scenes from 2005 AdventureSail® Events August 24, 2005, Marblehead, MA Host club:  Corinthian Yacht Club Event Chair: Pat Dieselman, starfire3737@yahoo.com Sixteen girls from the Lynn and Salem Girls Scouts of the Spar and Spindle Council were treated recently to an afternoon of sailing, swimming and lunch as participants in the AdventureSail® program hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead. The girls were on five different sailboats owned and helmed by women of the Blue Water Sailing Club and Corinthian Yacht Club. The boats headed out of Marblehead Harbor for Misery Island under sunny skies. At Misery Island, the women picked up moorings and then ferried their girls to shore. Before lunch, the girls enjoyed a refreshing swim at the beach. Following lunch and in dry clothes, the group divided up once again for a return trip to their sailboats. This time there was enough wind to put up sails, turn off the motor and let the wind move the boats along. Fortunately, only a few raindrops fell, but the spirits were not dampened. Indeed there was adventure in the day. The girls steered the boats by Eagle Island, Children’s Island and into Marblehead Harbor. One of the boats ran over a lobster pot just outside of the mouth of Marblehead Harbor. The pot had gotten stuck in the propeller. So, the woman were stuck on the pot line and had to call Sea Tow for assistance to dive down and cut the line and was then towed into the harbor. Another boat had engine difficulty. Rather than motor to the mooring which the other boats were doing, the boat had to come to its mooring under sail, all at the mercy of the wind. According to Pat Dieselman of Ipswich, "A couple of the girls did get a bit seasick, but once back on land, their smiles and color in their cheeks returned. I think they only remembered the good parts of the day." Other women boat owners who skippered their boats were Pat Marshall, Sue Patton, Vicki Pasquale and Grace Blanchard. They were assisted by Dorothea Rennicks-Cormier, Lisa Pasquale, Linda Allen, Betsy Fermano, Sheila Cran-Barry, Joan Thayer and Sue Corl, the national NWSA AdventureSail® co-coordinator. Spar and Spindle Program Specialist Becky Riley also participated. "In Girl Scouting we strive to provide girls with unique opportunities to learn more about the world around them. The women from the AdventureSail® program were great at involving the girls in every aspect of sailing a boat. It was amazing to watch the girls try new things and learn new skills such as knot tying, navigation, raising the sails and taking the helm. I appreciate the time and effort the women put into providing such a great experience." Funding for the lunches and T-shirts was made possible by a grant from the Corinthian Sailing Foundation and Boston Private Bank & Trust Company.  Lifejackets were loaned by the Girl Scout Camp and the Corinthian Yacht Club.
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August 2, 2005, Racine, Wisconsin Host club:  Racine Yacht Club Event Chair:  Amy Cermak acermak@gmail.com
The sixth annual Adventure Sail® was held on August 2, 2005 at the Racine Yacht Club.  Once again the Racine Yacht Club partnered with the Racine YWCA, the National Women's Sailing Association, and West Marine to host Adventure Sail®.  Thirty-one girls ranging in ages from 9-17 attended this year's event. The program consisted of water safety, knot tying using line donated from West Marine-Racine, sail boat familiarization, on the water sailing and eating pizza.  Nine Racine Yacht Club members donated their time to take the girls sailing aboard their boats.  The temperature was in the 90's with the wind was blowing 10 knots out of the south east; perfect conditions for a beautiful sail on Lake Michigan.  The girls helmed the boat, some using a tiller and others using a wheel.  They trimmed the sails and watched the compass.  They found that traveling 5 knots /hour can be exciting when you are out on the water.  The girls enjoyed looking back on shore and identifying the buildings.  They also learned about the Racine Reef light located 2 miles off shore and the harbor entrance lights.  Now as they stand on shore and look out on Lake Michigan the girls won't need to imagine how it would be to sail.  They have already done that.  Hopefully the girls will return next year and bring a friend. I am very grateful for all of the people who volunteered their time to make this event a success. Thank you, Amy Cermak Adventure Sail® Coordinator Racine Yacht Club
All girls in Racine
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July 9, 2005 - Southampton, N.Y. Hosted by:  Breakwater Yacht Club NWSA Coordinator:  Valli Cook Event Chair: Charlene Kagel, CGKPCA@aol.com
Girls and volunteers at the BYC - 2004 photo...2005 coming.
The sixth annual Breakwater Yacht Club AdventureSail® took place on Saturday, July 9th.  Young girls from the Girls Scouts, the Big  Sister Association and local churches participated in a first-time experience of sailing on Long Island Sound.  NWSA thanks the Breakwater Yacht Club for its continued support and enthusiasm.   Kudos go out to Charlene Kagel and Carol Morse who continue to spearhead this important activity. The members of the Breakwater Yacht Club AdventureSail® include the following individuals: Charlene Kagel - Chairperson Carol Morse - Race Coordinator Sharon Horn - Food Laura White - Gift Bags BYC Commodore - John Newinhous BYC Vice Commodore - Bruce Tait BYC and NWSA would like to thank the owners who loaned their boats -  Bellatrix, Jezebel, Red Bird, Satori and Target.
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June 18, 2005 Courageous Sailing Center Charlestown, MA Chair:  Susan Epstein
As first order-of-the-day, 18 Big and Little Sister matches received AdventureSail® t-shirts, and then were fitted to lifejackets. Susan Epstein of Sharon and Hull, chairman of the event, briefed the girls on the basics of boats, sailing, and safety at sea. Two pairs of big and little sister matches were assigned to an experienced female skipper who would coach them through the 2-hour hands-on sailing session on Boston Harbor.   It was a very busy day on the pier with the the Navy celebrating history with a visit by a destroyer.  Speeches and music filled the air while the girls were on the water.  The grill was fired up by volunteers on shore.  After lunch the girls were engaged in land activities, such as knot tying, navigation, word games and introduction to code flags.  The day was picture perfect - gentle breezes and just the right amount of sun.
Once clear of the pier and mooring area, each girl was given the chance to take the helm, to be the "Skipper", and to be in charge! The girls soon lost their fear of heeling when they learned that the mainsheet could control that action. They sailed up and down Boston Harbor all the while keeping an eye on the larger vessels and the harbor ferries that came from all directions. .
AdventureSail® is a nationwide program of the National Women’s Sailing Association, a 501© 3 organization. There will be additional AdventureSail® programs this summer in Racine, WI, Southampton, NY and potentially Grass Valley, CA.  http://www.courageoussailing.org; http://www.bigsister.org. .

Report on the Tall Ship Trip by Diana Smith
November 1, 2004. The first leg of our schooner adventure included Kathy Kean, and Vesta Gettys, and me,  along with the other people on board who had done the Great Chesapeake Schooner Race and were returning to Baltimore. We left Portsmouth on Monday morning in bright sun and had a great day of sailing with good wind. 

NWSA member, Jeannie Poole, provides a brief summary of the Great Schooner Race, which preceded the cruise.

  Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race 2004(preceded the Mystic Whaler cruise)
by Jeannie Poole, NWSA member
The  festivities began on Wednesday, October 13,  with a parade of sail through the Baltimore Harbor. Aboard the  Mystic Whaler, we responded to the cannon fire from "The Pride of  Baltimore II"" with  shouts of "Fire in the hole" followed by our own cannon fire. That evening there was a party for all the participating crews.  I believe there were 33 schooners that participated in the race.

The starting gun was fired at 1340 on Thursday, south of  Annapolis. We faced every kind of condition during our 39 hours 8 minutes before we crossed the finish at Thimble Shoals, north of Norfolk.  There was light  wind, gusting winds to 35 knots, warmth and sun, cold and rain,  thunder showers, favorable tide, unfavorable tide, head winds and then finally a great westerly.  Aboard the Mystic Whaler we had a variety of levels of sailors.  We all stood watch and took the helm, practiced charting and checked the bilge.   It was such a rush and feeling of accomplishment when we finally docked in Portsmouth and realized that we were second in our AA  Class.  Only 13 of the 33 boats in the fleet finished the race.  Portsmouth threw a great party for the crews with a great awards ceremony. 

It was a pleasure sailing with my friend Judy Clarke.  We met last fall on the Mystic Whaler  during the NWSA cruise to NYC. The best part for me was sailing against my daughter, Kelly, who is a crewmember on "The Pride of Baltimore II".

We are disappointed we don't have a burgee for the Oregon Women's Sailing Assn

Joan Thayer, Marianne Mullowney, Gail Hine and Sue Corl at Horseshoe Falls

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October 22, 2004 Portland, OR - US SAILING Annual Meeting NWSA is a member organization of US SAILING.  Under the current structure, NWSA falls under the Women's Sailing Committee and we report on our activities at the fall and spring US SAILING meetings.  There is a proposal for a restructuring of US SAILING.  Under the proposal, NWSA will be part of Recreation, along with other noncompetitive councils and organizations.  There will be lots of discussion before the next US SAILING meeting in March 2005.  See the US SAILING website for more details on the restructure. And please provide any feedback you may have to us a wsf@womensailing.org.  

Conference Co-chair and NWSA Secretary Sue Corl and NWSA Vice President Val Cook