NWSA CONNECTS WITH WOMEN UNDER SAIL
August 6, 2005, Freeport, ME. NWSA Board members Sue Corl and Joan Thayer travelled to Freeport, ME, to meet Capt. Sharon Renk-Greenlaw, owner and operator of Women Under Sail. Sharon gave the two a tour of her yacht, Avatrice, on which Sharon conducts her sailing courses for women Looking at the chart of the Maine coastline, one can see many opportunities for classes on navigation, sailing and cruise preparation. The 2005 calendar is probably full, but it’s never too late to check out dates to enhance your sailing skills on the east coast in 2006. http://womenundersail.com.
L to R: Sue Corl, Capt. Sharon Renk-Greenlaw, Joan Thayer
SPAR & SPINDLE GIRLS ATTEND SCHOONER CAMP
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
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
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.
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.
Four members of NWSA headed west and crossed the Pacific Ocean for the sole purpose of sailing for a week in the Whitsunday Islands.
We arrived in Hamilton Island, Australia, which is on the coast of Queensland in the Whitsundays. The Whitsundays are a group of 74 islands bordered by the Great Barrier Reef and cradled by the calm waters of the Coral Sea. In July, the average wind is 12 knots, but we had close to 30 on two of our six days of sailing, and about 15 to 20 knots on the other days. Yes, reefing was a requirement for each day of sailing.
Susan McHenry, “the most improved sailor” and Liz Weiss were particularly interested in the Aboriginal Cave Drawings. When we sailed to Cid Island, a 45-minute walk up the beach on a wooded trail called a “walkabout” led to such drawings.
Liz Weiss, Susan Lee and Susan McHenry all agree this is a sail worth repeating!
Participants in the 2005 Australia Cruise
L to R: Val Cook, in yellow cap, interim NWSA president; Capt. Leslie Steinkoenig (blue shirt); Leslie’s mother, Janet (pink sweater); Susan Lee, Susan McHenry (blue cap); and Leslie’s Aunt Boots.
Susan Lee is a comfortable day sailor. She sails a Colgate 26 during theweekends. Encouragement from her husband Rick and NWSA friends was the impetus to be part of the Australia adventure. Susan flew direct to Sydney, where she spent 2 days and then on to Hamilton.
When you have been sailing around Whitsunday Islands for seven days, it was nice to check into the Hamilton Reef Hotel. The view from the hotel hides the dangerous reefs.
You may be wondering if we saw humpback whales. No, but lots of dolphins!
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.
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
July 9, 2005 – Southampton, N.Y.
Hosted by: Breakwater Yacht Club
NWSA Coordinator: Valli Cook
Event Chair: Charlene Kagel, CGKPCA@aol.com
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.
June 18, 2005 – Charlestown, MA
Hosted by: Courageous Sailing Center
Event 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.