Coop's Corner

When I started coaching the high school sailing team at The Prout School in Wakefield, Rhode Island seven years ago, I was astounded to learn the sailing season stopped at the end of May. Just when the kids were getting comfortable in the boats, camaraderie was building and I was remembering who was who, it all stopped.

Growing the sport of sailing, bringing existing young sailors into sailing for life, developing skills so they can be viable crew on big boats, and looking at ways to diminish the post-college sailor flameout are but a few.

Comprising many aspects of Tim O’Brien’s vision, One°15 Brooklyn Marina is in equal parts town dock, sailing club, sailing school, youth sailing site and marina.

Much is made in today’s culture about the balance of life. Soccer practice or violin, drive or train, respond to dumb question or let it pass…As with life, so is sailing all about balance in the moment: Very Zen-like.

If you are sailing in the Newport Bermuda Race this year, even as crew, there is a lot going on. A very important part of all the activity is figuring out the sails. There are three required sails and an assumed fourth one, the mainsail.

Joe, a relative fixture in Northeast solo sailing circles, had thrown a “Thank you” party prior to his departure on a solo non-stop lap of The Blue Marble. The declared intention: breaking the present record of some 137 days or so for such a voyage.

I know this seems like I am knocking innovation, progress, and development. But really, when I want to go sailing, I want to get away from all this stuff and actually exercise a skill and dexterity honed over years of actually sailing. Knowing just the right time to pull hard on the sheet, or grind when tacking so as to get the best result from the effort. I want me to learn, not the bloody computer.

Australian born, Joe ‘Coop’ Cooper stayed in the US after the 1980 America’s Cup where he was the boat captain and sailed as Grinder/Sewer-man on Australia. His whole career has focused on sailing, especially the short-handed aspects of it.

Similarly, at the one in Newport RI, 15 high school sailors spent the day getting instruction on several aspects of sailing big boats safely.

The ‘value’ we all get from it is intangible. It is neigh on impossible to put a dollar amount on the sunsets, beautiful days, a week at BIRW with your mates, landfall in Bermuda and so on that make up a pretty normal round of sailing adventures. Or frankly, the emotions we experience looking at a particular boat that moves us.