Juniors

On July 12 & 13, 2018, 51 teams of sailors between the ages of 12 and 18 raced their Club 420s in the Fourth Annual Dinghy Race by Volvo Construction Equipment.

Homeschooling began to grow in popularity in the 1970s when educational theorist John Holt asked parents to consider schools without walls, where kids can learn at their own pace in their own environment. This experiential-based approach has grown significantly, and today more than 2 million U.S. children are being taught from home.
Save the Bay Education Specialist Lauren Farnsworth and “Sealia” teach harbor seal anatomy on a recent seal watching expedition.

I think the Optimist stinks as an early trainer. Here is why. Like all sports, we are introducing our kids to sailing at a younger and younger age. It used to be 9 years old, and now programs start as young as 6. What does a typical 9 year old like? They tend to like other kids and want to be in close proximity to them. They don’t like to be scared. They don’t really have a handle on “seamanship” nor, unless they are gifted, the physics of sailing. And finally, sad to say, they may be a bit more spoiled than prior generations and like quick satisfaction (digital!) so menial chores, like bailing, turn them off more quickly.

Representing Larchmont Yacht Club in Larchmont, NY, twin sisters Carmen and Emma Cowles, 18, won seven of nine races in the 420 Girls class at the Youth World Sailing Championships in Corpus Christi, TX this summer, garnering their second consecutive world championship title.

SSV Oliver Hazard Perry is not a replica but a modern, steel-hulled vessel purpose-built for training and education to the highest modern safety standards. Rhode Island’s Official Sailing Education Vessel, she sails in New England and the Canadian Maritimes during the summer and in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean in the winter. For more information on SSV Oliver Hazard Perry and programs for all ages, visit ohpri.org or contact gretchen@ohpri.org or 401-841-0080.

Hailing from Southeastern Connecticut, the MudRatz Offshore Team claimed the Stephens Brothers Youth Division Trophy (and the Alfred E. Loomis Trophy as the winners of the 14-boat Class 5 of the St. David’s Lighthouse Division) in the 51st Newport Bermuda Race. To learn more, log onto MudRatz.org.

The 2018 Lightning Youth World Champions are (l – r) Jeff Hayden, Brian Hayes, Jr. and Meredith Ryan.

Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport, CT hosted its largest-ever OneDesign Regatta the weekend of June 1 – 3, 2018 with a record 106 boats and 560 sailors competing in eight classes, including four that raced for national or regional championships.

For more than a quarter-century, sailors in southeastern Connecticut have raced to raise funds and awareness for Center for Hospice Care, and the Mystic River Mudhead Sailing Association’s Mudhead Benefit Cup has become the “Go to Regatta” on the Eastern Connecticut Sailing Association circuit.

The fourth annual Dinghy Race by Volvo Construction Equipment, formerly known as the Secor Volvo Race, will be sailed July 12 and 13, 2018.