It has been an exciting summer so far here at Eastern Junior Sailing. We have endured our fair share of rainy and no wind days. Our sailors have had the opportunity to get racing experience at both Race Week and Annisquam. We even had the pleasure of having Mike Smith come and give a safety talk to our young sailors. Here is a recap of what each class has been up to over the last few weeks:
Sloop Sonars: Page has loved teaching this exciting and young class. They have covered everything from steering, parts of the boat and even the points of sail. These youngsters have had the opportunity to cruise all the way from Half Way Rock to Peaches Point. While they began as timid sailors, they have quickly becoming confident in their new found nautical surroundings.
Intro to FS: Intro to Family Sail has had the opportunity to sail in both optis and sonars. This session, there has been more of a focus on optis due to the groups exceptional sonar sailing. In optis, Hank has focused on steering, rigging and the points of sail. Just this week, Intro has begun to tackle the arduous task of upwind sailing.
Opti I: Opti I has worked very hard this summer and Ryan is very impressed with their progress. They have covered everything from the smaller detailed aspects of rigging, to upwind sailing. They have become much more comfortable in the boat and some of the sailors have even tried sailing alone.
Opti II: This session, Opti II has changed formats from two separate sections to one due to smaller numbers. This has enabled Liza and Katie to work closely together every class. Opti II has become very confident in the boat which has allowed them to sail the full length of the harbor on several occasions. Opti II has begun to sail solo as their confidence continues to soar on the water.
Opti III: Opti III has continued to motor along after some strong finishes at Race Week. One of our sailors even continued to gain experience in a green fleet regatta up in Annisquam. With Race Week passing, Opti III has honed their upwind sailing and sail trim by racing and cruising through the harbor. They have day in and day out impressed Tori with their eager attitudes.
SAVE THE DATE! August 19th will be the second session Float Party and Annual Banquet This is a great time to get out on the water with your children and is held on the Junior Sail dock down at Riverhead. There will be end of the year gifts for each sailor and several awards given out. You can either bring your boat down and raft up or get a lift in a launch run by our instructors. Stay posted for details. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at liam.kraft@gmail.com
