This was reprinted in 48 North, January 2005.
When a ten year old tells you “Mom, that was the best day of my life”, you have to wonder what he’s been up to. In this case, my son, Matt, had just spent his first day at the OYC Jr. Sailing School. We had registered him for a week of sailing classes and everyday he returned with the same enthusiasm. He attended with his friend Liam, who has written his own testimonial below. Liam’s reaction was every bit as energetic as Matt’s. To be truthful, by the end of the week, I thought we had created a monster. How many hours a day is a parent expected to listen to “and then I tacked, and then I tacked, and we went to Westbay, and then I tacked, and Ian followed us in the boat. Ian is so cool. And then I tacked and I tacked and I tacked and then we sailed back into the yacht club…”? Matt talked us into three more days before we left on vacation. I’ll be that almost every kid in the class went home and told his or her parents that they needed a sailboat.
Hannah McQueen is the daughter of a friend of ours. She decided to take the class after listening to Matt rave about his experience. She thought the best part was listening to the boy in the Lido with her scream every time they heeled over. Gary Pedigo’s grandson, Deven, had the time of his life. He talked his parents, and grandparents, into three weeks worth of lessons. We ran into them at the class-end social. The boys immediately hooked up and went after Ian to let them out on the water in one of the Lidos. Now Ian Martens is a pretty responsible guy and held them off; no adult, no ride. So they turned to Gary, then Eric, and then me. Gary broke down and took them all out for a cruise on Charlemagne. It was the perfect end to the sailing classes and the perfect end to the day.
Dave Knowlton provided Matt with another one of his “best days ever” when he took him out with “the guys” on Koosah. Nothing is quite as exciting as a fast ride, on a big boat, with a bunch of great sailors when you’re a young kid. He was cold and wet and as happy as I’ve ever seen him.
Matt and Eric had a father/son sail a few weeks ago. The two of them were working together to make it all happen. Eric’s account follows: “As all boat owners know after changing the oil in the iron genny it is always wise to take the boat out just to make sure that the new oil is working well. The wind on this Sunday was blowing about 12 from the west. Matt was reminded, only a couple of times, about the life jacket and then we were off to sail Budd Inlet. Matt was tailing the winches and grinding as much as a 10 year old can on a 37 ft. boat. We sailed towards Gull Harbor and were making about 6 kts. We noticed there was another boat within sight ... so the race was on. Matt was on lookout and tailing winches. We raced with this boat most of the afternoon. Around sunset we decided to head in so that Susan would not worry. We were motoring back after a wonderful afternoon sail when we passed Dreamcatcher, the boat we had been racing. They knew it was a race as well when they yelled out “We couldn’t catch you!”. Matt beamed “We beat ’em, didn’t we!” It was a good day for father and son.
Eric and I bought one of the Lidos that the Yacht Club auctioned off last year with the express intention that it would be a fun boat for our boys to sail themselves when they were ready. Well Matt is ready. He cannot wait to get out there and show us his new skills. We can’t wait for him to be old enough and skilled enough to take the boat out with his friends. Our hope is that all of these experiences in Matt’s life will lead to a life long passion for sailing. We like the idea of him participating in a healthy, active, self motivating sport, though the college scholarships are few.
The board has talked a lot about how we continue to increase our membership and it occurs to me that one of the best ways is to grow our own new Members. We need to give more kids the opportunity to experience the kind of excitement that Matt, Hanna, and Liam experienced. Continuing to support the youth sailing programs, taking young sailors out on our boats, and encouraging them to visit our Meetings with their parents strikes me as a great way to add to the eclectic membership we have. We have amazing people that are part of South Sound Sailing. We have a lot to share. So borrow your sister’s kid, grab a grandchild, invite your children and their friends — take a young person out on your boat and let them enjoy the sport of sailing.
Susan Bishop, Destiny II
When my friends ask what I did this summer, I will tell them I was introduced to one of the most fun and challenging sports I have ever done. The Olympia Yacht Club Junior Sailing class was a great experience for me as a first time sailor. From the minute the class started, every thing was hands on. On the dock, we learned how to rig our boats and prepare them for sailing. Out on the water, we learned how to tack and sail properly. And when we were done sailing, we learned how to dock and get our boats packed up and stored on the dock. My instructors, Ian and Ashley, made me feel comfortable and confident on the water. They knew just what to say and made each class a lot of fun.
Each day we learned and practiced our techniques to build strength and confidence on the boat. We learned to sail several types of boats, including Optimists, El Torros and Lidos. I sailed solo and with my friend Matt. It was thrilling to be out on the water sailing through the Sound feeling the wind and riding the water. My experience this summer has taught me sailing is an amazing and remarkable sport. I can’t wait to take more classes and learn as much about sailing as I can. For me sailing has become a new passion.
Liam McCormick
Do you want to know something that was very fun that I did this summer? Well here it is. This summer I went to the OYC Junior Sailing class. It was very fun. I learned a lot about sailing. I learned how to rig a Lido, an Optimist, and an El Toro. Once we rigged the boats we got to go out on the water. Ian and Ashley help me out a little to make me feel safe. The first and second days of the class I was in the El Toro. But after that me and my friend Liam went out in a Lido. It was a lot of fun. On the last day of sailing Liam and I heeled over so far in the Lido that we almost flipped. We didn’t, but we did manage to get 4 inches of water in the boat. It was very cold and very exciting. I recommend that you should take the OYC Junior Sailing class too.
Matt Bishop