Liam gets ready to set sail
Grey skies and cold temperatures don’t seem to affect an eager group of learners this summer as they don their life jackets to participate in sailing lessons as part of the Olympia Yacht Club’s Junior Sailing Program.
Jan Visser has been directing the program since 2005. Actually, she started at the Olympia Yacht Club over 20 years ago, ventured out on her own for a while, then returned to direct both the summer instructional programs as well as the high school sailing team in the fall and spring.
Last summer, over 175 youngsters learned the difference between tacking and jibing and how to hold a sheet with one hand and a tiller with the other. With a fleet of Optimist Prams, 420s and Lasar sailboats to choose from, even children as young as 8 are able to “get their feet wet.”
In the morning, it’s the youngest children, dubbed Little Luffers, who take to the water. Nine year old Liam was enrolled the week of July 18. Although it is one of his goals for the week, Liam is still a bit hesitant about trying to single-hand a boat. “I could capsize or get eaten by a seal,” he says with grin. The enthusiasm he has for the sport is infectious. “With power boats, you kind of zip around for a bit and you kind of get bored. With sailboats you never know what happens next – like you could capsize!” He admits that he actually enjoys capsizing sometimes.
Although the cold this summer has squelched it a bit, the instructors will tell you that sometimes the kids capsize on purpose. One of many skills they learn is how to right a capsized boat and get back on board. When the temperatures reach the 80s and up, it’s a skill they like to practice.
Eighteen year old Maddy Marshall has been an instructor with the program for two summers. A recent graduate of Capital High School, Marshall grew up in the program, beginning with the afternoon Junior Jiber program. “I started my freshman year of high school and took this (afternoon) class and then sailed on the high school team for about three years.” He earned his instructor certification through US Sailing last year. Visser will only hire instructors who have been through the nationally recognized certification program.
Alex Dzinbal is the other paid instructor on staff this summer. The 16 year old junior at Olympia High School says the first time he was on a sailboat was when he was 6 weeks old. He began racing when he was 9 years old and has been on the high school team since 8th grade.
In addition to the certified staff members, volunteer help comes in the form of high school students who have come through the program and have demonstrated boat handling skills. Dzinbal started volunteering when he was 14. While the instructors drive the safety boats, the volunteers often will jump in a boat with hesitant students to, literally, help show them the ropes.
Like Marshall and Dzinbal, most of the volunteers participate on the high school sailing team run through the Olympia Yacht Club. Open to students beginning in the 8th grade, the high school team is a composite team made up of students from Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater.
Visser is always looking for more students to join the team. Last year they had a dozen students from area high school participate. “If they’ve never sailed before and they jump into the high school program (we’ll) fit them right into the boat we’re sailing,” she says. The team sails Lasars in the fall months and 420s in the spring. The boats belong to the program. All the sailors need to provide is a lifejacket and foul weather gear.
During the school year, practices for the high school team take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and run from 3:30 until dark. According to Visser, the team travels to at least one regatta a month, “…anywhere from Bellingham down to Oregon.” Although the hours are sometimes long, Visser says the team loves travel. ” Hey, if you can drag up a road trip, there’s not a kid in the world that I know of who’s going to turn (it) down as long as they compete!”
Because it’s a composite team, the OYC high school team is not eligible for district or national level titles, but the level of competition, even at the local level, is stiff. If an individual desires, he or she can also compete in regular junior sailing regattas through local clubs and work their way up to national level competition through that system. There is a distinct difference between the two routes.
Youth don’t have to wait until they are in high school to start racing either. “There is a Northwest Youth Circuit that the kids can go to travel and sail,” says Visser. She’s hoping that Liam and some of his classmates will think about starting to race through that route. Then when they reach 8th grade they can come join the team.
For more information about sailing lessons, Little Luffers (8-12), Junior Jibers (12-18) and adult programs, or to learn more about the high school sailing team, contact Jan Visser through the Olympia Yacht Club: 360-754-6506.
Links of Interest
http://www.highschoolsailingusa.org/
http://www.olympiayachtclub.org/
