It’s been another great summer season, full of fun and adventure, but all good times must come to an end. Lucky for us, the end of summer doesn’t mean that the fun has to stop. Fall sailing is the some of the most enjoyable and exciting sailing we have here on Lake Champlain. Not only does the wind pick up on the lake, but as the leaves turn, and there is no better place to view the fall colors than cruising along the cool, crisp waters of beautiful Lake Champlain. As the temperatures fall, we all get into our fleece and tough out the coming cold. The air may cool, but our energy stays high, and with the hurricane season filling in, we can expect not only rain but more wind. Our programming doesn’t stop in the fall, either. UVM is kicking off their season as is our high school sailing program, and it is great to see new faces coming down to the Sailing Center. We’ll keep the spirit of the summer fun alive with great events such as Stand Up for The Lake, a standup paddleboard race on Sunday, September 12th, our End of Season Celebration on October 17th, and our first-ever Run for the Lake, a 5K race and fun run on Saturday, October 23rd. I invite all of you to come down to an event, take out a boat or a paddleboard, and experience the fall on our great Lake Champlain. Our Fall Pass is also a great way to enjoy the lake for the last few weeks for a discounted price off our season pass.

-Pete

As the end of the summer draws nearer and the weather starts to cool down, we all begin to realize our days of summer sun and swimming in the lake are numbered. This is an exciting time of year, though, as fall approaches and we get to see a whole new scenery down on the lake. Life on the lake is anything but scarce as we still have another two months to get out on the water before it’s really unbearably cold. You may need to bring a sweater, but what could be better than a view of the changing foliage of Vermont and New York at the same time from the water?  An afternoon on the sailboat after work or a fun morning paddle on the weekend will surely liven you up this fall as it starts to get colder. As the leaves start to change and it gets darker earlier and earlier, we’ll look back on how we spent the summer and make sure not to be sad that the summer is almost over, but instead to look ahead and realize that there is still so much fun to be had. It may be a little quieter down here without all the youth camps going on, but we’ll still be down here, helping you get out and enjoy the water until out fall season ends on October 11th!

-Jess

Recently, I went biking around northern Lake Champlain. Even though I spend almost every day on the lake, I’d never realized just how large it is—or how polluted its waters are, largely from runoff from nearby farms. One of the educational WAVES activities we do with our campers is called Common Water. It’s an exercise that demonstrates how fresh water is a limited resource and how the large farms and factories around us use a lot of water and impacts our environment. A few weeks ago, one of our WAVES lunchtime speakers explained how phosphorus and watersheds interact. The phosphorus from chemical fertilizers runs off the farms and pollutes the lake by causing excessive algae growth. This growth was clearly visible in northern Lake Champlain where the water is shallower (and thus warmer from the sun) and in closer proximity to a higher concentration of farms. As I looked into the lake, I saw a heron wading through algae trying to find a fish. After catching its snack, the heron had algae hanging off its beak. There was so much algae in some places that it washed up on the beach, where it then rotted and baked in the sun. On one of these beaches I saw a family of ducks searching for food. They were standing in a layer of dead algae that was floating next to the shore. These scenes frustrated me, since spending time on the water is something I value deeply in my life. But I feel slightly better knowing that every student who takes a summer camp at the Community Sailing Center learns to appreciate the lake and will then teach their family, friends, and one day, maybe even their kids, how important a clean Lake Champlain is for all of us.

-Chris

A few weeks ago, I taught the Adult Keelboat Basics class. Who knew teaching an adult, beginner course would be so different than teaching kids? However, the questions of “What are we going to do today?” and “When are we going sailing?” were asked with the same level of anticipation and an equally large smile. We saw some of the best weather all season. Each night offered plentiful wind, and even some high winds which made for excellent and exciting sailing. Every night also offered a gorgeous sunset and mild temperatures, really showing off Lake Champlain’s beauty. By the end of the week, each student steered the boat with ease and tacked and gybed like an old salt. On day four, they manned two Rhodes by themselves and even raced each other on a small course through Burlington Bay. They really thrived in that environment, and I had almost no criticisms for them as I followed in a motorboat. It was so refreshing for me to see someone pick up sailing so quickly and they all seemed so relaxed, as though they’d been sailing for years. On the last day, they even voted to race in the Sailing Center’s Friday Night 420 racing. While it wasn’t exactly keelboat sailing, it really reinforced everything they learned all week on a much smaller, closer scale. While they were afraid of the other competitors and of coming in last, it wasn’t even a worry. The students came in middle of the fleet each time and loved every minute of it. I was more than impressed with all the progress they made throughout the week, and I can’t wait to teach another group of adults one day.

-Emma

So here we are at the end of the summer, and what better time than the end of the season to think about why I like this job and about what it is that I have always looked forward to each summer. I believe the first aspect that drew me to working at the Community Sailing Center was Lake Champlain. For the past ten years, I have almost never lived more than a mile or so from the lake. I love being on the water, whether I am sailing, wakeboarding, kayaking, climbing on Lone Rock or teaching a group of campers. So it makes sense that I choose do this every day.
I also like going out to the lake after a long, cold winter, getting warm in the sun and getting awkward zebra tan lines on my feet from my Keens. I look forward to learning about my coworkers. I know that after a summer of helping each other through tough situations and having fun on the easy days that we will have become much closer by the end of the summer. What I look forward to most, though, is watching my campers start to “get the hang of it.” I always start each week of camp waiting for my sailors to reach that point, where sailing is no longer scary but fun, and where the sailboat is no longer a painful boom with a boat attached but rather an instrument for exploration and fun on the lake. I start the summer knowing that whatever happens, we here at the Sailing Center will make sailors out of beginners, and give campers a great experience while doing so. So as we begin to pack it in for the winter, pulling the motor boats for the last few times, furling that beautiful rainbow Holder sail, I can’t help but wonder what next summer will bring.

-Craig

I thought this was a lake but apparently we are now operating in an ocean with 4ft waves bashing into our docks. Luckily we pulled all of our boats out before the wind storm hit. I did a wind dance in preparation for Friday night racing, but I guess I was dancing a little too much judging from these gusts. As the 35mph gusts came across the lake I watched Colin and Brian observe the dock fight off the western winds of New York. The Keelboats were a rocking and the dock was shaking but we knew that she would hold. I love it when we have high winds but I hate to see our dock take that beating from the waves. I can see no sailboats on the lake except for one brave soul who is single-handedly sailing his Hobiecat into the gusts. Captain Pete is his name and he seems to have no fear. When you come down to the sailing center you can always check to see what the wind speed is by our flag system which consists of a green flag (light wind), yellow flag (heavy wind), and a red flag (no rentals). People always ask us where we get our wind information. We make visual observations of the lake and use our two favorite resources: iwindsurf.com and NOAA. So check out those websites if you were wondering what the wind is doing out there.

-Jamie

I love summer. I love summer because of the seemingly everlasting sunshine, tan skin, flapping sails, and excited, happy voices. Every year I look forward to climbing mountains, driving fast without fear, hot dogs on the grill, and sailing as much on a beam as possible. But fall, well fall, it gives me goose-bumps and butterflies in my stomach. This weekend I noticed a chill in the air and that indescribable smell that seems to ride on its coat-tails.

Then yesterday, Jen, the Education Director, and I met to discuss our plan for fall. It was amazing! I can’t wait for my first fall at the Community Sailing Center. I hear the wind in fall is fast and you better be a good sailor, or at least know how to go dry side, because that water gets cold quick! As we grow, it is a top priority to stay grounded in the community. We want to make sure to take every opinion or experience into account so when we finally get to move into our big, beautiful building we can hit the ground running as one of the premier Community Sailing Centers in the United States. With the introduction of the WAVES initiative and our long standing dedication to teaching everyone to sail, we have everything to offer and nothing to lose. We have the opportunity to help save Lake Champlain from irreversible pollution damage by introducing all people to the endless fun it has to offer. This fall we have a few dedicated instructors happy to get out on the water with you, in addition to rentals until October 11!

And to all my frosty friends with snowflakes on their minds: it’s almost here, fall is in the air.

-Sarah

The subtle intricacies of sailing in 18 knots with 3 foot rollers and chop reminded me why I love sailing last week when I was out with Pete. We beat upwind heading up over the top of each wave and back down the other side; the boat accelerating underneath me felt unreal. Then we set the spinnaker and flew down wind! We caught the waves and surfed down them breaking into a plain and crashing into the next wave and continuing down wind. As I felt the boat decelerate we headed up again and would take off on a plain and soak down as deep down wind as the wind and waves would allow.

Sailing is a sport that is unlike any other, and teaching an adult dingy course was a new experience but one that was enjoyable. Most of the adults in my class had never been sailing and had limited boating experience. We took out 420’s the first day in rough conditions (but not as rough as the day Pete and I were out) and everyone did amazing. Teaching adults is different from kids because progress is much quicker and attention spans are longer. At the end of the two Saturday courses everybody took the rental test and passed with flying colors. We went over the basics of how to steer and rig (put together) the boats. The capsize test demonstrated that everybody would be able to right the boat if it tipped over, and that tipping over is not so scary or dangerous. Then we were able to get out and go sailing. Everybody was nervous as I released them from the docks but quickly nervousness turned into excitement and then the desire to go faster!

-Chris

Each Monday campers come in with a new appreciation and excitement for sailing that refreshes my love for sailing as well. While it may be like second nature for me and the same routine each day, for them it’s the most exciting part of their summer: a very foreign concept with another language. It’s awesome to see them excited when they return every morning and sad to be finished at 4:00pm on the last day. Sailing is such a unique and exciting sport, it’s hard not to return ambitious for another day out on the water. They are brimming with questions like, “What are we doing next?” and “How can I make my boat go faster?” “What’s this?” and “What’s that?” They are so intrigued by all the aspects of sailing, it’s hard to not ask questions and want to know everything they can in a week long session. The kids have been able to see most of Lake Champlain’s moods, from hot, windless sunny days, to cool, windy stormy days. They’ve been troopers through it all, and I think they secretly love to tell their exciting and harrowing tales from their time out on the lake. This summer has been excellent at the Community Sailing Center, and I can’t wait to experience the last few weeks of camp. I know I will miss it greatly when school starts and cold weather creeps in, but there’s still a lot of summer left, and I can’t wait!

-Emma

Today, I got the opportunity to work with our Adaptive Watersports Program (AWP) in partnership with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. Vermont Adaptive helps provide the disabled community access to various activities that most people think are impossible for people with physical or cognitive disabilities. In the winters, they have a presence at ski resorts like Bolton Valley and Sugarbush, and in the summers, we partner with them to operate the AWP and this program serves a vital role in the community.

As a physically disabled sailor myself, I know how difficult it can be for someone with any kind of physical disability to get on the water. It’s not usually the arm or the leg that is the problem, so much as the mindset. For people that have gone through some sort of trauma, taking risks can be hard afterward. For me especially, getting back on the water after my accident was daunting. I knew that, despite any disability, it was important for me to prove to myself that I could do things normally. In cases like this, the disability makes it doubly hard, because the athlete will pretend it doesn’t exist and can push him or herself beyond a usually acceptable limit.

Having worked with other disabled sailing programs in the past, I have seen the benefits that come from getting people on the water firsthand. Whether it’s a returning sailor, back to the water after years of recovery, or someone who has never felt the exhilaration of the wind in their sails, the smiles that I see take me back to when I had that same powerful feeling years ago. Anybody who has been so affected by life’s twists and turns knows intimately the power that a little self-determination can give the mind and spirit.

While overcoming a physical disability is itself a very powerful experience, Vermont Adaptive extends its reach to those with cognitive disabilities as well. Unlike those with physical disabilities, those with cognitive disabilities may not be able “overcome” their disability in the same sense of the word. In my work with this demographic, the goal is usually different. Just to be able to do something different like sailing or paddling can be a life-changing experience. And the smiles I see on these faces show levels of bliss that I believe were previously undocumented by science.

With the benefits of our modern civilization attracting more and more people to pursue inside activities, the access provided by the Sailing Center to people of all physical and cognitive abilities is becoming more and more important. Working with AWP reminds me constantly why programs like this are so important and the life changing effects that they can have on people.

-Chris