So, week three, and it has been pretty hot. Not the sort of hot where a quick dip in the lake or a freezie-pop make it all better. This hot is where you can sweat sitting down and probably watch the steam come off your skin when you get out of the water. It helps to be crafty when finding ways to cool down, and a handful of staff members at the community sailing center have devised an ingenious way to do so. The trick is apparently stand-up-paddle boarding. As a wake-boarder, snow-boarder and long-boarder, I would like to be able to say that I am well versed in the ways of riding. However, the first time I stood up on a paddleboard, my legs shook, I did not go more than 100 feet, and I thought I was going to fall in. Fortunately, with a little persistence, I realized that paddleboarding actually is quite easy to learn. Earlier this week, when a group of employees decided to go out on the lake paddle boarding, pure joy ensued. It brought my body temperature down a good 20 degrees and provided entertainment amongst people I am just starting to know. We laughed at each other as we awkwardly attempted tricks, splashed, and knocked each other in. We even brought in someone who previously thought paddleboarding wasn’t possible. So, to anyone interested, come down to the Community Sailing Center while the going is still boiling hot, and give stand up paddle boarding a whirl.
-Craig
This week, on Saturday, I had the thrilling opportunity to sail a Martin 16. For those of you who have not sailed in one, it is a small one or two person keel boat, but that does not give the boat justice. The design of the boat is complicated but enables the boat to be sailed by one person. All lines are run to the center cockpit where the skipper sits. The rudder is controlled by a set of pulleys leading to a vertical stick. For me this was the most difficult part of the boat to adapt to. To turn left you push the stick to the left; this was counter intuitive because with a tiller you push it to the right to turn to the left.
I sailed on Saturday and the boat handled beautifully. The conditions started at 16 knots and increased all the way up to 22 knots! The wind was from New York so we had three foot rollers peaking out at four feet. Sailing downwind was thrilling, as each wave rolled under the boat you could feel and hear the boat accelerating. I heard the keel hums and it increased in both pitch and volume as I accelerated. The Martin 16, while incredibly stable, was still able to surf the rollers like a laser; but it did not have any of the wobbles that make a laser notorious for capsizing downwind. Upwind was entirely different. The leeward rail was three inches off the water. Waves came over the bow but only the largest reached me in the cockpit; I quickly learned how to steer over the waves allowing me to point higher and sail faster!
On Monday I had a private lesson through VASS (Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports program). The wind conditions were “light and variable,” meaning very little wind. I was excited to see how a Martin 16 would perform in such different conditions. The boat performed phenomenally! The boat hardly heeled as we made our way past the breakwater. About half way through our lesson the wind picked up to 7 knots. The water hitting the hull was calming. My student had been told that he would not be able to sail without his own boat but they were wrong. In a Martin 16 the entire boat is sailed by one person, and he did everything. This student plans on coming back and sailing again this summer.
-Chris
Well, it has been a long awaited summer, but it has finally arrived. I am looking forward to seeing everybody back on the water and all the new faces, curious about our programs and activities. One program that is always a lot of fun is our corporate sailing program. Last year I took a group out and we spent the afternoon sailing around learning the basics. We sailed out to Lone Rock Point experimenting with tacking, jibing, working the sails all as one team communicating together to complete each task efficiently and safely. Once we mastered the basics, we tried their newly acquired skills in a small race around Burlington Bay. Through active communication and teamwork all three boats successfully finished the course with ear to ear grins and a strong sense of solidarity with the team. Concluding the race without any wind, we learned a new trick to move the boats without the usual power if the wind, and with the race concluded, a new race developed to find out who could rock the boat the fastest into the dock. We cheered each other as we reached the dock and found a new bond of friendship through our experience on the water in the CSC keelboats.
-Pete
As I reached up to pull down the green flag that marked the calm winds of our first day of programs for the summer I couldn’t help but notice how amazing the sunset was over the Adirondaks. The lake was calm with only small ripples trailing one another slowly to the dock and the orange light of the setting sun stretching its last rays all the way across the lake as if it were only a small pond. I had to grab my camera to take a picture so I could attempt to capture the sunset before it was gone. I quickly finished up closing and headed out onto the pier. I took three quick shots and they all came out great, though still incomparable to the actual view before me. Later, I was home loading the pictures onto my computer so I could send one to my family, and I got to thinking about how great it is that I get to work down on the lake in the summer. I honestly couldn’t think of a better place to be. It provides such an amazing atmosphere for whatever kind of day you are looking to have. Whether it be exciting water sports in high winds, a relaxing paddle along the shore, or just sitting to watch the sunset at the end of a long day, the lake provides so much. I’m excited about spending time down on the lake this summer and helping others to discover and enjoy the amazing opportunities that it provides to all.
-Jess
The summer is in full swing down at the Sailing Center. With the first week of summer camp underway, it’s time for the adults to get down and have some sailing time of their own. Already this spring we have completed both keelboat and dingy courses for adults. With full rosters for both classes, we were really rocking and rolling with some great spring sailing. The wind kept up just enough (and too much once or twice!) and there are now 2 full new classes of Lake Champlain sailors to share the lake with. We have more adult programs coming up, with weekday evening and consecutive Saturday classes, plus free Friday night 420 races.
See you at the waterfront!
-Chris
I’ve been thinking about some of the adventuring world’s more headline catching feats lately. In the past few months, we’ve seen a 13 year old boy summit Everest and a 16 year old girl sail solo around the world, each the youngest person to ever complete their respective feat. First, let’s all agree that having done these things grants you some solid bragging rights. But beyond providing fodder for truly excellent “What I Did Over My Summer Vacation” essays, does the objective scope of these adventures have any bearing on their value? Maybe this means I’m not any fun (full disclosure: I have neither circumnavigated the globe nor summited Everest), but I would say no: the standards set by individuals other than the adventurer are essentially meaningless to the heart of the experience.
I see this as particularly true with the 6 and 7 year olds I’ve been working with this week. Yesterday, we practiced righting capsized boats. This can be scary, as it requires the student to voluntarily tip over the only thing keeping them warm and dry, plunging them into the water. Despite the discomfort, this is an important skill for any sailor to practice as it grants a higher degree of autonomy on the water and greatly increases a sailor’s potential to perform a self rescue in what could otherwise be a dicey situation. The other equally real (and particularly adventurous, I think) benefit to practicing capsize recovery is that of having proved to yourself that you are capable of getting yourself out of trouble, of taking control in an uncomfortable and scary situation and succeeding despite your fears and insecurities.
This is the kind of adventure I see my students undertaking – the expansion of what they understand themselves to be capable of through risk, challenge, and success. Is the value or personal scope of an adventure necessarily reduced by a round of applause from your friends on the dock after your success? What if your adventure involves regularly scheduled snack time? In both cases, I’ll stand by the validity and value of these experiences without hesitation. These students aren’t setting records and they’re not expanding the limits of what their sport perceives as possible. Far more importantly they’re writing their own personal history, actively finding themselves to be people capable of taking bold action despite their fears. With any luck, at some future juncture when they’re face to face with a scary decision, a part of each of these kids will remember that sometimes it’s OK to tip your boat and plunge into the lake.
-Nick
As a Burlington resident I know that the fireworks here are a big deal and that it can be difficult when the sun goes down to find a good “spot” for watching the event. The good news: the Community Sailing Center’s “Rock the Dock” is the perfect place to have a good time on the Third of July. Every year there are people, music, great food and beverages, and of course: one of the best places for watching the sky light up (aside from sitting on a barge). Nothing compares to sitting on our docks and watching the show reflecting off the glassy water of Lake Champlain. Aside from having fun, participants are also able to give something back to the community. Donations can be made to the McConnell Scholarship Fund, which allow us to offer on-water education and recreation to anyone and everyone in the community. So if anyone is looking for a healthy alternative to elbowing their way up to watch the fireworks (which most likely will be blocked by a tree), get your ticket and head down to the Community Sailing Center for a dose of fun with a side of charity for the Rock the Dock event on July Third.
One of the many reasons that I keep coming back to work at the Community Sailing Center is its commitment to getting people on the water: I constantly get the opportunity to work with people who have never before been sailing. One of my personal highlights from the spring season was sailing with a group of girls from BHS’s English as a Second Language program. Many of the girls started out a little wary of the water, but all of them were excited about sailing. Before getting on the water they were playing with sunscreen and joking around. After about 30 minutes on the water the girls were climbing all over the boat, laughing and putting their feet in the water. They had a beautiful day; sunny, with a nice, steady breeze. I was reminded while on the lake with them of how much I love seeing people experience sailing for the first time. I am looking forward to many more beautiful days with enthusiastic students.
-Anna
This has been a busy spring down at the Sailing Center. We have been hanging out with students from from the Barnes School and learning about the lake. We learned about how different people and activities affect Lake Champlain and how we can all take better care of it. The best part? We got to go sailing, too! We learned about the history of Burlington’s Waterfront and even took water samples from our keelboats. I wish I had done this stuff when I was in grade school!
We have also been hosting group sails with the Community High School of Vermont. Students from four separate locations meet at the sailing center once a week for a break from the classroom and some cool, hands-on lessons. We’ve had some nice weather and great wind to brush up on some skills.
This spring has been extra nice, and with camp around the corner, the summer is shaping up to be an excellent one.
-Chris
For the past two weeks we have had the pleasure of working with a group of high energy, enthusiastic, enviromaniacs from the Barnes School. We have been learning about the Winooski River watershed and how we interact with the entire water cycle here in Burlington. Other topics we have covered include: the three states of water (solids, liquids, and gasses), how pollution affects each state and what we can do to help clean and protect they fragile ecosystems with in the watersheds.
As the spring program continues we are exploring water chemistry and testing Lake Champlain water quality on shore and out in the middle of the lake. We are conducting multiple tests to determine the levels of dissolved oxygen, pH, phosphates, nitrogen, temperature, and coliform bacteria in the lake. We hope to further our understanding of how our everyday activities have a direct impact on the waters around us and how the lake responds to our use of its resource. We are all very excited and are eager to continue exploring the great resource of Lake Champlain and will finish our program with a lesson about human impact and the lake. Each day is a success as we are able to see the connections that local students are able to make with their natural environment.
