On Saturday, July 29th, I had the unbelievable experience of sailing in the Regatta for Lake Champlain as part of the Community Sailing Center Youth team, a group of level 3 campers.
The boat we raced was Mashnee, captained by Jan Rozendaal and crewed by Sam Darling. She is a Buzzards Bay 30, and in my 26 years living on or near the ocean, she is truly one of the most beautiful boats I have ever seen and definitely the most beautiful I’ve ever sailed.
After leaving the dock, Sam showed Mashnee’s new crew how to change jibs (depending on the wind), how to hoist the main; the race started and we were crossing the line. The first leg was a straight shot on port the whole way, which made for a leisurely lunchtime cruise. Around the mark we headed up and began our beat up wind. This leg provided much more excitement as campers went flying, and sometimes rolling across the deck to avoid the very low boom. As we approached the final, most windward mark, we began to see how close we were to the front of the pack, and team’s excitement grew. We were happy to be sailing well and thrilled to be preparing to set the spinnaker.
Around the final mark our ‘light air’ spinnaker, the largest Sail the campers and I have ever had the pleasure of flying, was set. To our delight and amazement we slowly started gaining on and finally passed the entire fleet!
The regatta was a truly amazing experience, and I was incredibly grateful to be invited along. I’ve raced since I was ten and have only won a handful of regattas; I’ve coached sailing for five years and only seen my kids win three or four; this is the first time I’ve ever had the pleasure of being on the same boat as the kids when we crossed the line first. It was incredible.
I want to say thank you to Jan and Sam, as well as, everybody on the CSC team and their parents for supporting us.
-Nick
For my first summer in Burlington, I really didn’t know what to expect in terms of Fourth of July celebrations. Back home at the Jersey Shore, there was never a shortage of bbq’s or fireworks, so I was very interested in getting my once-a-year fix. Where’s the downtown party? Where’s the best spot to see the fireworks? Where can I just hang out in peace?
I had heard of Rock the Dock from my friends who had spent previous summers in Burlington, but with no experience of my own, I was curious. The set-up started early, and with an energy that was hard to miss. Volunteers and staff alike were buzzing around the Sailing Center in joyful anticipation of the night to come. The food started cooking early as well, so we had something to look forward to.
Once the evening settled in, the crowds joined us on the docks. Families, college kids and all types could be seen enjoying the epic view from the docks. While everyone waited, a stunt pilot wowed everyone with some aerobatics. As he left to some early volleys of fireworks, the crowd on the dock waited eagerly for the highly anticipated main event. The Lounge at the end of the dock was super nice with DJ Craig Mitchell providing some dancing music all night.
Once the fireworks started though, everyone was silent. Our spot on the dock was so good that I could tell it was the best in Burlington. There was no way to get any closer unless you were lighting them yourself.
If you missed Rock the Dock this year, come on down to the Lake Lovers’ Summer Party at ECHO on Friday! It’s part of the Regatta for Lake Champlain, a non-profit that raises money to donate to organizations working for the health and sustainability of Lake Champlain.
- Chris
With the melting of the lake ice and the increasing temperatures I look forward to my first experience coaching the High School Sailing team for the spring 2009 season. Last week we began our first series of practices followed by a women’s regatta in Greenwich, CT. The water temp has been well below 40 degrees for our three practices last week. All of the sailors sported their wetsuits to begin their chilly spring sailing season.
I have seen the high school program come a long way since 2001 when I first set foot in a club 420. Rachael Miller has been a valuable asset to the program as well to the sailing center over the years. She was the one coach that introduced me to the sailing world and built my passion for the sport. I am happy to pass my passion onto the eager young sailors involved in this irreplaceable program.
Continue reading Spring Sailing »
