Smooth Sailing

It’s been a scorching few days here a the WaterFront Center, and without much wind it’s been a tough week for sailing. Yesterday, however, despite the blistering heat and dead breeze, our young sailors found every way possible to cool off and have a great time! I got caught in the middle of all-out water war, with the Skipper PiXel group pitted against the fearsome Skipper Opti group. The short-lived battle ended with both sides satisfied - mostly because they had finally cooled off!

Getting caught in the middle of a water war can be scary, but very refreshing on such a hot day!

Today, the breeze filled in for us and made for some great sailing conditions for the PiXel and Opti 1 groups. The sailors made the most of the excellent wind, practicing upwind sailing, tacking, and gybing with instructor Mo. I jumped in to help from time to time, offering some pointers for smooth upwind sailing and clean tacks - the bread and butter of being a great sailor! It seems, however, that they don’t even need much of my advice - these young sailors were doing an amazing job, sailing smoothly through puffs and becoming more comfortable with their points of sail. 

Julia, one of the Opti 1 sailors, seemed to be struggling a bit with her upwind sailing and tacks, but after a few minor adjustments and some practice, we had her sailing like a pro! She did a great job paying attention and showed a lot of improvement by the end of the day, even as the breeze continued to pick up. The Opti 1 group is a dedicated group of young sailors, and it seems like they’re on their way to becoming pro sailors by the end of the week!

Julia works on her sailing skills this afternoon in the Opti 1 group.