Junior Safety at Sea Seminar Builds the Next Generation in Offshore Sailing
Why do we not see more young people out on big boats sailing around the Chesapeake? This seems different than in past generations where boats seemed to be filled with family and friends, young and old, who enjoyed all that our area offers in quality time spent sailing.
An ironic reason for this may be that the ongoing success of our junior programs at clubs throughout the region has been limited to training these skills on dinghies and/or small keelboats only. As a result, few get the opportunity or the time to learn how to become comfortable and competent in big-boat sailing, where teamwork, practical skills in the boat, sail handling, and safety are important, especially for youngsters who may not have the strength required to easily overcome the loads encountered.
The Storm Trysail Club has recognized this gap and for the past 30 years adapted its expertise and resources in adult Safety-at-Sea training to be relevant for younger sailors as well. The club’s Junior Safety-at-Sea Seminar has evolved to be a thorough one-day introduction to big boat sailing for teenage junior sailors who have some sailing experience in small boats but want to learn more about big boat and offshore sailing. To date the program has trained more than 4000 youth and is currently held at eight sites throughout the US.
The Chesapeake Station of the Storm Trysail Club has organized and run numerous annual Junior Safety-at-Sea seminars in Annapolis, with this year’s edition scheduled for June 15 at Annapolis Yacht Club. These popular one-day programs focus on preparation, planning, and practice of skills learned while combining engaging classroom sessions, dockside demonstrations, and on-the-water activities to keep participants having fun. Participants have ranged in age from 11 to 18 and have come from throughout the Chesapeake region.
Topics covered in the seminar include: heavy weather discussion and storm condition awareness, VHF radio protocols and use, crew overboard prevention and recovery, big boat deck hardware tutorial, overview of safety equipment, fire suppression and flair use, life raft deployment and boarding, and an on-water session with crew overboard recovery, practice in setting storm sails, and emergency steering.
There is no fee. For more information and registration, visit stormtrysail.org/event/annapolis-junior-safety-at-sea.
