AdventureSail 2023

​For the third year in a row, Kingston Sailing Club and The Sailing School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum worked together with local volunteers and organizations to bring girls from underserved communities out for a day of sailing. Safety, fun, connections and learning were the orders of the day. 
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They welcomed 30 girls and 15 adult mentors to the Kingston waterfront. MentorMe of Ulster County and MyKingstonKids brought girls ranging from  9 to 14 years of age along with adult mentors from communities who haven’t traditionally been involved with sailing in the past.

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The day began at 9 am, with breakfast for everyone. Each girl received a string bag from the National Women’s Sailing Association filled with snacks, drinks, and a hat. Local organizations such as Hannaford, Shoprite, Adams, Village Grocery and Refillery, The Bruderhof, and Halfmoon Rondout Cafe donated breakfast, lunch and snack foods as did individual members of Kingston Sailing Club.

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Volunteers included US Sailing-Certified HRMM Instructors Betsy O’Toole and Lily Peacock, seen in front of the white board here, who presented an engaging introduction to sailing, including safety, parts of the boat and points of sail. ​Next, girls and mentors met their skippers and first mates. ​

Each sailboat was piloted by an experienced skipper and a skilled first mate, 90% of whom were women. The crews each welcomed an adult mentor and two or three girls, gave a quick safety briefing, and by 10:15 am, the boats headed out the Rondout Creek to the Hudson River. ​

Conditions were ideal with a nice, light breeze and mostly blue skies. Girls aboard each boat helped rig the boats, trim the sails, steer the boats and became comfortable with various roles on a sailboat.  Everyone enjoyed lunch al fresco. ​

Then participants helped de-rig boats and returned to shore., chatting excitedly about all they experienced. Then the girls decorated their hats and made some fantastic creations! Students enjoyed an ice cream cake provided by Kingston Sailing Club, and they wrapped up with a debrief session, where they shared what they learned, what they liked, and what they would like to learn next. 

Kati Haynes of Haynes Marketing did a beautiful job of photographing the event! Her photos illustrate this blog.  For more amazing photos of the day, click here.

Stay tuned for plans for AdventureSail 2024!