Smooth sailing for Sandpoint area youth
Fourteen area youth, sailors the lot of them, pose with class instructors on Thursday, the fourth day of a learn to sail class this week in Sandpoint. (Photo by ERIC PLUMMER)
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
—Mark Twain
SANDPOINT — It was a vintage Sandpoint summer day on Thursday as 14 area youth, who three days prior had little to no experience, hoisted up the sails and left Windbag Marina in five Holden 14’s and cruised around Lake Pend Oreille near City Beach.
It was a fitting end to a four-day program put on by the Sandpoint Sailing Association and Sandpoint Parks and Rec, where kids 8-14 years-old learned the fine art of sailing.
“The biggest thing is watching how fast they catch on,” said Tony Hayes, one of five instructors on hand to lend their expertise. “Most have never been on a sailboat before and after three hours they’re out there sailing.”
In four two-hour sessions, Hayes, Ed Katz, Dave Reseska, Bruce Robertson and Ivan Rimar taught the class the rudimentary skills needed to navigate the open water. Monday was nothing but dry land instruction, Tuesday the kids went on boats with instructors, and Wednesday and Thursday they were left to sail on their own, with a committee boat and chaser boat nearby for observation.
It was the second year of the class, made possible by a lot of behind-the-scenes hard work and a couple generous donations. Every Wednesday night from November to March, members of the Sandpoint Sailing Association would meet to work on the boats, making sure they were seaworthy. Last year Seasons at Sandpoint donated $5,000 worth of sails, and this year the Coeur d’Alene Sailing Association donated $4,100, with a stipulation that the money be used for youth sailing.
Rimar, who is the Commodore of the Sandpoint Sailing Association, has an abvious passion for sailing and is thrilled to see the next generation of sailors learning the requisite skills.
“To live in Sandpoint and not exploit the sailing venture is like not skiing at Schweitzer; it’s like why?” pondered Rimar. “We want to see people taking advantage of sailing, especially kids.”
The Sandpoint Sailing Association meets every Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Windbag Marina, and anyone interested in the sport is welcomed to come by and try to catch a ride.