Summer is the perfect time to get out on the water and learn a new skill.
A Traverse City nonprofit is teaching kids the ins and outs of sailing.
Traverse Area Community Sailing is hosting days to get students to look up from their electronic devices and set sail on Boardman Lake.
We jumped on board to check out the program.
“This is a community based sailing program and we truly want it accessible to as much as the community as possible,” Ben Ferris, program director.
Giving everyone a chance to earn their sea-legs as captain of their own sailboat, especially kids.
“We do our basic things like learning boat parts then we progress to basic sailing skills like tacking and jibing,” says Ferris.
Making sure every skill learned is beneficial, including water safety.
“We teach them capsize recovery just in case the boat does capsize so they know how to react and what to do to do it safely,” says Ferris.
After three years with Traverse Area Community Sailing, Olin Kasperowicz still hits the water, learning skills and having fun every time.
“I’ve learned sportsmanship and definitely how to sail a sailboat better and a lot more of friendships,” says Kasperowicz. “It’s really fun.”
“You get to control your own boat, you can sail with your friends and it’s teaching you different aspects of sailing,” says Kasperowicz.
Showing off a program he loves and wants others to be a part of.
“We hope they leave with a pretty high self-esteem and their self-worth increases as their independence increases so by the end we have them sailing independently on their own,” says Ferris.
“They can go into the world and pass those traits and hopefully that confidence helps them in every day of their life,” says Ferris.
For information on sailing times and classes head to the website.
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