VERO BEACH — Countless boats cruise up and down the Indian River Lagoon every day, but almost without exception the person at the controls is an adult. Until now.
Thanks to a dedicated group of accomplished mariners, scores of boys and girls experience the thrill of capturing the wind in their sails through the Youth Sailing Foundation of Indian River County.
Formed three years ago, Youth Sailing Foundation volunteers are imparting their vast boating knowledge to a whole new fleet of eager young sailors – instilling in them an infectious enthusiasm for the sport they adore. The program has been so well-received that the group rapidly outgrew its original home at the Vero Beach Municipal Marina.
The City of Vero Beach recently stepped in to offer a lease at a well-suited new location by the foot of the Alma Lee Loy Bridge alongside the City of Vero Beach Water Treatment Plant.
Now, thanks to donations and copious sweat-filled hours of elbow grease to make the space habitable and functional, the organization is truly ready to set sail.
Board chairman Charlie Pope credits the success to a knowledgeable crew of volunteers, primarily from the Vero Beach Power Squadron, as well as encouragement from the Vero Beach City Council and City Marina.
They have also received significant support from the Moorings Yacht Club, which will soon start work on its fifth sponsored boat and is the host venue of the Youth Sailing Foundation summer sailing camp, and from the Sunrise Rotary Club and the Vero Beach Yacht Club.
“This is a real miracle; what Charlie’s pulled off,” said Sheila Marshall at the facility’s ribbon cutting ceremony.
The foundation teaches children, ages 6 to 16, how to sail and inspires independence by encouraging them to build their own one-person Optimist sailboats. The boats are assembled from pre-cut kits with plenty of adult supervision through an all hands on deck operation.
“When he described what he wanted to do three years ago, we just couldn’t imagine that he could pull it off,” added Marshall, whose husband George is a past commodore of the Moorings Yacht Club. “This building has advanced the project immensely. It’s so good for the children. It improves their self-confidence; they have a real skill. And it’s Charlie who deserves most of the credit.”
“It all started because a friend of ours, Varoujan Karentz, who is on our board of directors, was at the Yacht Club and asked about children’s programs there,” said Charlie Pope. “When he found out there was no sailing program, he came back and said we’ve got to start on it.”
Most similar organizations use fiberglass boats, which are double the cost, so the fledgling group opted to build wooden boats – but first had to find a source.
“It took us almost a year to build the first five,” he added, noting that the organization has evolved debt free, progressing only as funding allows. “We were just learning and getting underway.”
Optimist sailboats were first built 60 years ago in Clearwater, Fla., as Optimist International Club members, who generally compete in soapbox derby races, realized that boats were more practical for Florida.
“It was so popular, it spread all over the world,” said Pope, explaining that they follow international specifications for boat size and weight The ideal age for the Opti is between 7 and 15 – any younger and attention spans wane; older and they don’t fit under the boom.
“It does take brainwork, to see how to capture the wind, but it doesn’t take physical skills other than agility,” he said. “A lot of girls can do very well in this.”
“We have one child who has a congenital physical problem that keeps him out of basketball and football, but he does very well with what we’re doing,” added Charlie’s wife Chris.
The 28th Youth Sailing Foundation Opti is currently in the jig getting its final touches. The $1,600 cost to build or sponsor a boat includes everything needed to get it out on the water. Thanks to sponsors, the lessons and the use of 17 donated sailboats are available to all children in Indian River County.
“The Moorings have been very, very good to us,” said Chris Pope. “George O’Malley has been kind of a go-between for us. They offered us their facility for the summer camp which is wonderful. We have to charge for that, because we have to hire people to run it every day, but we give scholarships to children who can’t afford it.”
Campers increased during their first two years from 37 to 61, and they expanded from four to six-weeks; scholarships were awarded to 10 children last year.
“We all go to different schools,” said 15-year-old Yaelle Oliver at the ribbon cutting. “We probably would never have met. It’s nice because it brings us all together.”
“One of the things we advocate is that the children are from all different backgrounds,” said Chris Pope. “We have island kids sailing next to homeless kids. And they don’t know the difference; it’s wonderful.”
Power Squadron members have fully immersed themselves in the program – donating six boats and contributing an enormous amount of time, including as board members and instructors.
“Al Ebstein is our treasure and Dan Thomas is our director of education,” said Chris Pope. “We couldn’t do it without the Power Squadron; they’ve been amazing.”
Several advanced Opti sailors have graduated to larger two-person 420 fiberglass sailboats, generously donated by sailing buffs, and are learning skills to compete at the college level and beyond.
Safety is paramount in all they do, so while the 420s are excitingly fast, they also flip easily and are only used by experienced students.
“We also have two Trinka’s that were donated for teaching – interestingly enough they’re built in Vero Beach,” said Charlie Pope. “It’s a very forgiving boat to teach older beginner children or adults.”
Before actually sailing, all students must pass a swim test, followed by classroom instruction and land drills, and instructors in chase boats always accompany students on the water.
On land, students learn sailing basics, including knot tying and rigging assembly, and in the water participate in a capsize drill – learning how to tip the boat over and right it themselves.
“Sailing is a serious thing,” said Chris Pope. “The kids know that we’re giving them a wonderful opportunity, but we’re very stringent. They understand that there are certain things they have to do.”
With the new facility they hope to increase student numbers, and additional funding could allow them to eventually reach out to high school and college students and adults.
Licensed instructors – they currently have five – must complete a rigorous course, and are augmented by passionate seadogs.
Several of the older children who excelled in the Opti program have become junior instructors, riding in the chase boats and assisting the younger students.
“Two of our Opti students that are now 15 years old, volunteered the entire six-weeks at our summer camp at the Moorings,” said Charlie Pope.
“It’s just a great way to get away from everything,” said Noah Lanier, 14, a junior instructor and 420 racer.
His brother Cody, 11, unofficially crowned the “Opti Racer King,” is happiest when he’s racing. They have raced in regattas in other Florida cities, but on Dec. 15 hosted their first regatta, inviting competitors from the Treasure Coast Sailing Foundation in Fort Pierce.
“When you see the child actually get it, you feel like it’s all worth it,” said Chris Pope. “We’ve watched the children personally grow; it’s just amazing. They come out of their shells and become more confident. We’ve seen them acquire leadership skills. You see them growing physically, but you see their personalities develop and a good part of it is because of this program.”
“Vero Beach has been wonderfully supportive. There’s a lot of boaters in the area and they’ve been very generous. We’re determined to stay,” affirmed Charlie Pope “We’ve had people working very hard and we want to take it into the future for a long time.”