The term rock the boat had a decidedly positive connotation Friday at an inaugural Rock the Boat fundraising dinner, chaired by Ali Schlitt, to benefit the Youth Sailing Foundation. A sold-out crowd of 133 guests navigated to the Marsh Island Clubhouse to enjoy a delightful evening while raising funds to enable local youth to learn skills that will last a lifetime.
Guests watched the crescent moon rise over a gorgeous rosy sunset while sipping cocktails and listening to the always entertaining band, The Landsharks. Inside, others perused long tables of silent auction items before sitting down to a delicious buffet dinner by Jasmine of Vero.
“These kids have learned so much,” said board chairman Pat Harris. “These kids have learned self-confidence, self-reliance, decision-making, leadership, and we’ve even now introduced STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) curriculum into the sailing. It’s really grown so much. It’s pretty exciting stuff.”
He said their fleet now includes more than 30 small wooden Optis (Optimist sailboats) for children ages 9 to 13, 20 Club 420 (4.2-meter) two-person racing boats for high school students, plus additional sailboats for adult sailing, and they now have a full-time sailing director, Gary Griffith.
Two high school teams have been formed: the 2-year old Vero Beach High School Sailing Team now has 45 participants, and the Indian River Charter High School Sailing Team, which started this fall, has 12 participants. A number of the high school students have come up through the ranks and are now instructing beginning children.
“Youth Sailing programs are completely free. The foundation provides instructors, the fleet, the equipment all free to the kids,” said Harris, as a lead-in to auctioneer John Moore.
In addition to a live auction featuring some desirable items and a rather unusual pachyderm “souvenir,” Moore led a “Raise the Sails” paddle pledge to help cover the program cost of $500 for one child to participate for one full year (two semesters).
“One of the things about Youth Sailing is that while the focus has been on youth, there is a whole other element that has evolved over and above the youth sailing part of it,” said longtime supporter Sheila Marshall. “There are about 100 volunteers on any given day; often men who no longer have a boat but still want to putter about and work on them. It’s like a senior sailors club. You’ve got to keep the boats working and they’re doing their part; doing whatever needs to be done.”
“It’s my Thursday morning day job. I’ve always been a sailor,” said volunteer Bill Lane, a 35-year Star Class sailor whose grandchildren now sail Optis. “It’s fun to have a program down here that the kids are getting into. It’s a wonderful program for them.”
“I do hope we’re opening the door to a lifetime of sailing,” said Griffith. Dispelling the myth that sailing is strictly an elitist sport, he spoke about the diversity of the participants, who come from all backgrounds and abilities and whose lives are being improved for the better – on and off the water.
