While the weather wasn’t favorable for its planned regatta, the rain and overly gusty winds did not in the least diminish the spirit of the participants and supporters of YSF Community Sailing Vero Beach (new name), who gathered at the Quail Valley River Club for their annual Rock the Boat fundraiser.

Proceeds from the evening, which included dinner, entertainment and a live auction, will help fund the educational, recreational and competitive sailing programs of the nonprofit. Founded in 2009 by Charlie and Chris Pope and Varoujan “Pops” Karentz to provide free beginner sailing instruction to local children, YSF has since expanded to include all ages, abilities and skill levels.

The YSF roster of more than 300 youngsters mirrors our community’s diverse demographics, with about half coming from underserved families, some 40 homeless children, and about 35 special needs sailors.

“This has been a very exciting year for us at YSF,” said Chris Drake, executive director, before thanking everyone for their support.

“What you’re supporting every year is an organization of people, coaches and instructors that go ahead and pass the knowledge of sailing on to these youth. Every one of these children are working hard to showcase their skills, abilities and potential for our program,” Drake added.

Clark Lewis, director of sailing, introduced a small sample of YSF sailors, who spoke about some of their favorite experiences.

• “My favorite part is sailing through the obstacles and challenges that come with sailing, like major gusts and wind shifts and waves that you were not expecting.”
• “Starting from the bottom and working your way up to the top.”
• “Winning races is pretty fun, but just sailing on the water is my favorite thing.”
• “My favorite part about sailing is the power of it. In the moment, it’s like the hardest challenge, but then you overcome it and it looks so beautiful.”
• “When I first started I definitely thought it was going to be hard because of my size, but then I realized it’s actually quite easy.”
• “I like when it’s going really fast, the boat starts to lean and then I enjoy just stretching out, and making it go really fast.”
• “I would say my favorite thing about sailing is just the self-confidence that you build.”

Additionally, YSF is raising funds for a capital campaign to build a Pat Harris Community Sailing Center and Charlie and Chris Pope Marine Recreational Park. YSF has operated from the spot, just south of the Alma Lee Loy (17th Street) Bridge, since 2012 on a long-term lease with the city and would continue to do so as part of the Three Corners Development.

“We are constructing a 100-year building that will stand up to hurricanes; both those spawned by nature and those created when 150 kids come streaming in twice a week all pumped up about sailing,” said Stu Keiller, project manager.

Keiller noted that Proctor Construction has been providing pro bono preconstruction services to the project, which will feature a large multipurpose meeting room on the second floor overlooking the lagoon. The ground floor will house an instructional center and repair shops to maintain the YSF fleet, which currently boasts 80 sailboats and 10 safety boats.

The mission of YSF is to eliminate cultural and financial barriers to sailing through its numerous programs, many of which are free to participants thanks to donations and grants.

For more information visit YSFIRC.org.

Photos by Joshua Kodis