Grooming the next generation of sailors

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
Youth sailing has followed the same path as other sports with increased coaching and intensity, which has led to attrition as kids either quit because of the heightened competition, or because they never got introduced to sailing opportunities beyond the youth bubble.

However, don’t blame the coaches as most are products of the system and don’t know any better. And don’t blame the parents as they are drinking the Kool-Aid that has been handed them. But if the primary focus of youth programs is not to instill a lifelong love of sailing, club leadership is to blame.

Thankfully, there are always exceptions which offer promise, with Mac deTuro sharing this recent experience:

“I flipped 14 times today!” Words never spoken by a junior sailor before, at least not with the ear-to-ear grin worn by my 11-year-old son coming back to shore after the third and final day of racing at the 2024 O’pen Skiff North American “Un-Regatta” on April 19-21 in August, GA.

Although I had appreciated the O’pen Skiff mantra of ‘Bailing is Cancelled’ it was not until this moment that I realized how significant it is. You see here in the skiff class, the capsize is embraced, so much so that in-between races the fleet of nearly 80 boats competed in a Red Light – Green Light capsize game.

Yes, you read that right, a GAME where the kids willingly capsize their boats repeatedly and come back to shore with a smile! This is in stark contrast to other boats where such antics would risk the kids longing for the good ol’ days of kicking the black and white ball around a field.

This is what the O’pen Skiff class is about; it is in the DNA of the event as illustrated in the NOR O’Pen Skiff Attitude statement: “It is our goal that the sailors improve their skills, make new friends, exhibit first-class sportsmanship, and have a ton of fun.”

If you are nurturing a junior sailor of your own and struggling to ignite the spark that I know everyone reading this has, do yourself a favor and give some consideration to the O’pen Skiff class as another sail in your kid’s inventory. Don’t just take it from me, take 5 minutes to watch the Un-Regatta videos to see what Nevin Sayer (and Dasher) are doing to groom the next generation of sailors in the USA.