Proposed Community Sailing Use
While community sailing programs bring many young sailors into our sport, through dinghies such as Optimists or 420s, and then perhaps small keelboats such Sonars, Rhodes 19s, or J22s, rarely do they offer the next step: truly offshore capable boats and programs. Thus there is a gap between that dinghy training, and the sailing one might do as an adult, for coastal cruising or racing, or perhaps offshore cruising or racing. COSC aims to provide the opportunity for community sailing programs to offer an additional program to fill that gap.
There are several ways for a community sailing program or a yacht club junior big boat program to use the boats.
The “SailMaine” Model
This model was developed with the ideas of SailMaine: to create a 6 week, mostly weekend training program (so that students could hold summer jobs), culminating in an offshore overnight race as a motivational objective. For SailMaine, this race is the Monhegan Island Race, 141 NM. SailMaine successfully raced two Figaro 2s with junior sailors aboard in both 2021 & 2022.
Yacht Club Junior Big Boat Program
Noroton YC, Stamford YC, and Indian Harbor YC have each incorporated a Figaro 2 into their ongoing Junior Big Boat programs. These programs have run during weekdays, with some evening training as well, and the proximity of the three clubs to each other has allowed training together.
Community Boating Center, New Bedford, MA
Taking 2 Figaro 2s in mid-April, CBC started right in with their first offshore overnight experience being the 100 nm Whalers’ Race. CBC also helped COSC with the delivery of 2 Figaro 2s from western Long Island Sound to Padanaram, MA, as the first leg for those boats to go to Courageous Sailing Center in Boston, MA. CBC incorporated the delivery as an additional program within their offshore use of the Figaros. A hundred mile spinnaker run with bioluminescence was impactful for these young sailors. No one ever forgets their first night at sea under the stars!
Courageous Sailing Center, Boston, MA
In July, Courageous Sailing Center took two Figaro 2s to begin a junior offshore program. Starting with learning maneuvers aboard bigger boats than their Rhodes 19s, CSC adds another fantastic community sailing program to our roster this summer.
Fundamental Topics:
1. Man-Overboard
2. Radio Communications
3. Navigation
4. Safety at Sea
5. Offshore Medical
6. Log-Keeping & Watch-Keeping
7. Engine Maintenance
Advanced Topics:
1. Weather-Routing
2. Anchoring & Towing
3. Maintenance at Sea
4. Nutrition & Sleep
5. Abandon Ship
6. Rules of the Road
7. Lights at Night