The Nassau GuardianSend an emailAugust 25, 2022 187 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
It’s a wrap.
The Bahamas Sailing Association (BSA) has completed its summer sailing program which took place over the past six weeks at the Nassau Yacht Club.
Almost 60 children between ages of eight to 16 participated. The majority of them were students from a number of New Providence’s government schools and most of them had never sailed before. The feedback received from them was positive.
The summer camp is an introductory two-week course, teaching newcomers all the basic skills required to handle a sailboat. Each child was designated a boat which they sailed and looked after for the duration of the course. Once they acquired a basic level of competence, they were allowed to race against each other out in Montagu Bay, which is always a popular highlight of the course. The only entry requirement was that participants have basic swimming skills.
Several of them had so much fun, they repeated the course and had almost an entire summer of sailing, with many commenting that it was the best summer experience they ever had. They said they would certainly recommend it to their friends.
“It’s been tremendous to finally run our summer schedule since the last couple of years which have been badly affected by COVID restrictions, and it’s great to welcome so many new sailors to our program” said program head coach Paul de Souza.
A presentation was held on Saturday, August 20, with each sailor receiving a certificate of completion for the course. Regatta desk manager at the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources Barry Wilmott presented the certificates.
The BSA thanked Wilmott and his team for their continued invaluable support of its sailing programs. They also thanked LGM Maritime Academy, the Bahamas Charitable Giving Foundation and a host of private individuals who, through its ‘Sponsor a Child’ initiative, have made this and the year-round programs accessible to so many children who would otherwise be unable to afford the cost of attendance.
Quite a number of this year’s summer sailors have already signed up for weekly lessons with the BSA’s year-round program, which takes place after school and on Saturdays at the Nassau Yacht Club. The fall term commences on Saturday, September 3. Interested persons who want to register or receive further information are asked to contact the BSA at e-mail address bahjrsailing@gmail.com. Further information will be available on the BSA’s Facebook page and website www.bahsailingschool.org.