Life on the water
Junior sailing program returns to Summerside after hiatus
Anyone who has spent any amount of time along the Summerside waterfront this summer has probably noticed them.
Small, white, sailboats skittering across the surface of the bay, chasing each other, racing, and generally having fun. The Summerside Junior Sailing program returned to the water this summer after a oneyear hiatus. Nicolas Graham found himself charged with rebuilding the program after he approached the Summerside Yacht Club in the spring. A long-time sea cadet, sailor and boating instructor, Graham, originally from Charlottetown, has a life-long love of being on the water. He previously taught sailing in Nova Scotia but is now attending Holland College in Summerside.
With the yacht club just next door to the college, he ventured over one day to see about volunteering for their junior sailing program, if they had one. When he found out the program had not been in operation for more than a year, he asked if he could get it going again. Looking back, he’s happy with how the summer went. He went from one student in the beginning to 12 by the end of the program, which was Friday.
“It was excellent,” said Graham. “When we got more students it was a blessing, I was really happy. It’s really hard to keep students interested constantly. It’s more fun to have more than one boat in the water.”
Junior sailing teaches kids and teens everything they need to know to pilot a small sailboat and a lot about water safety.
“Mostly it’s to be comfortable on the water and to set you up with the skills to keep learning,” said Graham.
“It’s so that if you were to go out on your own you could sail around and have a fun time.” Maiya Schmidt liked the program so much that she’s considering switching from air cadets to sea cadets. “(Graham) taught me a lot about sailing, and I really enjoy the water in general,” said Schmidt.
“And if there’s ever a bad situation, I know my way around a boat.”
Aiden Little is already a sea cadet and wants to advance in that organization so he joined the junior sailors. He’d recommend it to any young person looking to add to their skill set. “It’s really fun,” said Little. As for whether the junior sailors will return next summer, that has yet to be confirmed. Graham is hopeful he’ll be able to come back as an instructor, but can’t commit just yet.
Anyone interested in participating in the junior sailing program next year or volunteering their time with the program can contact the Summerside Yacht Club.