History:
2016 – Inaugural single week-long session held at a local waterfront community for 6 area youth, using leased MacLaughlin SailCube Opti style trainers.
2017 – First full seven week-long session season program sailing from Hutchins Park through cooperation with the Municipality of Havre de Grace. A total of 59 students completed the Program, led by US Sailing Certified Instructors under Maryland oversight as a day camp using SailCubes and Optimist prams.
2018 – Second seven-session season sailing from Hutchins Park and using additional donated access to commercial space adjacent to the park for boat storage and maintenance. The Municipality of Havre de Grace improved Hutchins Park docks to benefit our camp and other waterfront recreational activities. 138 campers completed our program, with scholarship support being awarded to 19 campers, using community donations and foundation support provided specifically for that purpose. The instructional fleet expanded to include Lasers, C420’s, Hunter Xcites, Optis, and SailCubes.
2019 – Third seven-session season using the same Hutchins Park venue as prior years. Our program served 163 campers and awarded various levels of scholarships to 24 campers, funded again by community donations and foundation support. We also started a performance sailing program using C420’s and Lasers and competing in buoy-course racing with the local Lightning fleet.
2020 – Our fourth season was directly affected by COVID virus isolation and community spread mitigation compliance. Camp was cancelled for this season. We kept in close contact with campers and camper families through social media to preserve interest as we built plans for the next season.
2021 – Our fifth seven-session season using the Hutchins Park venue, augmented by support from adjacent businesses helping with logistics and boat storage. The Municipality of Havre de Grace made significant improvements to the docking capability at Hutchins Park and allowed us to use the new capability along with the public at large. The program served 202 campers and awarded various levels of scholarships to 23 campers, funded by community donations and private foundation support. Our Performance Sailing Program sailed two week long sessions using C420’s and Lasers and competed in buoy-course racing among themselves and with the local Lightning fleet.
2022 through Present – Our recent seasons sailed using the Hutchins Park venue with support from adjacent businesses helping with logistics and boat storage. US Sailing Level I Certifications takes place annually in June to certify developing local candidates. The program serves approximately 240 campers annually and awardes various levels of scholarships to financially qualified campers as funded by community donations and private foundation support. Our Performance Sailing Programs sail two sessions, each of 2 week length using C420’s, Lasers, and Optis.
