Junior SeaKeepers 24-25 Youth Sailing Workshop

Overview

On Saturday, March 8th, 2025, The International SeaKeepers Society's Education and Outreach team hosted 10 of our 25 Junior SeaKeepers from the 24-25 cohort for a field experience learning about the skills of sailing and the benefits of youth sailing programs with the help of our partners at Miami Yacht Club.

Our day began with an introductory discussion from Florencia Barletta, the Sailing Director at Miami Yacht Club, who gave participating Junior SeaKeepers some insight into the different skills they would be learning, as well as a rundown of our weather conditions for the day. Participants were then introduced to the youth sailing instructors at Miami Yacht Club who would be the primary vessel captains and teachers for the workshop. From there, participating students split into three groups and climbed aboard some of MYC's Hobie Cat catamaran-style sailing vessels that are regularly used for their youth sailing lessons and youth sailing summer camps. For the next two hours, we explored Biscayne Bay around Miami Yacht Club learning the different terminology and tactics needed when operating a sailing vessel of any size. Students were able to identify the main sail, jib, mast, and rudders, and were given an opportunity to see what types of strategies and decisions are needed in order to successfully captain a sailing vessel without capsizing. Participating students were even given an opportunity to sail the boats themselves, keeping in mind the wind direction in order to sail in the correct path.

By attending field outings and floating classrooms, Junior SeaKeepers can take lessons they are learning from webinars, workshops, and cleanups and apply them directly to the local natural environment. In this bonus experience, we hope students were able to better understand the values behind the sailing community and some of the sailing vessels we work with here at SeaKeepers. As always, we aim for students to leave experiences with us with a better understanding of how their everyday choices impact the world around them, and, therefore, how their conscious actions every day can create a better natural world for their future.