Sailing away

Deirdre Newman

When Beth Arnesen’s mother suggested sailing lessons for the summer,

the 11-year-old wasn’t enthused.

“I [didn’t] really think it would be that fun because I [didn’t]

really think sailing was that fun,” Beth said.

But that changed on the fourth day of her beginning sailing class

with the city of Newport Beach.

The class is a family affair for the Arnesens. Beth’s twin brother

and sister are also learning how to sail.

The city offers four classes every summer -- beginning and next

step classes are in 8-foot sabots and sailing & tennis and

recreational sailing are in 14-foot Lido 14s. In the beginning

classes, the students learn enough to be able to take the boats out

by themselves, although they go out in pairs during the class, said

Cari Peets, an independent contractor for the city who coordinates

the sailing classes.

Both locals and children staying in the area for the summer attend

the classes.

“Even the local children are so fortunate to participate in a

program where they can use city-owned boats and get a feel for it,”

Peets said. “We’re so fortunate to live in an area where there’s so

[many] recreational opportunities.”

The students learn nautical skills such as rigging the boat,

tacking and jibing. They also learn about the different points of

sail. The session is eight days over two weeks and, on the last day,

the students celebrate with summer snacks and sandcastle contests.

Eight-year-old Olivia Smith from Corona del Mar was the only girl

in the tennis and sailing class. While she didn’t enjoy “always being

stuck with the boys,” she said she learned a lot about the basics of

both sports.

“It’s just fun,” Olivia said about sailing. “You get to capsize

the boat and stuff.”

Scott Andrews, 18, is teaching sailing classes for the second year

this summer and said he enjoys seeing the kids make such fast

progress.

“The first day, they have no idea what the different parts of the

boat are,” Andrews said. “By the end of the session, they know the

parts and how to sail.”

On the last day of the session, Jenna Scott, 11, said she felt comfortable to sail solo.

“I wanted to learn how to sail by myself,” Jenna said. “I learned

how to rig, unrig, how to steer and how to do the different things

when you’re turning.”

* SUMMER LEARNING is a weekly feature in which the Daily Pilot

visits a summer camp in the Newport-Mesa area and writes about it.