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.
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