Kids get boatload of tips

Lindsay Sandham

Every Wednesday for the past six weeks, members of the Oasis Senior

Center Sailing Club have volunteered their time and expertise to

teach the fundamentals of sailing to 10 students from the KidScene

after-school program.

Wednesday marked the last meeting, and the students were all

awarded “Skipper Pro Tem” certificates. As a post-graduation gift,

their coaches will take them on an afternoon cruise June 15 aboard

Oasis II, the sailing club’s Sloop 30.

“I’m bummed the program’s over, but I’m excited to go sailing with

all of our captains,” 10-year-old Chad Hoffman of Costa Mesa said.

“Even if they are old, they’re really fun.”

Jim Gubser, Newport Beach city recreation coordinator, said the

his department tries to get children involved with seniors for

intergenerational programs.

Last year, kids from the program participated in a table-tennis

tournament with members from the senior center.

“We’ll try to do it once or twice a year,” Gubser said of the

six-week sailing course.

The students learned the basics -- including water safety and

basic sailing terminology -- using the city’s Lido 14 dinghies.

Tyler Carlin, 10, of Newport Beach, said the program was a lot of

fun and that other kids should be involved.

“It’s really nice to get out on the ocean,” he said, “instead of

watching TV.”

Since many of the students had limited sailing experience, the

program involved a good amount of onshore training, Gubser said.

But the students did get to do some sailing. Two students also had

an exciting finale, when their boat experienced some equipment

trouble during the last class.

“It was pretty scary; we almost sank,” Newport Beach resident

Ayrton Logan, 10, said. “I learned what to do in case the tiller

breaks.”

John Byerlein, commodore of the senior center’s Sailing Club, was

on the water with Logan and another student, when they discovered the

boat’s tiller was not working properly.

“We had to make a rudderless landing at a Lido Isle pier,”

Byerlein said. “The kids were alert and very helpful.”

Fortunately, Harbor Patrol quickly came to the group’s rescue and

towed them back to base.

Byerlein said the sailing course was successful, and he plans on

working with the recreation department to put on the program again in

the fall.

For information on the 105-member Oasis Sailing Club, visit

https://www.oasissailing. scyaweb.org. For information on the KidScene

after-school program, visit https://www.city.newportbeach.ca.us.