Alcyone Sail Training

Thursday, September10th a number of local boats will be sailing in company
off the Port Townsend waterfront to raise money for the local youth sailing
team. For a $100/ person donation, you can join a vessel as a guest/crew for an
afternoon sail. It is a wonderful opportunity to experience the Port Townsend
waterfront from the water, to sail on and with some great boats, and to support
the local youth sailing team (all of the money raised goes directly to the
program).

The vessels will be boarding at a variety of locations at 2:30 PM on Thursday,
September 10th then meeting off the waterfront to enjoy an afternoon of sailing.
Some of the vessels will be docking at Hudson Point after the sail as they begin
the weekend festivities for the Wooden Boat Festival, others will be returning to
their docks. For locals Thursday afternoon is often thought of as the best day
of the festival. The boats are all arriving and it is a great time to view the vessels
before the weekend rush.

The boats that so far have volunteered to join in the sail are Martha, Grail,
Alcyone, Annie Too, Erin, Crusoe, Lotus, Sumatra, and Pleiades. The
vessels will carry three to six guest/crew depending on their size. It is up to the
discretion of the captain if the sail needs to be cancelled due to the weather
conditions. Rescheduling would have to be worked out between the vessel and
their guest/crew.

The Port Townsend High School Sailing Team is supported by the Northwest
Maritime Center/Wooden Boat Foundation, YMCA, parents and you. The team
is affiliated with the Port Townsend High School and competes in the
Northwest District of the Interscholastic Sailing Association. Now finishing their
third season, the team competed in eight regattas this season. Youth ages 13
thru high school seniors are welcome to join; this year there are sixteen very
active sailors. We have five graduating seniors, but there are a number of
promising junior sailors moving up to take their places. The team started
practicing in mid-February braving some pretty cold and blustery weather. This
program is works well and is important because it gives youth an opportunity to
have access to boats (practicing three days a week and regattas most weekends
in March and April), to hone their sailing skills, and to learn racing tactics under
the supervision of a group of dedicated coaches. The crews race in Vanguard
15s. If you can't make the sail, but would still like to donate to the team, any
amount would be appreciated.

For more information about joining the fundraising sail, call Martine Gibbons at
(360) 385-2043. Please, because of the coordinating involved, get in touch
early. Thanks for your support!

You have call and made arrangements to join a vessel (it is necessary to
check that there is still room on the boat and that the boarding
arrangements work for you) or if you just want to make a donation click here
for a registration/donation form.