Youth Sailing on San Juan

   The new Summer Class schedule for Island Rec has hit your mail boxes. If you have not seen a copy then quick run to the post office or the Island Rec office and pick up your very own copy. The Summer sailing schedule is in there along with a few pictures of our classes.
 
   We are still looking for kids 8 and up to fill the classes. If you have grandkids coming for a week in the summer then here is a great chance for them to break away from the video games and be outside! Do you need to bust your own kids out of the summer "there-is-nothing-to-do" blues? Well this is their ticket to fun in the wind!

   Our sailing classes are half day or all day classes that teach the magic of sailing. There is truly nothing better then being the skipper of your own vessel and sailing the summer away.

   Look through the schedule below and pick the perfect weeks for you and your kids and sign up at the Island Rec office today.

Summer Class Schedule

Basic: June 16-20  • 10 - 1 p.m.
Percich Pond

Basic: June 16-20  • 2 - 5 p.m.
Percich Pond

Intermediate: June 23-27
10 - 4 p.m. • Jackson’s Beach

Women’s Class: July 11-13
9 - 4 p.m. • Percich Pond

Intro: July 14-18 •  10 - 1 p.m.
Percich Pond

Basic: July 14-18 • 2 - 5 p.m.
Percich Pond

Intermediate: July 21-25
10 - 4 p.m. • Jackson’s Beach

Intro: Aug. 4-8 •  10 - 1 p.m.
Percich Pond

Basic: July 14-18 • 2 - 5 p.m.
Percich Pond

Intermediate: Aug. 18-22
10 - 4 p.m. • Jackson’s Beach

Advance: Aug 25-29
10 - 4 p.m. • Jackson’s Beach

Double Handed District Championships

Story by Dez! Bridgmon reprinted from the San Juan Islander

posted 04/23/2008

This year's fleet racing districts, sailed in Vanguard 15s, was just as fierce as they have been in the past but two teams raced hard for the top. Both North Kitsap and Orcas Island left the field behind with low enough scores that the second day's rotation proved to be a nail-biting first-place win for North Kitsap.

Snow hit with a mean streak on Saturday morning, bringing on talk about changing weekends and venues for the 2008 Double Handed District Championships held April 19 and 20 in Friday Harbor. The weather was beating up the shore with temperatures dropping low enough that snow flakes were looking like "Cherry Blossoms" falling.

The sailors started to wonder if Mother Nature had different plans for the weekend. This was only the second weekend during the 2008 sailing season to have snow, the first was Island Cup on Orcas Island, just a mere month ago, but the winds were perfect at 10-15 knots.

The first few races went off without a hitch in the blowing cold. The sailors were surprised by the change in weather just a couple hours later. Spring arrived! The sun pushed through just as the Varsity and Junior Varsity courses were rearranged. Eleven teams from around the Northwest District fought tough to be the next District Champs.

Sunday morning started clear and warm. During the day the wind shifted from blowing cold out of the north to a warmer breeze out of the south leaving one race with a 180 degree wind change, making for a challenging race for those not watching the shifts.

The final results after the second round robin left the standing results of first place North Kitsap with 61 points, with a separation of only five points was Orcas Island with 66 points. Bainbridge rounded off the top three with 101 points with Lincoln in fourth with 137.

Kingston was in fifth with 141 points. The racing was close between the next four teams were a point spread of 8 points was the only thing that separated them. Port Townsend sailed into sixth with 163 points. St. Mary's was close with 166, Friday Harbor had 168 points and Mercer Island finished 9th with 171 points. As new teams to the district Central Kitsap finished 10th with 179 and Anacortes wrapped up the Varsity fleet with 233 points.

"A huge THANK YOU and a TUB OF GRATITUDE goes out to all the people who donated time, energy and resources for the operation of the best District Regatta that we have ever hosted. In the past 6 years our team has had the chance to host this incredible event but this year was by far the most put together and laid out that we have ever seen and the food was AWESOME!! Thanks to all." - The Sailing Foundation Board

Click on the ads for more information on each event that is sponsored by the SJISF

SJISF Boat Sponsorship Program   

   Getting kids in boats is what the San Juan Island Sailing Foundation is all about.  For nearly two decades we have facilitated sailing lessons for island youth, teaching as many as 100 young sailors a year.  We have watched fellow islanders from eight years old to senior citizens learn to sail, improve their skills and decision making, progressing into important folks in their community. 

    Many of our high school sailors have become leaders on their college sailing teams.  While still in high school they sail in national level regattas and start giving back to the community by becoming sailing instructors for the summer classes.  We have been doing this since 1982 and in that time have built a fleet with a replacement value of more than $100,000.00. 

    The San Juan Island Sailing Foundation (SJISF) is the non-profit organization which owns the sailboats, safety boats, floats and related equipment used by islanders to provide sailing classes on San Juan Island each summer.  The Foundation also supports and provides equipment for the high school sailing team.

    Needless to say, this requires significant financial commitment.  And that is what we are asking from you now.  We are seeking company sponsors to help support the fleet.  For a $250.00 annual contribution we will display your company’s name on the side of the bow of a Vanguard 15 sailboat for one year.  You will also receive a picture of “your” boat sailing suitable for display at your business.  Please contribute today and keep island youth sailing.

For more information contact:
Scott Boye at 360-378-8548 or fhsailcoach@hotmail.com

Partnership with the
Friday Harbor Sailing Club

   This Spring the San Juan Island Sailing Foundation will be hosting a four week race series that will run the last two weeks of May and the first two weeks of June on Thursday nights after work.

   Around 5:30 p.m. the community is welcome to come to the Net Shed at Jackson's Beach and sail in the Vanguards. We are opening up more time in the boats for people who have a membership or who are interested in learning more about sailing or the Sailing Foundation. The idea was sparked by a conversation with a member of the Friday Harbor Sailing Club and makes a perfect fit for the Foundation. "We have the boats and the time why not put more people in them." says Nigel Oswald of the SJISF.

   The race course will be set and the wind should be right, so after sailing team practice and before it gets dark we will hold a series of fast paced races that will have a minimal charge. If you are not a member your first week will cost you a Sailing Foundation membership of $60 which covers you for the entire series. If you are a current member then it will $30. If you are not a sailor and are interested in learning to sail then grab a high school team member and hitch a ride with them. We are open for the opportunity to get more people out on the water and share our passion of sailing.

“Greatness is not in where we stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but sail we must, and not drift or lie at anchor.”                       -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

2008 Sailing Team  

   The season may be over but the work is just beginning. We worked hard this year competing against some of the best teams in our District and we have found that we need a lot more work to be the best.

  For  now we are putting the Vanguards away and breaking out the Lasers. We are hoping to build skills and understanding while single handing and getting ready for the Wind Clinic in July at the Gorge the Cressy Cup this fall in Oregon and the National Regatta in Great Oaks in New Orleans.

  We are also attempting to put together a six week clinic that will help us and the community understand the Rules and Tactics for Team Racing. There will be chalk talks and time on the water in the Vanguards. If you are interested in learning more please contact Coach Dez! so you maybe included on the fun.

Come watch us sail Tuesday and Thursdays at Jackson’s Beach!

SJISF Membership 

   Everyone on the Board of the San Juan Island Sailing Foundation wants to thank all of our supporters. Over the years we have had faithful memberships come in and the support of the fund raising opportunities. This year with all the new changes with in the Foundation we are also changing the way we take in our memberships and the price you will pay. Check out the web site for more information on the changes that have been proposed and accepted.

   The San Juan Island Sailing Foundation is a non-profit organization that exists only by the generosity of its members. The San Juan Island Sailing Foundation expects that its members be up-to-date and current with all of its members dues. We will do are best to send out current and up-to-date information to all our members that include renewal information and information about other ways that all the members can give. If you have any questions or want more information regarding membership then please email us at sailing@sanjuansailing.org.
  
  All San Juan Island Sailing Foundation members in return will have a membership that will last one year, each member will be invited to all the special events that will be held on behalf of the Foundation and will receive “Soundings” by mail and by news flash updates through the email. Each member will have the chance to use the whole fleet of boats that the Foundation has by joining other members for a series of classes that are provided by the partnership of the SJISF and Island Rec, or by joining other members in regattas that will be held weekly through the summer at Jackson’s Beach. You all will be helping to support the future of the SJISF and the future of sailing here on our island. We appreciate your support and will be periodically sending out tokens of our appreciation.
   To learn how you can help click on the link: SJISF Memberships

Are you a teenager looking for a fall sport to play? Wanna try sailing?
Let us know if you are interested in a fall sailing class!

We are eagerly looking for young adults to fill the class. For more information contact Peter Risser or Coach Dez!
at 360-378-5448 or sailing@sanjuansailing.com. Check back this summer for the final details
Pass on the Passion

If you know of anyone that would like to try out our newsletter then pass this on to them or refer them to our web site were all the past and present letters are posted. We are also posting the monthly minutes from our meetings too so they can keep up with all the news. Check out our calendar of events, look for our class schedule and check in on our San Juan Island Sailing Team. It is all right here. SJISF Home

If you are receiving this email it is because you are a member or board member of the San Juan Island Sailing Foundation, or it has been passed on to you. If you would like to be deleted from the mailing list then please contact us right away so that your email address can be removed. If you are getting this passed to you and you wan to receive more of the updates then please sign up as a new member to the San Juan Sailing Foundation so that your subscription can start right away.