The Friends of the Maritime Museum in conjunction with community members have come together to organize a sailing club for 8th grade and high school students. Sailing activities will be at Gallants Channel, the site of the Friends’ Junior Sailing Program.
High School Sailing Club
By drawing from a pool of young sailors in Carteret County, the Club plans to represent our local secondary schools at regattas in the Southeast Region and one day at Gallants Channel. Any student can participate, including home-schooled students. If sufficient funds are donated, we will offer scholarships to students who could not otherwise afford to participate. Scholarships will be based on need, not on sailing ability.
The Vision
The High School Sailing Club seeks to initially raise $25,000 to develop competitive youth and high school sailing teams under the direction of Brent Creelman and the Board of Directors of the Friends. The Friends is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established to support the mission of the Maritime Museum in Beaufort. Donations are therefore tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
High school sailing is an established sport with a long tradition but has not been established in our area. The closest high school sailing programs in the area are in Wilmington, Oriental and the Raleigh area. By establishing a committee of volunteers and coaches who work closely within the established structure of the nonprofit, the club seeks to purchase racing practice boats to build their fleet for its student members. The vessel used for high school sailing is the C420. The 420 is a two-person sloop also used in collegiate racing. The club seeks to purchase boats through donations in order to help defray the costs of student participation.
Continued support of the program will be through business sponsorships, fundraising and dues which will be assessed to participants. Fundraising and program fees will be used for maintaining the fleet, buying new boats, making improvements to the infrastructure at the site where the vessels are kept, as well as funding registration and insurance through the Interscholastic Sailing Association. The long-range goal will be to purchase a fleet of race quality vessels that can be used for hosting regattas at the Gallants Channel site.
Why are we starting the High School Sailing Club?
- Complements the Maritime Museum’s Junior Sailing Program
- Meshes well with the educational system and its goals
- Offers a challenging sport that is age, gender and race inclusive
- Takes place in a desirable environment
- Fosters friendships
- Teaches teamwork
- Promotes tourism—regattas bring tourism dollars to the area and fill hotel rooms and vacation rentals
- Gives students the opportunity to sail and the ability to participate in a collegiate sport
- Enhances extracurricular opportunities and activities for local families and students
