It’s a summery Monday morning at the Rochester Canoe Club nestled on the western shore of Irondequoit Bay, and about a dozen students are getting ready for their first lesson in a weeklong beginners' course on sailing.
“I kind of like the science behind it,” said 17-year-old Adelaide Becker. “I was really big in physics my last year. And I think that's … what I'm going to end up studying next year. And it's interesting, kind of knowing how the wind works and what you have to do to make the boat go the right way, and how to get ... the fastest speed.”
Adelaide, a recent graduate of School of the Arts, is one of 22 scholarship students in this season’s Urban Youth Sailing Program.
In a lot of ways, these waters are an extension of her science classes.
“You have your worksheets and your labs, it's like: 'If you were on a sailboat, and you go,’ so I've done all these problems in my head. So now you're actually on the water, feeling it and seeing how it’s working in real life,” she said. “That's what helps me understand it.”
The nonprofit that runs this sailing program, Roc City Sails, recently received a $20,000 grant from the Rochester Area Community Foundation for the scholarship fund.
“It's something you can do lifelong, and it teaches so many things,” said Ralph Simpson, president of Roc City Sails. “You're out in the elements — the wind, the water. You're using the power of the elements to move the boat. There's so many variables.”
On top of the teamwork and leadership building that comes with learning the sport, Simpson said it lends itself to a deeper appreciation for the environment.
“No one wants to go sailing in a polluted bay or anywhere. So it's very important,” he said. “You know, sailors and boaters typically are very conscious of the environment and the impacts it has on water quality.”
As the students get a little farther out on the water in their two-person boats, head instructor Adam Gresner monitors them from a safety boat or “chase boat.” The 20-year-old is a third-generation sailor.
“Some of the most fun I've had is out on the lake in these boats,” Gesner said. “Usually when they say ‘small craft advisory,’ that's when I want to go out. And those are a lot of fun those days of going back and forth on the lake riding waves.”
Today, Gesner’s leading the group in an important first lesson — how to steer.
And how to capsize.
“That happens sometimes, and being able to get the boat back upright is a skill that if you're sailing alone, you should absolutely have,” he said.
From the shore, Gesner’s grandmother, Patty Thompkins, looks on. The 85-year-old is one of the most experienced sailors here, having sailed competitively for most of her life.
She’s seen her children and grandchildren learn to sail, and now, she said it’s rewarding to see her grandson teach the students the basics.
“Kids at that age very, very seldom have total control over anything in their lives'" Thompkins said. “And if they can learn to operate a sailboat as a beginner, that is something they're in control of. And that's a confidence-builder. And I think it's a very good experience for most of these kids to be able to do that, whether they continue it or not.”
For Adelaide, who is now soaked from capsizing practice, it’s also about new beginnings.
“It's just another good example of trying new things,” she said. “And you definitely find out that you might have a passion for something you didn't expect you did.”
