There is a Year-Round sailing program in the Outer Banks for the first time at Hatteras Community Sailing in Buxton. Something for everybody is the theme this Summer! For our local youth ages 6 – 18, there are beginner, intermediate, and advanced weekly sailing classes. For Island Visitors, weekly 5-day Cape Explorer Camps run from 9 to 1 pm Monday through Friday. For Adults, there are opportunities to sail on the 27 ft Stiletto Catamarans and a weekly chance to sail as a crew with our experienced coaches and junior sailors to hopefully, someday soon, become a skipper! For everyone young and old–great social opportunities to foster and build new friendships. All information is at hatterassailing.org. Registration for the local junior’s summer session one program ends this weekend.
So why get involved in sailing? Here is our top ten list of reasons!
1) It’s outside on the water!
2) If you live on Hatteras, you are surrounded by water, making sailing accessible.
3) When sailing, you are entirely powered by nature which is a rare thing to find in today’s world.
5) It can lead to college involvement on collegiate varsity teams! Many colleges, universities, and academies have sailing teams, including UNC Wilmington.
6) Sailing jobs are fun. It’s hard to ever go back to an office job! The sailing industry involves cutting-edge technology, adventure, and well-paying jobs.
7) The best in the Sport of Sailing comes from a small pool of talent compared to football, baseball, soccer, and basketball, so your chances of being a professional competitor are more significant than in mainstream sports.
8) Hatteras has world-renowned wind and sea resources. In addition, Hatteras is home to one of the few Secondary Schools on the water with a beach and docks for sailboats.
9) Sailing is an individual and team sport. There are several boats you can sail by yourself, like the opti or laser. There are also two-person boats like the 420 and FJ. Or multi-person teams like the Volvo Ocean Race or Americas Cup.
10) Sailing nurtures many character-building traits, such as independence, the spirit of adventure and exploration, sportsmanship, critical thinking, self-confidence, humility, self-reliance, and respect for nature and the ocean.
Hatteras Sailing is a local nonprofit organization. It was formed to offer local youth equal sailing and maritime training opportunities. We hope to build a community that is competitive and comparable to programs found in places like Wilmington, Norfolk, Annapolis, Charleston, Beaufort, Newport, RI, and other notoriously great sailing communities with similar maritime-based economies. While great wind, waves, and water are essential, it is critical that quality coaching and education are accessible, affordable, and enjoyable to the community on a year-round basis. If you also believe this is important for Hatteras Youth, your support is vital in making this program sustainable.
