Shipmate Fred Plouff (left) hoisted a sail with the help of some younger sailors aboard the Formidable, a 72-foot brigantine.
(Photos By David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)
For sailing students, a slightly larger vessel
Piers Park focuses on underserved, disabled children
Shipmate Fred Plouff (left) hoisted a sail with the help of some younger sailors aboard the Formidable, a 72-foot brigantine.
(Photos By David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)
Learning to ride on a ship as it leans steeply in a high wind was the first fear Andrew Carr conquered while learning to sail. The second and the third he cannot quite remember, said Carr, 15, but sailing “helps you overcome your boundaries.’’
His twin brother, Austin, agreed, “When you are out there on the water, you feel like you are free.’’
The pair have disabilities that keep them from most sports at school, such as football and basketball, but at the Piers Park Sailing Center they found their niche three years ago when learning to sail.
Yesterday, the center offered the Carrs and more than 100 other students a little something extra than their regular summer boating classes, a chance to apply what they have learned while aboard the 72-foot brigantine Formidable, one of the 45 tall ships that have sailed into Boston Harbor over the past three days.
“It was so high,’’ said 9-year-old Stephen Winthrop, who sailed on the ship yesterday, his eyes widening with excitement.
Winthrop is a year too young to sail under the program’s guidelines, but he is part of the center’s Harbor Explorers, which offers marine biology lessons to children under 10. Once they graduate, they can hit the water, instructors said.
For the past 10 years, Piers Park has provided free spring, fall, and summer sailing classes for underserved children in East Boston and its surrounding areas.
Those between ages 10 and 16 learn the parts of a boat, how to read the weather and the movement of the water, and how to sail.
But they learn on small Sonar boats that stretch about 24 feet wide. Yesterday’s event allowed children to apply their skills on a much larger scale, said Mat Rosa, the center’s executive director.
“They are not just going on tours,’’ Rosa said. “They are sailors at Piers Park.’’
Children boarded in groups of 40 yesterday for hourlong turns on the tall ship. They hoisted the ship’s sails, charted their course, and steered the brigantine. They also formed a look-out team to maneuver the ship safely across the busy harbor.
Teamwork required to sail a ship has helped Dominic Salvo of Revere cope with dyslexia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“It has really built up my confidence socially,’’ said Salvo, 18, who began as student at Piers Park and now works as a staff member. “I put all my energy into sailing.’’
The center’s programs primarily serve students from low-income backgrounds and with disabilities. The sailing dock and fleet of adaptive boats are all handicap accessible, said Maureen McKinnon-Tucker, director of the disabilities program.
McKinnon-Tucker, 44, won gold in the two-person sailing event at the Paralympic Games in Beijing last year and is training for the 2012 games in London.
“Sailing is particularly perfect sport for children with disabilities,’’ she said. “They can play and be involved in recreational activities with their friends and family with very little effort.’’
Some of the staff also have disabilities, allowing them to better understand their students’ needs, said McKinnon-Tucker, who has used a wheelchair since she was diagnosed with a spinal cord energy 14 years ago.
Austin said he feels welcomed at Piers Park, which he finds easy to get around. He also appreciates the opportunity to mingle with children of all ages and backgrounds, he said.
“You really get to know each other as a team,’’ he said. “When it is over, it is sad to leave.’’
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
