AdventureSail® Day June 29th 2024

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Hosted by Channel Islands Women’s Sailing Association (CIWSA), 

Channel Islands Yacht Club (CIYC), Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM), and Central Coast Ocean Adventures Foundation’s Tall Ship MYSTIC WHALER (CCOAF)

After months in the planning, the 3rd Annual Channel Islands Harbor AdventureSail® Day was a phenomenal success! We exceeded prior years’ attendance with 35 girls, ages 9-14, who would not otherwise have had the opportunity to go sailing, and their 29 accompanying adults. 

Two days before the event, 5 CIYC and CIWSA members gathered to finish the sailing knot practice cards and stuff the goody bags provided by Women’s Sailing Foundation/National Women’s Sailing Association. On Saturday, another wave of CIWSA, CIYC, and community volunteers, local skippers, crew, CIMM staff, and the Tall Ship MYSTIC WHALER Captain and crew[1]came together to create a multi-faceted day of sailing and adventure. 

In the morning, participants went to 3 separate locations – CIMM, MYSTIC WHALER, and CIYC. CIMM presented artwork representative of the ships and harbors of past centuries and highlighted 2 history-making women from the 1800s: 

- FLYING CLOUD navigator and wife of the captain, Eleanor Creesy, who broke her own record and held the world record for the fastest passage from New York to San Francisco from 1851 until 1989

 - Zheng Yi Sao, who inherited control of more than 1400 pirates in the Guangdong Pirate Confederation in the South China Sea when her husband died in the early 1800s

Capt Christine Healy and MYSTIC WHALER crew demonstrated the chain of command, teamwork required to maneuver a large schooner, and the life of a sailor in the mid 1800s. At CIYC they learned about modern sailing vessels, points of sail, how to tie a few knots, tides and tidepools, and Channel Islands National Park. 

In the afternoon, all went sailing! The majority sailed on MYSTIC WHALER, and others sailed on a variety of individual boats - including FLY AWEIGH, a 41ft cruising catamaran; NO COMPROMISE, a 35’ racing boat; CANIS MAJOR, a 30’ single-handed cruising sailboat; BANDALOOP, a J/24 (24ft) racing sailboat; SLOW POKE, a 23ft daysailor; and TURNING POINT, a 22ft daysailor.  They tried to rendezvous at Wes Mark, a local race buoy, but it was too far away and too close to the wind for some. 

At the end of an exciting day, CIYC prepared a taco bar lunch for all girls, guests, skippers, volunteers, crew, and cooks!  After lunch, several female captains and sailors gave brief descriptions of their sailing beginnings and STEM-related careers, which was followed by a raffle drawing for sailing-related items and 2 sailing camp scholarships.

With more than $2000 in donations from generous CIYC and CIWSA members and a few local businesses, we were able to fully fund the event, including snacks for breakfast and sailing, taco lunch for all, and t-shirts and other goodies for the girls, and we still have funds leftover for 2025!

After the event, Channel Islands Harbor Director, Michael Tripp sent us this email message: 

I just wanted to thank you all for putting on great program.  My niece told me about what an incredible time that she had, and all of the things that she learned.  I appreciate people that put on programs like this, that get youth down to the water and teach them about boating.

With community pride and heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers and donors!

Sincerely,

Cap’n Jane Thomas

CIWSA Commodore & CIYC Race Chair