Take the Boats to the Kids

Kame Richards has always been looking for ways to introduce sailing to children in the Elementary and Middle School age group. In the past that's meant finding a community boating facility like Treasure Island Sailing Center that had training boats and getting the kids out in them. There are logistical issues with moving the kids to the facility and adaptation issues of kids on the water for the first time. That's about to change. He's looking to take the boats to the kids in an environment that they know. Take a look at Kame working on the prototype of his "land sailer" and taking it out for it's first test sail with a junior skipper. He's taken an El Toro hulls along with the mast, boom, tiller and rudder, and bolted on two wheels up near the mast and modified the rudder to bolt on two steering wheels on the back. The kids trim the sails and use regular tiller to steer the boat around the school yard. Here's what he thinks the kids can learn from this experience: * you can move something using only the wind for fuel * you can only sail in directions the wind will let you go you have to tack and gybe to get to different destinations * you can't see the wind, so you have to figure out which way it is blowing * changing the trim of the sail changes how fast you go * it matters where you sit * you can do it all by yourself you are responsible for everything that happens to the boat because you are the only one there * in a real boat, there is no fence around the school yard Kame is part of the Youth Sailing Initiative of GoSailingSF.org Kame is currently looking for donations of stout, heavy El Toros (single person prams) that can be converted to land-sailers. You can contact Kame at: info@pineapplesails.com