Sailing
 AHOY
MATIES!
There are three types of sailing opportunities for girls ages
11 and up who have at least a Red Cross Level IV swim card
or better or YMCA equivalent, and a GSSJC Safe Boating Test
certificate can attend. The three types offered by the GSSJC
Sailing Program are Mariner weekends, Instruction weekends
(including Aquatic weekends) and the Just Add Wind and Sails
(JAWS) weekends! Adults are always needed to help at any of
the weekends, contact the event leader to volunteer!
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| Instruction and Aquatic Weekends
are for girls and adults with the proper prerequisites to take
classes to learn how to sail or to enhance their sailing abilities
on the Sunfish sailboats, camp sloops, or off Council based
keeled sloops. Classes are also offered in lifeguard training,
first aid and CPR, babysitting, canoeing and a host of other
water related activities at the August Aquatic weekends. If
you want to learn how to sail and become a Mariner, the first
class you need to take is the Basic Sailing class held several
times a year for girls and for those adults wishing to help
volunteer with the sailing program. It is suggested that the
girls participate in a JAWS weekend to see what sailing is like.
Additional ratings for enhancing sailing skills are also offered
several times a year. Resident camp also offers opportunities
during the General Sail, Mates, and Seafarers sessions to obtain
the basic sailing certificate as well as the enhanced ratings.
Check page 49 for course offerings, dates, and prerequisites
for the spring sailing season. Check the resident camp brochure
for the summer camp offerings. Use the Program Registration
Form found in The Golden Link, and send the completed form along
with the proper fees to the Council registrar. Bring copies
of all your certifications, prerequisites, permission slips,
and medical forms with you to camp. Do not send them to the
Girl Scout Center. For more information contact Sarah Boyd at
sboyd@sjgs.org or 713-292-0269. |
Mariner weekends are for those girls who
have earned an ARC Basic Sailing certificate or an ARC Small
Craft Safety-Sailing certificate or GSSJC Seaman rating or
higher ratings. Activities on these weekends center around
sailing for fun but also include events like Mariner Dinner
Theatre, Mariner meetings, and a host of other activities
designed by the girls. Only girls who have obtained the “Mariner”
rating may attend these weekends. Check The Golden Link for
dates and specifics of the various weekends. The cost is $20
for the weekend. The girls need to use the Program Registration
Form found in The Golden Link and send it in to the Council
registrar with the proper fees. Be sure to bring your certifications,
permission slips, and medical forms with you to camp. (Do
not send them to the Girl Scout Center.)
Just Add Wind and Sails (JAWS) weekends
are designed for girls who meet the above swim and age requirements
with no previous sailing experience or ratings a chance to
sail at Camp Casa Mare on Sunfish sailboats and on camp sloops
skippered by Mariners (girls who have earned their ARC Basic
Sailing, GSSJC Seaman, or ARC Small Craft Safety-Sailing Rating
or above). Mariners may earn service hours for ratings advancements
by signing up for these weekends. Girls (non Mariners or Mariners)
may individually sign up for any JAWS weekend by sending the
proper information and fees ($20) to the event registrar on
a first come, first placed policy. The cost includes two nights
at camp, five meals, and sailing on Saturday and Sunday morning,
weather permitting. This is an individual event so all girls
must register independently, not as a troop. Check the schedule
in The Golden Link for dates and specifics and who to contact
for further information and who to send the registration information,
proper fees, and copies of all your certifications (swimming
and sailing). |