Soaking in the Sun

Here is a picture of our group from the afternoon session this week. They didn't want to stop on the ramp to pose for pictures. As you can see, it was a beautiful day in Vinalhaven today. The wind was nice and steady at 10-12 knots and it was hot. I heard someone in town report a reading of 87 degrees. The afternoon bunch headed over to Old Cove on a longer journey. The morning crew got a real treat - arriving to find the 123' Windjammer - Grace Bailey anchored at the head of cove. Click here to find out more about this 19th century vessel.

I was happy to see Sarah and Marissa both show up this morning! They both came down with something at lunch yesterday and struggled to make it through the afternoon session. I was a bit worried that my suggesting they might need to sail with our large morning group gave them a sour belly. It is easy for me to sit back and think up "better" ways to do things, but we are really lucky to have two mature and thoughtful leaders to implement adjustments. Sometimes being new, it is easy to want to push to make changes - as a way to justify your leadership or to put some of your own identity into a program. I thought a lot about this on my ride home today. This can also endanger the important relationships between the past and the future in the growth of a program. Sarah and Marissa and others that have grown and grown up with Island Sail have already placed a great deal of identity into this program. As the new program director I am lucky to walk into a exceptional sailing program. I hope I can find a way to walk the fine line of growing a program and maturing its capacity and I hope that in time I will have made as much of a contribution as many have made before me. It is my goal to define a path that all those invested in the success of Island Sail strive to work by the simple principles that are at the heart of this program... Safety, Fun, and Continuous Learning.

It was such a beautiful day today! Here are a few pictures to prove it.