On July 31, the Storm Trysail Club held its first Junior Safety-at-Sea Program in New Jersey, with Raritan Yacht Club in Perth Amboy serving as the local host.  The program was attended by twelve teens and three adult supervisors from four clubs (Raritan, Keyport, Richmond County, and Mantoloking).  STC was represented by member/instructors Rich du Moulin, Bob Behringer, and Kelly Robinson.  Additional support for the program was provided by: PHRF Mid-Atlantic; the North Jersey YRA; Marine Safety Corporation of Wall, NJ; and, the Jamie Boeckle Foundation.  PHRFMA President Chris Petracco and MSC representative Joe Richter also helped out as instructors.

As has been common with these programs on their first try, attendance was small.  Despite this, the curriculum was essentially identical to larger programs such as those at Larchmont and Annapolis.  Thanks to some flexible scheduling to avoid thunderstorms, all sessions, including on-the-water drills and dockside demonstrations were completed successfully.  The kids—a majority of whom had little or no big boat experience—did a great job.  Boats used in the program were donated by Raritan YC members and included my Olson 911, Poppy, and the two-time Bermuda Race winner, Sinn Fein.

There is a strong growth potential for this venue.  As a result of this first effort, the event organizers were able to establish close relations with several junior programs that can serve as a basis for future recruiting.  There were also several junior programs that considered sending kids, but did not put it high enough on their priority list to overcome scheduling conflicts of the kids.  We expect we can pull several of these clubs in next year when the word gets out how successful this program was.  On behalf of our New Jersey team, I’d like to thank STC—especially Rich du Moulin, Marcy Trenholm, and  Bob Behringer for their support.

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