The morning class started off the week with swim tests that were much needed in the heat. The swimmers jumped in the water and paddled out to the closest motorboat. They were pulled out of the freezing water and given a fresh towel and hot chocolate by their buddies. We would like to welcome the new students: YuJi Smith, Tyler Cenci, Steven Cenci, Hannah Dueker, Stella Rossi, Maya Faulstich, Ella Campfield, Aiden Ridlon, Noah Meserve, Julian Meserve, Eliza McGuinness and Connor Begley.

This week the morning class had a lovely time sailing. They worked specifically on close-hauled, tacking, and basic race skills. We even finished off a few mornings with some casual races. On Friday, the students had a fun day in which we took motorboats to Damariscove Island. The sailors were split into groups and had fun exploring the rocks and hiking on the trails. We would like to thank Leif Lorentzen and Liana Smith for helping to transport the students to the island and making the fun day possible.

The afternoon turnabout class spent the week working on spinnakers and racing. They had a race day on Thursday where the students showcased their hard work. Unfortunately, on Friday, they, along with the rest of the afternoon class, were unable to sail due to the stormy weather conditions.

The Optis spent the week working on tactical skills and boat handling. On Monday and Tuesday a few of the Opti sailors attended the Harraseeket Youth Regatta in South Freeport. William Moen won green fleet, Blake Donnellan earned tenth, and Gavin Holt earned fourteenth. In championship fleet Southport also did well. We would like to congratulate Charlie Apolinsky, Mason Erhard, Ryan Peterson, Lucas Thress, Abbie Peterson, Brodi Snyder, Nate Rideout, Ella Freund, Carley Freund, Sawyer Bates, Connor McWhan and Jackson Douglas for their hardwork.

The 420 class also started their week by sending four boats to the Haraseeket Regatta. Ryan McCann and Tessa Houston earned eighth, Andrew Turley and Jason Goldsmith earned seventh, Max Freund and Eliza Goodell earned sixth, and Emma Jacobs and Kelley Phippen came in fourth. Thank you to the Haraseeket Yacht Club for hosting this event. The 420s also had a race day on Thursday and, like the rest of the afternoon class, were unable to sail on Friday.

The end of year Banquet will be held on Friday, Aug. 19 at the Southport Town Hall. It will begin at 7 p.m. and tickets are available for $10 a person. Please see Jason Goldsmith to purchase them. The evening will include awards, a slideshow, a lasagna dinner, and lots of fun. We look forward to seeing everyone there.