Message from the Executive Director

Dear Members and Friends,

It has been a great summer!  August in DC is not usually great sailing weather, but this year it has been cool and breezy.  Kids Set Sail had the best year it ever had, thanks to Blair Overman, our new director of Youth Sailing and her wonderful staff.   Under the strong leadership of another new addition to our staff, Sarah Meharg, DC Sail has been sold out every week with twelve new sailors joining the NMHF sailing family every week since June.  American Spirit has been out almost every day with students on board this summer and Rob Bader and his crew has been incredible working with the kids.  Overall, it has been a great summer of learning, new opportunities and new growth. 

I wanted to let all our members about two very exciting developments coming NMHF’s way.  This year NMHF worked with Mayor Adrian Fenty, City Administrator (and NMHF member) Dan Tangerlini and Councilmember Tommy Wells to secure $200,000.00 in District funding to support youth sailing in the District of Columbia.  I want to thank the Mayor, Mr. Tangerlini and Councilmember Wells for their support for and commitment to the NMHF mission of opening up the world of sailing to everyone in the District of Columbia.  Thank you!  

So the question now is how is NMHF going to effectively use the funding provided by the people of the District of Columbia?  First, let me say that we take this type of funding very seriously.  This is our fellow citizen’s money.  In order to make sure that every dollar is accounted for NMHF will be tracking every penny and will report back to the Mayor on how we used the funding.  Second, NMHF held a planning retreat in June 2008 in-order to focus on how we would expand our programming and leverage this funding.  One realization that our retreat group come to was that expansion did not have to mean new programs.  NMHF does sailing and maritime education well – we will continue to focus on sailing lessons and maritime education.  We might add more science and math education for our students, but we are not going to add any new programs.  A second realization is that we need to invest in our infrastructure.  New boats, equipment and facilities.   You will be hearing more our plans for 2009 as we move towards the end of the year. 

The second exciting development that all our members will be interested in knowing about is the progress that NMHF is making as the cultural development partner for the Southwest Waterfront.  The Washington Maritime Center project continues to make great progress.  We would like to thank our development partner Hoffman-Struever Waterfront LLC  and the office of the Deputy Mayor for Development for all there help and support.  As this project continues progress we will update you on all our progress. 
Overall, NMHF is in a strong position moving towards the future.  Thank you again for all your help, support and excitement; we could not do it without you.

Fair Winds.

Kevin Traver
Executive Director

Youth Sailing News

National Capitol High School Sailing Team

The National Capitol High School Sailing Team will begin it's 2008 Fall Season with the first practice on Wednesday September 3rd!

The Sailing Team is composed of High School students from all around the DC area.  These students will meet three times a week to practice at NMHF's facility and then compete in weekend regattas under their school's name.  I would like to invite any interested high school student to contact Blair Overman at boverman@nmhf.org or (252)-670-7776 for more information.  Sailing experience is valuable, but not necessary.  We will also hold an informational and sign-up meeting on Saturday, August 23rd at the Capitol Yacht Club from 10-12.

After School Learn To Sail

Learn-to-Sail is an after-school sailing program for sailors in 6th to 10th grade with little or no experience. Participants will focus on completing a U.S. Sailing Small Boat Level 1 Curriculum with the goal of obtaining this certification by the end of the course. Sailors who complete the Learn To Sail Course are encouraged to move up to our National Capitol High School Sailing Team in the Spring.

You can sign up here!

Help us Sponsor a Sailor:

By sponsoring a sailor, you are maintaining a program that teaches not only sailing but also lifetime skills like teamwork, decision making and leadership. Your support will allow us to offer our unique programming to youth that would not have the opportunity otherwise.

Please make a donation here to sponsor a sailor

Kids Set Sail Season Almost Over

Kids Set Sail is in its last session after a great summer. We offerred 10 scholarships this summer and it could not have been done without your help! We thank you for your continued support.

 

See how much the KSS kids enjoyed sailing! See the Thank You Card that Emmanuel Houston, one of our KSS participants sent us -

 

 

DC Sail News

Help us Keep Our Boats In Shape

There are a few changes to NMHF's boat maintenance system that we would like to share with everyone.  In the past, NMHF has maintained our Flying Scot fleet by fixing the boats as a problem occurs or by filling out an individual maintenance form.  As you can imagine, these forms are easily misplaced or a hastle to fill out.  Consequently, we now have a master NOTEBOOK that contains a section for each Flying Scot with charts for recordkeeping.  We would like to invite everyone to notify a NMHF Staff Member when a problem occurs so that it can be propery recorded in the NOTEBOOK.  Once recorded, a staff member will be able to write a detailed statement about how the problem was fixed, when it was fixed, and by whom, etc.  We would also like to invite any member with boat maintenance experience to jump into our maintenance system by fixing boats with the staff if they feel so inclined.  The NMHF staff is working hard to keep our Flying Scots in tact and we appreciate your help and adoption of this new maintenance system.  THANK YOU!

 

 

 

NMHF Job Opportunities

Learn-To-Sail After School Instructor

Experienced sailing instructors are needed for NMHF's Learn to Sail (LTS) Program that runs through the fall season of 2008. LTS is geared towards teaching beginner middle to high school students the US Sailing small boat level 1 cirriculum aboard 19-foot flying scots.

Time:

• Monday, Wednesday, Friday
• 4:00-6:30pm
• Begins: September 3rd (Wednesday)
• Ends: October 29th (Wednesday)

Compensation: $10 an hour and access to our Flying Scot fleet

It's a great way to get out on a boat and aid in the character development and nautical knowledge of local students. Please contact Blair Overman at (252) 670-7776 or email at boverman@nmhf.org if you are interested!

American Spirit

What does the Big Green Boat do?

As you get into your Flying Scot of FJ, you may ask yourself, “What does that big green boat do?” 

We are most proud of the multitudes of youth that we have taken out on the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers.   We had over 50 cruises this year with youth groups.  While experiencing something new, these youth sailed the boat, raised sails, steered (if you saw us in irons, it probably was not the fault of the captain…), checked depth using lead lines, learned mechanical advantage (its not easy to raise a football lineman without a decent block and tackle) learned knots, the Hokey Pokey and most importantly saw and worked a boat that requires a team to sail it.

The American Spirit has also been travelling.  The schooner sailed to Pohick Bay for a pirate raid and opening of their Pirate’s Cove Water Park, to Alexandria for the Red Cross Waterfront Festival, the Occaquan Festival, and to Camp Riverview to sail with youth from DC Park and Recreation.  We will sail for two days with Flint Hill School at the end of August.  

The American Spirit is also involved with cruises for veterans, the Leukemia Cup, the American Red Cross, the World Wildlife Fund and others. 

Finally, we have taken many groups out for private charters, Friday Night Sails and Boating and Baseball Cruises.  Remember members, you and your family can sail for free once per year!  Boating and Baseball is sold out this year, but look for it again next year.  We still have some slots available for private charters this fall.  It costs $1,200 to charter the boat for three hours and the money goes to a good cause!

Volunteers:

It has been a busy year and we can always use more help and support.  We always need volunteers. 

Maintenance:

Captain Phil Weeks and the crew did a great job maintaining the boat, but the boat always needs more help so any of you with experience maintaining boats should give us a call.  We can always use your help!

Crew:

We still have many of cruises in September.  Let us know if you want to crew and we can put you on our list.

Thank you crew!
The American Spirit has had a great summer so far with a top notch crew!  Some summer staff came from the ranks of our High School Racing program and others came from our partnership with Team Champions- a DC based mentoring program.  We also want to thank our volunteer crew who sailed with us on chartered and Friday Night Cruises.  You all made this summer possible.  We look forward to sailing with you more this fall.

Boating and Baseball Charters

Our "Boating and Baseball Double Header for Two" cruises are booked for the season, but you can still charter the American Spirit for your own Boating and Baseball cruise.

Set your sights on a one of a kind sailing, sporting adventure. You and a group of up to 35 will begin with a sail aboard the schooner, American Spirit, docked at the Gangplank Marina in the DC Southwest Waterfront. Bring some beer or wine to enjoy while sailing past our nation's monuments and memorials down to Old Town Alexandria. Return back to the dock right in time for the game, just a short walk up to the new Nationals stadium where we will provide you tickets for a great night of baseball with the Nat's

• Enjoy an exhilarating afternoon of sailing teamed up with the excitement of a Nationals game in their new stadium
• Begin by arriving at the Gangplank Marina docks and step aboard the American Spirit
• After returning back to the Gangplank Marina, walk the half mile to the new stadium
• Grab your mitt and take your seats - exclusive block of seats ranging from box seats to outfield bleacher seats puts you in the heart of the action. Open the pdf below to see different packages
  • Boating and Baseball Charter Packages
• Head back to your car or the metro and go home with your memories of an adventurous, sports-filled day
• Please see below for available dates and e-mail Alana Rediker at arediker@nmhf.org to reserve your charter.

Everyday Charters

The American Spirit can be chartered any time of day throughout the week or weekends. Host your next office party or family gathering on our 65' Schooner while sailing down the Potomac. To reserve your spot please e-mail Alana Rediker at arediker@nmhf.org