The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SHELDON Gibson decided more than a decade ago to provide an avenue for young sailors to learn the art of sailing the sloop racing boats.

This year, the trend will continue as the CV Bethel Summer Sailing Camp is held. Registration got started on Monday and Gibson anticipates that the excitement will pick up when the camp officially begins on Wednesday in Montagu Bay.

“We will be looking at the concept of boat building, how to sail and we will once again be looking at the marine environment and survival in the water,” Gibson sad. “The younger children, who are not yet ready to go into the boats to sail, they will be looking at how to make jewellery out of shells.”

More than 20 persons showed up for the first day of registration, but Gibson said they anticipate that the numbers will double when they get started in Montagu.

“We have about 13 E class  boats, which were designed specifically to teach the young children how to sail,” Gibson said. “They have 200 pounds of lead in the keel, as well as a 20-foot mast that can be rigged by the kids right out there. That’s why we designed the boats that way. The lead keeps them upright so they don’t turn over.”

The camp is scheduled to be held 10am to 2pm Wednesday to Friday this week. Next week, the sessions will only be held on Monday and Tuesday as Gibson will be leaving on Wednesday for the Andros Regatta in Morgan’s Bluff over the Independence holiday weekend.

At the conclusion of the Andros regatta, the summer camp will resume on Monday, July 14. Gibson said they are looking at the possibility of having a children’s regatta in Montagu Bay.

“I’m very pleased, but I would like to see some people sponsor these boats,” Gibson said. “We have a number of children who sail these boats on the Family Islands, so whenever they come here to compete, they can feel very good knowing that they are competing for a sponsor.

“Sailing is an art that is dying unless somebody does something about it. That is why I built those boats for the Sands Man in the Boat Sculling Regatta. We teach sculling in the summer camp as well because we want the children to learn how to scull in those boats.”