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The American Youth Sailing Force (The Force) trained with Oracle Team USA coaches on AC45 catamarans three days last week and then went sailing with at-risk students from San Francisco’s Downtown High School, showing them first hand that you can follow your passion and earn a living on the water.
Oracle’s coaching staff put The Force on the AC45s in a wide range of conditions last week. Force teammate Evan Sjosjedt, age 19, truly appreciates their input, “Darren Bundock is an awesome coach to have at the back of the boat; he's always super helpful and friendly." Besides the on-the-water coaching, they went over each day's onboard footage to dissect and discuss every tack, jibe and mark rounding. Sailing Team Manager Ian Andrewes, 23, says, “It's great having access to these guys. They have been doing it so long and have so much information to share.”
The Force is an exceptionally skilled group of youth sailors. Yet, as with any new yacht, time in the boat is vital to knowing how to sail it and to get the most out of its individual quirks and nuances. According to helmsman Michael Menninger, 23, “I learned, as a driver, that the more communication the better. Keeping everyone on the same page and working towards the same immediate goal improves the cohesiveness within every maneuver. I also learned a few things about sailing the boat in a straight line. The more time in the 45 will be really helpful for all of us in our learning process.” Andrewes continues, “This past week we have been really working hard on laylines and timing. These boats are tricky, and with a reaching start, things can get overwhelming fast.”
Time on the water is vital to effectively sailing the AC45s. It is also fundamental to increasing the Force’s confidence as a whole. Menninger is feeling the confidence. “This last weekend was actually the first time we have all sailed together as a team, and it was only the third, fourth, and fifth day on the boat. We were successfully racing around a short course in about 12-14 knots, so I think that is a pretty good start. Once we get stronger in the gym and get more training days on the boat I expect our confidence levels to get even higher."
In case you hadn't noticed, Red Bull is the sponsor for the Youth America's Cup. ©2013 Erik Simonson
Other team activities this past week include partnering with local high school students. “As a team we have been working with the Downtown High School of San Francisco,” says Andrewes. “They are part of this program where they get to draft, build and sail wooden boats. Where our team gets involved is on the sailing side…to show them that sailing is much more then just a rich man's sport.”
Menninger certainly enjoyed the experience. “Sailing with the high school kids today was great. It was a beautiful day with nice breeze. The kids were really stoked to get out sailing and ‘ooo'd’ and ‘awww'd’ when the Oracle 45 flew on by. They all asked me questions about driving the boat, what makes it go faster, and about how much sailing I've done growing up. I had a lot of fun sailing around with the kids and letting them drive.” The team will be back on the water with these same kids in April and both sides are looking forward to having fun doing it.
Next up, the team will be sailing with Oakland at-risk kids across the Bay to Strictly Sail Pacific in Oakland’s Jack London Square aboard two Sunsail charter boats. It will be a first for these kids to be out in the main Bay, and they’re really looking forward to it.
The team will have a presentation the boat show on Friday, April 12, at 4:45 p.m., where they'll mak a major announcement. Molly Vandemoer will introduce the team.
See www.americanyouthsailingforce.com for more, and watch a video here.
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