Countless powerboats, dinghies and sailboats anchor in Dering Harbor during the warmer months. But for one week each July, the waters fill with a different kind of sailor: New York City middle school students learning to steer small sailboats, many for the first time.
They are participating in New Horizons, a free program supported entirely by donations through a partnership between the Shelter Island Yacht Club and Hudson River Community Sailing in Manhattan. For the past six summers, the program has selected up to 18 seventh- and eighth-grade students each year from a pool of about 100 applicants. Students must have strong attendance records and demonstrate the maturity to spend a week away from home.
“They have to show they have the maturity to be with us for a week away from their parents,” said Mwenye Seville, HRCS program director, who created the program after the COVID-19 pandemic with Benjamin Dyett, a 30-year SIYC member.
Seville said some Latino families are initially hesitant to let their daughters spend a week away from home, and for many participants it is their first time away from their parents.
Each aspiring sailor is paired with a roommate, while staff members serve as chaperones. Once they’re out on the water, Seville said, many of the students discover a new sense of independence.
“I love the program because it gives kids an opportunity to expand their horizons,” he said. “It allows them to learn how to sail, develop skills and become empowered as sailors. Being here gives them more freedom. They can even fall in the water if they want to!”
The week is devoted to sailing, building confidence and mastering a new sport.
“I love seeing the smiles on their faces,” Seville said. “We’re at the beach every day. They can run around, and it’s almost like a vacation for them.”
A classroom unlike any other
Demetri Romero, 14, returned this summer for his second year sailing off Shelter Island.
“I like helping out, improving my skills and becoming a better sailor,” he said. “I get to do things that most people in the city don’t get to do.”
Kayleen Acevedo already has plans for the future.
“I want to teach younger kids how to sail,” she said. “I also want to buy my own boat.”
On July 13, with Dering Harbor shimmering behind them, six aspiring sailors wearing life jackets gathered around a small sailboat resting on the gravel beside the dock. Their instructor demonstrated each maneuver before the students took turns practicing “coming about,” keeping one hand on the tiller while ducking beneath the jib.
“They’ll spend a couple of hours on land learning the boat and practicing,” said coach Jeff Bresnahan, watching from a shaded picnic table nearby.
As the Shelter Island Yacht Club’s sailing director, Bresnahan sees the week as a total-immersion experience that can change lives and even lead to careers.
“We work with kids who are in the program and offer them internships so they can see what kinds of jobs there are in the marine industry,” he said. “Some of those jobs pay very well while they’re still in college.”
Growing up in Boston, Bresnahan describes himself as “an inner-city kid who’s a product of community sailing.”
“I learned how to sail for a dollar,” he said.
He spends summers on Shelter Island before returning each fall to Connecticut College, where he serves as head sailing coach.
While the students have experience sailing larger keelboats on the Hudson River, this week focuses on rigging lines and skippering smaller C420 sailboats, according to HRCS program coordinator Clio Walton.
“This is a unique experience,” Walton said. “It’s much more hands-on, and they’re sailing every day, so they learn much faster.”
She said many students tell her they enjoy the quiet, fresh air and slower pace of Shelter Island — a sharp contrast to their neighborhoods in New York City.
A bigger world beyond the city
Thirteen-year-old Nathan Frimpong of the Bronx already sounds like an experienced sailor.
“I’ve been sailing since fifth grade,” he said. “It’s pretty cool learning the parts of the boat and all the sailing terms.”
His sailing partner, 13-year-old Wesley Martinez of the Bronx, who has also sailed in the Bahamas, said competition keeps him motivated.
“I like to compete, and my brother was in this program,” he said. “I look up to him. He’s like a role model to me.”
Some participants eventually become instructors themselves.
“We’re taking someone someplace they’ve never been and showing them how big the world is,” Dyett said. “We want them to see that they can be sailors for life.”
Dyett said one moment has stayed with him over the years.
“The real lightbulb moment for me is when the kids arrive and I introduce myself,” he said. “One student once said, ‘He’s on the board? A Black guy?’ You have to see it before you can believe it.”
Despite serving on the SIYC board for a decade and belonging to the club for 30 years, Dyett said he doesn’t think of himself as a role model so much as someone who simply loves sailing.
“I got involved because it’s an incredible program,” he said. “Parents want to give their kids a different path. If you can teach a kid to sail and be independent on the water, it transforms their confidence.”
A week away from home
The experience extends beyond sailing. For many students, spending a week away from home is a milestone in itself.
Emily Ewing, a Shelter Island resident who has hosted participants in her home for the past five years, has watched those transformations firsthand.
“They come back from that first day on the water and can’t stop talking about it,” she said. “They’re so excited.”
A sailor herself and the mother of three, Ewing said she enjoys creating a welcoming home for the students during their four-night stay.
“The bonds form quickly,” she said. “It’s hard to say goodbye.”
She remains in touch with many of the students long after the week ends.
“The kids like having a roommate,” Seville said. “The students who’ve done the program before tell them what a great experience it is, so they actually look forward to it.”
More information is available at Hudson River Community Sailing’s website.
