BELIZE CITY, Tue. Apr. 11, 2017– Before a boat is sailed, it has to be built; and any sailor must know how to tie knots with ropes on the sailboat. An original member of the Belize Sailing Association (BzSA), Trenton Miller of Caye Caulker saw the need for going back to the basics with the youngsters on Caye Caulker, and so he organized the Caye Caulker Community Sailing Center to teach the young, future sailors from Caye Caulker Roman Catholic School some useful information regarding sailboats, sailing and knots.
Starting with 10 Standard One students, Trenton and his assistants provided instructions to prepare the students to “complete the rigging of their JM model sailboat, and then make their first sail into Caye Caulker’s history.”
The Caye Caulker Community Sailing Center (CCCSC) has its office located on Avenida Hicaco (front street) behind the Amor y Café restaurant on Caye Caulker. The area of operation is situated on the beachfront immediately north of the Ocean Ferry Water Taxi. Contact number is 501-633-0519 and E-mail: [email protected]
The CCCSC pilot program is sponsored by the CCCSC and Amor y Café. Said Trenton, “This is our first initiative, and it’s mandatory for all CCCSC members, but also available to the general public.”
The three-week instruction program covered two main areas: the Line Work and Knot Tying Program, and the Model Sailboat Building Program. In the Line Work and Knot Tying Program, students learned “how to tie all knots and know their proper usage, also how to properly secure and coil lines, and … to identify required blocks, cleats and properly use them.” In the Model Sailboat Building Program, the kids were first given a detailed insight into model sailboat building, and then introduced to the “JM” sailboat model, learning the proper names for parts of the hull, as well as how “to properly rig and tune the JM, learning proper sailing terms.” The program would culminate with the launching for their first sail in the water, where they get the practical experience in “rigging, tuning and sailing the JM model.”
Following the official launch on Saturday, April 8, Program coordinator Trenton Miller filed the following report:
CCCSC official launch
CAYE CAULKER, BELIZE DISTRICT, Mon. Apr. 10, 2017–Ready, set, and they are off! The first sail of the JM (Junior Mariner) model sailboats built by these children also marks the opening of the Caye Caulker Community Sailing Center (CCCSC).
Participating children of the Caye Caulker Roman Catholic School who completed the training program on Saturday are: Jahair Reynolds, 8; Patricia Welch, 8; Jasney Trapp, 8; Keade Reyes, 8; Dejaune Neal, 8; Jail Verde, 9; Daville Salam, 9; and Ronnie Sosa, 8.
Along with teacher, Ms. Marina Lopez; instructor, Matt Bamford; assistant instructors, Harrison Cadle and Anjel Pol; photographer, Harold Beaulieu; and Mica at Amor Y Café; thank you all for making it happen.