Optimist

NYC Easter Cadet Camp 2006

If I offered you a weekend away camping with 21 children between the ages of 8 and 12 you’d probably invent an important commitment elsewhere. But if I added in that the aim was to teach the children to sail, that 15 were complete beginners never having been in a boat alone, 4 never ever having set foot in a boat; you would no doubt develop a serious illness that required immediate hospitalisation. However, I can honestly say I can’t remember when I last had such fun as at the 2006 NYC Cadet Camp. We had 21 kids, and 21 optimists and we were determined that all the kids should sail by themselves and achieve some degree of competence over the 4 days. I think we can safely say we achieved that.

In the phenomenally competent hands of Rosie Rudd the camp ran like clockwork and the children were occupied every moment of the day. The military precision was enhanced by 3 ex British army officers Matthew Rudd in charge of all the off the water activities; Nigel Shaw coordinating the sailing training and Nick Syrett boson in charge of the boats and their safe care and return as 17 boats were being borrowed for the camp!

The camp was run by Rosie Rudd with the help of her sister in law Clare Rudd and Sarah Bristow. The meals prepared by David and Muthoni were excellent and we ate more than well. The kids were divided into 4 teams for the duration for the camp and gained points for their team on winning the various matches, relays treasure hunts etc organised over the event. Points were also gained for tidy tents and completion of chores; the kids washed up after meals, swept the club house & tidied the changing rooms. Points were deducted for lost property, sailing without a life jacket and any other misdemeanours. Very few points were deducted. A “punda prize” of a donkey t-shirt was awarded for the silliest thing seen in a day. There were many nominations and the t shirt often changed hands; jumping out of one’s boat and letting it go so it sailed off; attempting to sail without rudder or centreboard, hanging onto the rescue boat so tightly that one’s boat sailed away, hiking out in a gust with great enthusiasm but forgetting to put one’s feet under the toe straps first and so parting company with the boat – and there were others that caused great mirth over the weekend.

The winds were kind, almost nonexistent on day 1 which allowed us to get the total beginners into boats and learning the basics without being afraid. Some gusty winds on the afternoon of the 2nd day led to mayhem and some tears but no injuries, no boat damage and everyone happily sailed again the next day. There was only one capsize over the event which may well be a record! Standing up while gybing can result in immediate ejection from one’s boat! Day 3 was really quite magical; an early morning off shore breeze allowed all the kids to sail across to snake island for a breakfast picnic and Easter egg hunt. Just as we were preparing to launch the boats for the return trip, anticipating disgruntled kids tacking back and forth not really understanding why they couldn’t just aim for their intended shore, the winds shifted and the kids reached home at a respectable speed. The winds held for the rest of the day so the advanced group were able to enjoy a couple of proper races in the afternoon while the beginners were sailing figures of 8s and triangles with definite skill.

There were 3 trainers: Nigel Shaw a keen Fireball sailor; Tom Kemp who is doing a degree in Southampton in boat building and a very experienced international sailor and sailing trainer, William Rudd who has sailed optimists for Kenya and at 14 has only just shifted from attending sailing camps to training. Matthew Rudd and I stood on shore shouting instructions (by the end I had lost my voice!) or took to optimists or lasers to make ourselves heard. With 7 in each group the trainers, especially of the beginner group had their hands full. But between us we kept them neatly herded together and everyone began to get a feel for what they were doing.

The kids just loved it… they were thrilled with every aspect from early morning runs, to treasure hunts, quizzes, knot tying , capsize practice, windsurf racing, relays, rounders. I think the highpoint for nearly everyone was the sail back from Snake Island. How gratifying to be able to transport oneself to and from a picnic aged 8!

To those of you who lent boats, a big thank you. I hope you will find the boats in the same condition as when you leant them. We have tried extremely hard to record the exact state of each boat, record anything that had to be borrowed to fully kit a boat and then to return everything to its rightful owner at the end. Thank you to Nick Syrett for his meticulous attention to this onerous task. And to the kids who were impressive in their care of the boats and concern that they should be landed safely and derigged appropriately.

But the biggest thanks must go to the Rudds, for their meticulous planning and endless energy. Rosie had the camp fully organised and everything fell in to place as planned. Kids were happy and got along with each other admirably, all were well fed, no one got sunburnt or dehydrated and other than the odd thorn and bee sting no one was hurt. Matthew was fantastic at getting the kids involved on land from early morning runs and swims, rounders and football matches, and an elaborate treasure hunt. William never stopped; teaching, encouraging, goading, inspiring - the kids loved him. We are all, adults and children alike, looking forward to next year.

Tonya Shaw

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