For six weeks, some 144 kids enjoyed sailing summer camp at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC), sponsored by Solstice. The camp combined sailing with water sports, informative clinics and, of course, a lot of fun as the kids developed new skills by sailing in optimists, RS Quests and RS Zest. There were also lots of activities including swimming, paddle boarding, water games and picnics.
Each week, there was a specific theme as well as a mystery to solve. Kids were divided into teams and earned points by playing games. The points bought them clues which could be used to solve the mysteries. This created a healthy level of competition. “During the games, the younger and older children worked together very well, even though they only just knew each other for a few days. All the teams were very eager to win the games,” said sailing instructor Wessel Tangenberg. The themes of this year were time travel, under the sea, and adventure week.
“Our enthusiastic and dynamic instructor team this year consisted of two head instructors: Wessel Tangenberg and Windy Celine. They were supported by experienced assistant instructors, as well as new first year assistant instructors, who have joined summer camps themselves as participants and were now old and experienced enough to help as an instructor,” the SMYC explained.
Solstice’s sponsorship guaranteed that 10 children got a chance to participate in the programme free of charge. With the support from local businesses like Aquamania, Nature Foundation and 12-Metre sailing trips, the kids got the opportunity to participate in snorkelling, water sports and boat excursions.
Nature Foundation field trips were a highlight, teaching the children about marine life and the dangers of pollution. On those two mornings, the kids cleaned Snoopy Island and picked up more than 90 pounds of plastic garbage! Throughout the programme, the kids enjoyed lunch provided by restaurants such as the SMYC Bar and Restaurant, Lagoonies, Zee Best, Captain D’s and Dinghy Dock.
SMYC is extremely grateful to the local community, businesses, staff and parents for all the support these past weeks. Its Sailing School will reopen in September to welcome students back for another wonderful sailing season. The programme concluded on August 4. Visit www.smyc.com for more photos.
