March 2024 Papoose Article

Spring is around the corner and the 2024 sailing season starts in less than 90 days! It’s time to start organizing plans and activities around the Lake this summer. This month’s article is presented by Kristina Genovese who will be the Lead instructor in the LMYC sailing program this summer.

Junior Sailing Program -

When I was 12, my parents asked if I wanted to join LMYC’s junior sailing program. As I was already a member of the Ski Hawks (and a stubborn 12-year-old), I quickly declined despite being told all the wonderful things about sailing. It turns out that this was one of many things my parents were right about.

Sailing finally piqued my interest as I was entering college. Between then and now, I’ve had the opportunity to learn and sail in some incredible places like Newport, Rhode Island, all over the state of Florida and the Abaco Islands, Bahamas. I picked up several American Sailing Association certifications along the way, sailing an array of boats from Sunfish to a 40ft Catamaran.

Sailing is more than a super fun way to get out on the water; it’s a community. Lake Mohawk Yacht Club welcomes members young and old, experienced or beginner. To this day, I’ve never owned a sailboat. I definitely plan to someday, but for now I use the club’s fleet of Sunfish and Snipes (free for members’ use) and am often invited on other members’ boats as well. That’s the awesome thing about sailing- you can sail alone as an escape, go out with friends cruising, or enter a race for camaraderie. And you never need gas money.

LMYC has offered several sailing programs in the past, always holding instructors to the highest standards. I am a US Sailing Level 1 certified instructor, trained using a nationwide curriculum and an extensive multi-day in-person evaluation. The cornerstones of US Sailing programs are Safety, Fun & Learning, in that order. Safety is obviously our #1 priority. We also understand that if kids aren’t having fun, they’re not going to learn as proficiently and they’re definitely not going to want to come back for more. That’s why our Junior Sailing Program focuses on team building exercises and engaging activities on and off the water.

We’re excited to offer the Junior Sailing Program once again from the summer of 2024 (dates and times to be announced soon) for all LMCC members. For more information or to sign up, please contact lakemohawksailing@gmail.com.

...Kristina Genovese