Edgewood - Soirée By the Bay, youth scholarships, spring sailing ahead for alumni, busy boat-work

SOIRÉE INTO SPRING WITH ESS, SATURDAY MAY 30

Three weeks from now, the furniture will be moved to get ready for the Soirée by the Bay.  RSVP's and the growing list of "silent auction" donations point to a wonderful evening, and a great chance to support the work of the Edgewood Sailing School. The weather – always a cliff-hanger in late Spring – has not been announced; but there is no doubt about the energy and cheerful banter which the Sailing School family always has in abundance. Help swing the Sailing School family into spring. Saturday May 30, Soirée By The Bay 2015: refreshments, a challenging "silent auction" of things "remarkable and useful", and a chance to catch up with friends. 

Great location and a fine evening ahead. 
RSVP $50/person.

Edgewood sailors are on the move.  This week is the Opti Youth Challenge in Newport, so it makes sense that the Silent Auction now includes some other family travels: 6 people will be seeing Rose Lighthouse on a special tour of the Bay;  there's a chance to get up close on a seal-watch run by Save The Bay;  and for anyone left behind, there's even a custom-made bird house. 

Party supports the Youth program and the Adult & Community Programs of the Sailing School – for 2015 and beyond.

YOUTH SCHOLARSHIPS

Increasing the number of awards this year, the available funds were divvied up among several Sailing School families.  The School awarded support to five families this year, up three from last year. This year's group includes both new Starter Sailors, and a pair of continuing Opti sailors.

"This year the Sailing School Board is delighted that the Rick MacNeil Scholarship Fund can support these impressive youth sailors," Board President Jim Fraser said when he announced the awards.  Fund-raising will begin immediately to start on next year's awards.

EDGEWOOD ALUMNI 'PUT A LID ON IT' - AND SAIL INTO SUMMER

A new adult/community program class is now open to all "graduates" of Levels One, Two, or Three of the Edgewood Sailing School Adult & Community Program. 
Alumni "Put a lid on it" refresher class opens Tuesday May 12 for two nights a week through May 21.  This class is only open to ESS Alumni.  A prize goes to the alum who started sailing the longest time ago at Edgewood. The class will focus on "refreshing" sailing skills, and getting back into the swing of summer sailing. 

Also running are the social Friday rec sailing from May 22 and a racing series on Wednesdays from June 3.  The Sailing for Women only (Tu/Th from June 8) opens this summer's regular classes, matched on the weekend with regular Level 1 and Level 2, from June 13.  And the first 2015 picnic sail departs from Edgewood June 6.  

BUT FIRST THERE STILL IS WORK TO BE DONE ON THE FLEET - huzah for the saturday volunteers!

Now that the covers have been taken off the boats, the Edgewood Saturday volunteers worked on two missions:  preparing the dozen coach/safety motorboats and Rhodes19s for launching set for May 14, and pushing one boat, Mary Ann,  to the head of the line in time for this coming weekend's  Sail Newport 2015 Youth Opti Challenge.  The work is very brisk.  And Mary Ann (who came to  Edgewood through the kind donation of a friend of the School) is bright, shiny, and ready for sea-trials this week.  

Edgewood's Saturday Volunteers make it possible.  Last weekend a visitor wrote about the activity on Mary Ann:  "They diligently scraped and painted the sides to get her ready for May 9th. "  Then, the visitor continued, after seeing how much work goes into preparing the hulls each spring, "Perhaps one of our students, youth or adult, might find a way to improve that in the future."  Which seems like an excellent idea.