The Spirit of America Foundation promotes boating safety among middle school students nationwide. This year the St. Mary’s College of Maryland and the Sailing Center have a grant from the Foundation to accomplish as part of that effort, the following for students in Calvert and St. Mary’s counties:

  • Study and test for Maryland Safe Boating Education Certification
  • Learn how to sail, row, paddle, and run a motor boat
  • Learn how to recover from a capsized boat.
  • Learn and practice how to act responsibly on all types of boats.
  • Learn about the U.S. Coast Guard’s operation at St. Inigoes.

The program began on Tuesday, March 16 and for three consecutive days after school from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. where students were instructed by SMCM Boating Safety instructors from Maryland’s Dept. of Natural Resources in the River Center.

Then on Tuesday, March 30 in the SMCM Recreaton Center, students learned about and participated in swim and capsized boat drills in the college’s pool.

The program continues Thursday through Saturday and Monday April 1 to 3 and 5 for all day sessions at the Sailing Center at Milburn Creek Marina. On Monday, April 5, students get to meet at the U.S. Coast Guard facility in St. Inigoes for a graduation ceremony at the Sailing Center Chesapeake.

As part of the Spirit of America Grant, The Spirit of America Foundation donated three aluminum Jon boats, three 9.9hp Honda outboards, four canoes, and three kayaks. When the school year ends in June, the program’s instructors intend to have groups from schools and scouts continuing with more classes.

The Spirit of America Foundation is funded by the National Safe Boating Congress which is affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard. Until now, the program has been mainly active in the mid-West. Over 17,000 students have gone through the Foundation’s curriculum and of these approximately five percent have enlisted in the Coast Guard at the end of their high school years.

The Southern Maryland Sailing Foundation has been supporting youth and high school sailing in area since for over a decade. Until this summer, most of the activity has been Solomons-based. Since founding the Sailing Center and starting its operation at the Milburn Creek Marina, the level of activity has increase dramatically.
 
In 1999 the Foundation supplied a few 420-class dinghies to start high school sailing in Southern Maryland. Patuxent High School and the Navy JROTC unit there were crucial to the initial success of the program. The Southern Maryland Sailing Association provided a great venue for this early activity.

A few years later, the Foundation bought six Flying Juniors from St. Mary’s College and then six more from Hobart and William Smith College. This fleet of 12 allowed more sailors to participate, so teams from Leonardtown High and St. Mary’s Ryken joined.

Eventually, St. Mary’s Ryken desired to develop its own waterfront on Breton Bay, so the Foundation donated the then-unused 420s to the school to help this effort. Ryken now has several more boats and a large group of sailors participating each spring and fall.

The 2009 move from Solomons of the rest of the advanced teen programs has allowed their exp