Sea Scouts seeking sailors
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Sailing isn’t what it used to be.
And if you want to see how sailing has evolved in recent years, or just even want to learn more about the sport, including the how to’s and what’s of sailing, here’s your chance.
The Tillsonburg Sea Scouts are holding an open house and movie night, Thursday February 21 at St. Paul’s United Church in Tillsonburg beginning at 7 p.m.
“We’ll sit back and watch some good videos - we have a digital projector, so we’ll be showing a big screen of different fun, sailing videos and some of our own events too,” said Floyd Marshall, Tillsonburg Sea Scout Commissioner. “Including the Turtlefest event last year and some sailing in St. Williams and the Muskokas.”
The Tillsonburg Sea Scouts introduce sailing to youth, dividing them into sea scouts 11 to 14, sea ventures 14 to 18 and sea rovers 18 to 26.
Every year, the group is actively involved in community events such as Turtlefest and the Turtle Dragon Boat Race, and enjoy spending time at a nearby camp, and outdoor activities such as sailing on area lakes, canoeing, hiking and geo caching on land or water.
The open house is open to both youth and parents who are interested in sailing or who want to get involved and join the Tillsonburg Sea Scouts.
Robert Jones is an avid, long-time sailor and will be presenting a range of videos to introduce the sport and show how sailing has grown over the years, to be an exciting and enjoyable activity for all ages.
“We’ll see a collection of clips about what are the latest developments in sailing with the high-speed sailboats, and work down through to the small dingys,” said Jones.
The open house and movie night will provide the perfect opportunity for Tillsonburg and area residents to ask questions about sailing, and discuss various types of boats - from small dingys to some of the more modern style of small sailboats.
“There’s been changes not so much with electronics, but with the actual sailboats themselves – such as hydro-foiling sailboats,” said Jones. “The sailboats are capable of lifting off the water on the foils, as an airplane would be on air. So they’re riding high to get the hull out of the water and the speeds are quite a lot faster.”
Jones will be sharing his knowledge and expertise on sailing, as well as some of the newer and advanced features of the sport.
Jones’s 11-year-old son Lucas recently joined the Tillsonburg Sea Scouts and is looking forward to his sailing adventures with the club.
“I’m learning the pieces of a sailboat, how to sail, how to make all the knots and compass navigation. That’s what we’re doing,” he said. “It’s really fun.”
Marshall said the Tillsonburg Sea Scouts are a great organization, involved in the community and dedicated to providing youth with an enjoyable and unique learning experience.
“We have a high-adventure program in sailing,” said Marshall. “It’s a year-round program so there’s lots of fun things to do throughout the year.”
For more information on the Tillsonburg Sea Scouts or the upcoming open house, call Marshall at (519) 842-3023 or visit www.tillsonburgseascouts.weebly.com.