Our Mission
We would like to share some of the programs that our partners have been able to offer. Thank you to all the hands that have gone into creating such a positive atmosphere and dedicating yourself to teaching safe boating education for our community!
We are excited to announce that this fall Westwind Sailing is partnering with The Dana Point Aquatic Foundation, California Division of Boating and Waterways, Great Opportunities of San Juan Capistrano, and The Boys and Girls Club in Laguna Beach to offer the first ever US Sailing REACH program in Dana Point Harbor: Sail Into Science.
REACH aims to combine educators, sailing instructors, engineers, and scientists with today's youth to provide them with a one of a kind authentic learning experience, giving students the opportunity to apply classroom learning in a cooperative work environment.
The Reach STEM program, developed by US Sailing, utilizes sailing as an educational platform, challenging youth to embrace education, establish a love of learning, and explore productive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) based careers.
Westwind's Sail Into Science is a 6 week, 30 hour Reach course that combines hand's on sail training with STEM learning modules. The modules incorporate national education issues including watershed education, climate change, and green technology - all with a focus on hands-on learning both on and off the water. The middle school students enrolled in Westwind's Sail Into Science will use scientific tools to collect and analyze data in our local watershed of Dana Point Harbor while learning to sail.
We are very enhusiastic about working with the students from the Boys and Girls Club and Great Opportunities to launch our Sail Into Science program at the OCSEC. Both organizations strive to provide children from all backgrounds the opportunities to develop their character, realize their potential, and believe in themselves through various types of programs.
Westwind's Diane Wenzel commented, "the Dana Point Aquatic Foundation received scholarship funding through matching grants from US Sailing REACH and the California Division of Boating and Waterways to offer this program free of charge to participants. Our pilot program kicks off this month and we anticipate more courses next spring. We're excited to engage students in our hands-on learning opportunity and challenge them to reach higher academically with Sail Into Science."
Sail Into Science
Adaptive Boating
We've developed this program to provide on-the-water therapy and to teach safe boating and sailing to individuals with special needs. In our clinics we cover: basic boating and water safety, terminology and skill development on our Capris 14' sailboats, kayaks, and standup paddle boards. Our high instructor / student ratio maximezes safety while facilitating hands on experiential learning.
Accessible Sailing, which is a section within our adadptive program, is dedicated solely to train our sailors with physical limitations. Our certified sailing instructors teach progressive, hands on sailing and build on skills learned in previous clinics. Our equipment has some adaptability limitations. Please contact us for information.