For the Community Boating Center’s Youth Offshore Program, this summer has been a season of challenges, adventure, and growth on the water. From weekly training sails around Buzzards Bay to some of the region’s most demanding offshore races, the team has spent the summer building skills, gaining confidence, and learning what it means to work together as a crew.
The season’s biggest milestone came in June, when the team took on the Newport Bermuda Race, a 635-mile offshore passage from Newport, Rhode Island, to Bermuda aboard Crazy Horse. For young sailors, racing to Bermuda is an extraordinary opportunity—and one that requires preparation, teamwork, and perseverance. The experience gave the team the chance to put months of training to the test while taking on the responsibility and independence that come with sailing offshore.
But the Bermuda Race was only one part of a busy season.
Over the winter, the sailors completed necessary boat work, including removing the old water tanks and installing new ones and upgrading the electronics. Safety is always our number one priority at CBC, and for the Newport to Bermuda race, all of the sailors
completed a hands-on safety at sea course.
The season kicked off with training sails and the 100-mile overnight Whalers Race out of New Bedford Yacht Club. Throughout the summer, members of the Youth Offshore Team also competed in other regional races, including the Salty Tower Race and the Ida Lewis Distance Race. The team capped off the Ida Lewis race with an impressive first-place finish in their division, a fitting accomplishment after a summer of hard work and preparation. The sailors also took part in the weekly Wednesday night race series at the New Bedford Yacht Club.
Much of that preparation happened during the team’s weekly “boot camps.” All 44 first and second year junior instructors gained hands-on experience aboard Crazy Horse and Red Shift, developing their skills as sailors while learning how to work together as a crew. The team regularly ventured out on approximately 30-mile sails around Buzzards Bay, putting their navigation, boat handling, and decision-making skills into practice. Over the course of the season, CBC’s big boats sailed over 2700 nautical miles.
And not every training day was about competition. Destination sails gave the young sailors the chance to explore Buzzards Bay, with trips to places like Cuttyhunk that included lunch, swimming, and time together off the boat. These experiences helped build the camaraderie that is so important when a group of sailors needs to depend on one another at sea.
Together, the races and training sails have made this a summer of meaningful experiences for the Youth Offshore Program participants. The sailors have pushed themselves beyond their comfort zones, taken on new responsibilities, and learned that successful sailing depends as much on communication, leadership, and teamwork as it does on technical skill.
The Newport Bermuda Race may have been the highlight, but the full season tells the bigger story: young sailors gaining the skills and confidence to take on challenges, support their teammates, and see just how far they can go.