The Sint Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC) is delighted to announce the successful conclusion of its 2023-2024 Primary School Sailing Program. This year’s program saw the participation of 48 enthusiastic young sailors from four primary schools: Sister Regina Primary School, Leonard Connor Primary School, the All Children Educate (ACE) Foundation, and the Seventh Day Adventist Primary School. All students received their well-deserved sailing diplomas, celebrating their achievements and growth over the past nine months.
The program, which started in September 2023, provided a unique opportunity for 12 students from each school to engage in free weekly sailing and swimming classes.
“It is wonderful to see how much progress the students made throughout the year. At the beginning of the season, many of them felt anxious about being near the water or sailing a boat. But now, after 9 months of swimming and sailing, most of the students can confidently sail on their own, and everyone has become comfortable in the water. This will be a valuable life skill for the students, that they will enjoy for the rest of their life,” said Elja van der Horst, Sailing Instructor at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club.
In conjunction with the sailing program, the SMYC continued its ‘Swim 2 Sail’ initiative, aimed at enhancing the swimming skills of children before they embark on their sailing journey. This year, swimming classes were organized by Eline Broere, under whose supervision all children improved their swimming proficiency and received a ‘water-confident’ diploma.
During the sailing season many extra activities were offered to the students. A selected group of students per school were able to race in the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, in the next generation championship. A highlight of the season for many. All students were able to have a fieldtrip on a 60 ft ocean racer sailboat–Team Jajo. And all schools participated last May, in the Domino’s Interschool Sailing Regatta, where they represented their schools in a sailing race. What a great way to end the season.
The culmination of the program was marked by a diploma ceremony last week, where students were recognized for their dedication and progress. Teachers, parents, instructors, and SMYC staff gathered to celebrate the achievements of the young sailors, witnessing their final class and cheering them on during the ceremony.
This successful is made possible through the generous support of local sponsors and subsidies. Key contributors included Lagoon Marina, Independent Consulting Engineers (ICE), the Gustavia Yacht Club, Bob Hilbert and T-Maxx. Additionally, the SMYC received a subsidy from the St. Maarten Government’s Department of Sport to run this program for the 2023-2024 season and is excited to announce their continued support for the 2024-2025 season.
About the Sint Maarten Yacht Club
Established in 1980 with the goal to promote watersports on the island of St Maarten. It organizes multiple sailing events throughout the year, with the St Maarten Heineken Regatta as its crown jewel. A youth sailing program stimulates local youngsters to become part of the sailing community, teaching them life skills like team work, perseverance and confidence. Always looking to further develop sailing on St Maarten, the Club is active in promoting the sport, as well as the beautiful destination where it is located.