Birds Of A Feather

Like birds of a feather, like chicks following their mother, the little pram sail boats at the local yacht club begin to gather each spring as the juniors get on the water. This program gets young folks into sailboats early in life. They develop sailing skills and learn all about racing (something I never did as a sailor, but I digress). There is always adult supervision with at least one motorized boat on site for safety.

I know there is a similar program at Rutabaga in Madison with their canoe program. They also have a young people's program at their annual Door County Sea Kayak Symposium which is coming up in a week. I once participated in one of the Symposium's lessons for kids and came away from it with admiration for the young paddlers and even more for the staff that had taught them.

I have played with the idea of looking for a grant and support to have such a program in Milwaukee, however I am not sure that the big lake is the best venue for this. In addition to the boat traffic and wave action, there is the occasional problem with pollution. I need to discuss this with others in the area.

Meanwhile, look for the little guys and the little boats out there and always remember: some of the birds flocking out there are big ones.Paddle safe...
DS