A New Challenge... Relocated Due To Coronavirus-19

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Well, it seems like we have some new great challenge every other year or so. Hurricanes? Boat crashes? Glodal Pandemic?

This program has been thru many changes. It began almost 20 years ago, and primarily focused on class room work and some sailing as guests on local club members' keel boats. The instructors found that the students could do almost everything, if encouraged, and the demonstration of seamanship skills was the students' main task.
Next, in about 2007, the program acquired some boats of it's own, and the centerpiece of the program was the students sailing their own boats independently.

 Boat collect leaves, pine needles, and dirt. In an effort to keep Navy clean, we are now covering them with tarps, and supporting the tarps with this invention: a 'T' of plastic pipe, fiberglass rod, and padding (swim noodle).

With the fleet of 6 Flying Juniors, 14' two-person racing class sloops, the New Bern NJROTC sailing really took off. Classes were 30 to 40 students, we hosted regattas for local sailors and high school teams. During this time, the course evolved into the framework that it has now: learning terminology and parts of the boat, on-water safety and capsize practice, practical demonstration of being able to sail a boat to a directed goal and carry out basic maneuvers such as tacking and docking (bring the boat to a controlled stop).

Since then, we acquired Javelins and used them for introducing the beginner sailors, reserving the tippy sporty "FJs" for advanced sailors. Then in 2018 Hurricane Florence took away our fleet of FJs. Since then, we have used the Javelins for ssailing instruction... they work great as learning platforms in the parking lot... and then, thanks to members of the Fairfield Harbour Yacht Cub, we let the students demonstrate what they've learned on big keel boats... and added navigation and radio communication to their skills.

Along the way, we've gained some new coaches and new attitudes. We will meet this new challenge with smiles and determination!


Ron Cox, a lifelong sailor and enthusiastic volunteer, joined us in 2018. Here he is showing off the Javelins parked temporarily at Fairfield Harbour. They are in a protected spot on high ground, and close to the coaches who will work on them over the summer.







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Being a sailing coach is very demanding, but it's very rewarding. One of the main jobs of our coaches is to take our donated boats, and get them up to standard for teaching. We cannot safely teach young students on old rattley unreliable equipment!




Another change in our program, we are now keeping 12 of the NJROTC District's Lasers. These boats are used for a summer time sailing & leadership academy. We will have the option of using them for advanced sailing instruction. We had planned to do so this spring but the pandemic broought these plans to a halt.

A sailing coaches work is never done, you can see these rudders and daggerboard need a little spiffing up!  

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