Students set sail at Moraine State Park
WORTH TWP — The appeal of navigating the open waters of Lake Arthur in a sailboat is easy to see, according to one sailing instructor.
“It's an adventure. I always liked classic pirate ships and this reminds me of that. You never know what is going to happen,” said Zach Sprys of Wexford.
Thirty students ages 8 to 15 are getting either an introduction or continued training in sailing during the Moraine Sailing Club's youth sailing camp this week at Moraine State Park.
Participants in the weeklong day-camp do not need to have any experience with boating or sailing, said the camp's director Sarah Paviol.
Students in the camp learn on one of three different types of boats, depending on their age and experience level. The youngest sailors start out in an Optimist boat, a dinghy with one sail. More advanced students go out in slightly-larger Sunfish boats and the older students learn on Hobie catamaran boats, which are pontoon boats with two sails.
The camp teaches how to operate the boats in different wind conditions, but also focuses on teaching safety and what to do in the event that a boat flips over or a fellow sailor goes overboard.
Lake Arthur has calmer waters than the Atlantic Ocean, but still offers plenty of challenges and opportunities to learn sailing, said Bill Paviol, who travels to Moraine from Bridgeville, Allegheny County, to sail.
The winds on Lake Arthur are often swirling and changing directions.
“If you can learn to sail at Moraine, you can learn to sail anywhere,” he said.
Spending one week at camp is a confidence builder for the students, said Sarah Paviol.“The hardest thing is getting over the fear of going in the water,” she said.John Jackline, 13, of Butler agreed.“You get kind of nervous on the first day, but I enjoy it more throughout the week,” he said.John was participating in the camp for the second year along with his brother and sister.Kurt Jackline, 12, said he also was enjoying himself Tuesday.“You're just free on the water,” he said about the appeal of sailing.Sailing is not necessarily a common activity for teenagers, but with Lake Arthur nearby, children and adults have the opportunity to try it out without the expense of owning their own sailboat.“We love water-sports and we like to try different things. It's a good learning experience,” John Jackline said about his family.Participants in the camp work toward a certification with US Sailing, which offers certifications to operate small boats like the ones used in the camp and larger boats.Moraine Sailing Club is based out of the Watt's Bay area on Lake Arthur's north shore. The group offers trainings for children and adults and has a community sailing program through which people who do not own their own sailboats have access to boats. More information on the club can be found at morainesailingclub.org.
